Friday, November 6, 2026
The ski season starts breathing down your neck tomorrow night in downtown Sandpoint. Warren Miller's 77th film, Days Off, screens at the Panida Theater on Saturday, November 7, with doors at 6:00 p.m. for the 7:00 p.m. show and tickets at 18 dollars. Host Katie Burrell follows top skiers and riders through heli-drops in Alaska, the powder of Hokkaido, and the slopes of Deer Valley and Revelstoke, in a spirit of pure, unscripted joy. Presented by Mountain Fever Productions, the evening raises money for the Independence Race Team, which gives skiers ages 7 to 16 free coaching, equipment, and insurance. At intermission the team will raffle four prizes, including a multi-day Schweitzer ski vacation for two and a Priest Lake husky sled dog tour, and a silent auction will include a Schweitzer season pass. Did you know the Warren Miller tour has opened ski season for North Idaho families for generations? Tomorrow it does it again.
The mountain itself is wearing a quiet, foggy Friday. Schweitzer's own Mountain Report this morning showed the village at 35 degrees in fog with a light southwest wind at 1 mile per hour, while the summit stood at 28 degrees in fog with an east-southeast wind at 13 miles per hour. The snow report fields still show dashes, with no base or snowfall totals posted yet, and the mountain remains closed for the season at 0 of 10 lifts, 0 of 92 trails, and 0 of 2,900 acres open. The village forecast calls for a windy Friday near 36 degrees, a warmer, cloudy Saturday at 44 degrees, and a colder, windy Sunday at 36 degrees with winds reaching 26 miles per hour. The resort's November 5 daily message reported snow falling again, with fat flakes turning the village white, which is exactly the sneak peek November is supposed to deliver.
The countdown clocks are getting serious. Opening day is Friday, November 27, just 21 days away, and season pass prices go up after November 15, nine days from now. Prices on the multi-week programs for kids and adults rise after November 15 as well, so families weighing lesson series should not sit on that decision. The 3-Pack of lift tickets remains 249 dollars, as low as 83 dollars a day, with no blackout dates. On the lodging side, the fall special offers 15 percent off stays of two or more nights when booked by November 17, and the early-winter Stay and Ski Free offer adds two free single-day lift tickets per night of an early-season stay.
Saturday night gives snowboarders their own celebration up on the mountain. Rally for the Riders II, Snowboard Northwest's 2026 fundraiser party, runs from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at The St. Bernard, with drinks, appetizers, dinner, live music, and silent and live auctions supporting its scholarship program. Looking one week further, the Schweitzer Alpine Racing School Ski Swap takes over the Bonner County Fairgrounds on Saturday, November 14, from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., with admission at 5 dollars per person or 10 dollars per family. Sellers can check in clean, working gear on Friday, November 13, from noon to 7:00 p.m. Before the swap, the free State of Schweitzer presentation meets at the Heartwood Center on Thursday, November 12, with doors at 4:00 p.m. and the season preview from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m.
Around the panhandle, the food community has its own big day today. The fifth annual Selkirk-Pend Oreille Food Summit gathers farmers, ranchers, foragers, chefs, retailers, and community members at the Sandpoint Organic Agriculture Center from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., celebrating Idaho women in agriculture in the International Year of the Woman Farmer, with short presentations, networking, a locally catered lunch, and the Local Food Leader Award. Out on the water, the Lake Pend Oreille Anglers Club Fall Derby, which opened November 4, fishes through Sunday, November 8, and anglers are already looking ahead to the Lake Pend Oreille Idaho Club's K and K Thanksgiving Fishing Derby, set for November 21 through 29 with a break on Thanksgiving Day. November in Bonner County clearly refuses to be a quiet month.
Today's calendar stays full after the summit wraps up. The opening reception for The Language of Color runs from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the POAC Gallery at 313 North Second Avenue, featuring work by thirteen area artists. The Ron Kieper Trio plays refined jazz at Pend d'Oreille Winery from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m., Matt Lome performs at Barrel 33 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., karaoke starts at 6:00 p.m. at the Fraternal Order of the Eagles for ages 21 and older, Nic Allen brings southern soul and classic rock to the Niner from 8:00 to 11:00 p.m., and a live DJ closes the night at Roxy's starting at 9:00 p.m. Sunday then belongs to the Sandpoint Nordic Club's Annual Winter Welcome, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. at the Outdoor Recreation Center on Pine Street, with s'mores, games, and raffle items.
Whether your weekend runs through a dark theater full of powder shots or a gallery wall full of color, The Village Overlook is a warm place to land above it all. Settle in on the hill, watch the weather roll across the Selkirks toward Lake Pend Oreille, and let the countdown to November 27 do the rest. We would love to host your opening-weekend base camp.