Wednesday, October 21, 2026
It is Wednesday, and Schweitzer has given this day of the week its own headline for the coming winter. The resort's new Women's Wednesdays program is a six-week series bringing women together on the mountain to build skills, confidence and community. It welcomes skiers of all abilities, from first-timers to advanced, for weekly instruction from 9 a.m. to noon, and after each session the group can head up to Sky House to recap the morning with special discounts on food and drinks. The program is 450 dollars per person. Did you know that same summit lodge hits a milestone this winter? Sky House celebrates its 10th anniversary this season. The circled date ahead: tentative opening day is Friday, November 27, just 37 days from today, conditions permitting.
Women's Wednesdays is one piece of a busy new lineup for 2026-27. The new Learn to Ski in 3 package, for guests ages 13 and older, bundles three group lessons with lift access, instruction and equipment rentals for 425 dollars, and anyone who completes all three lessons earns a Grad Pass with unlimited skiing from March through closing day. The Schwagon food truck moves to the Red Barn parking lot with breakfast burritos and coffee, and a new candy and ice cream shop opens at Lakeview Lodge. The clock is ticking on passes, too: the Season Pass Sale ends November 15, 25 days from now, and the limited-quantity 3-Packs starting at 249 dollars last only until they sell out.
On the mountain this morning, the resort's own Mountain Report tells a calm, clear fall story. The village reads 48 degrees and clear with barely a breath of wind, while the summit is 44 degrees and clear with an east-southeast wind at 8 miles per hour. The snow report fields are still all dashes, with 0 of 10 lifts spinning and 0 of 92 trails open; the mountain remains closed. The village forecast keeps today partly cloudy with a high of 51, turns to a high of 52 Thursday with rain showers in the mix, then cools sharply Friday to a high of 40 and a low of 33. The resort's daily message is still savoring the first official snow sighting back on October 10, and Cambium Spa, the village cafes and lodging are open year-round.
Wednesday is our day to take one local story in depth, and this week it is the water bill on the mountain itself. Schweitzer Basin Water, the small unmetered utility serving about 458 residential customers around Schweitzer, has asked the Idaho Public Utilities Commission for a rate increase of about 134 percent. Under the proposal in case SCH-W-26-01, the monthly flat rate would become 93 dollars for both size classes of homes, up from 39 dollars for a unit under 500 square feet and 41 dollars for a larger one. The filing would also raise new-home infrastructure and tap fees and add language saying the company does not provide water for outside irrigation. The company says its rates have not increased since 2012 and the money is needed for compliance, system improvements and operating expenses. Nothing has been approved: the commission suspended the requested September 1 start, and customers can question commission staff at a workshop on Tuesday, October 27, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Sandpoint Center, 414 Church Street. Written comments run through January 12, 2027.
Closer to town, election season is in full swing. Early in-person voting is open every weekday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through October 30 at the Bonner County Elections Office, 1500 Highway 2 in Sandpoint, and this Friday, October 23, is the deadline both to preregister and to request an absentee ballot. On the November 3 ballot, Sandpoint voters will also decide a proposed 1 percent local option sales tax for transportation: if approved it would run from 2027 through 2036, with 75 percent of net proceeds for street maintenance and reconstruction and 25 percent for sidewalks, crossings, bicycle facilities, pathways and trails inside the city.
There is plenty happening today once the workday winds down. The Sandpoint Idaho Film Fest continues tonight with the documentary Sally! at the Heartwood Center, 615 Oak Street, from 6:30 to 8 p.m., with tickets at 5 dollars. Earlier, David Speight plays the grand piano at Pend d'Oreille Winery, 301 Cedar Street, from 5 to 7 p.m. Dancers can drop into the Sandpoint Tango Lab at the Embody Center, 823 Main Street, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. for 20 dollars, and trivia fans have Live Trivia with Toshi at Connie's Lounge, 323 Cedar Street, at 7 p.m. with a 5-dollar entry. Note: the Farmers' Market season ended last Saturday with Harvest Fest; its Winter Market returns November 21. Ahead, the Film Fest reaches Premiere Night at the Panida Theater on Friday and Closing Night on Saturday.
Days like this are exactly why we love hosting on this mountain: a clear fall morning up top, a town full of music, film and good questions down below, and opening day close enough to count on your fingers. If a Schweitzer getaway is on your list this fall or winter, we would love to welcome you to The Village Overlook, our hotel-style studio on the hill above Schweitzer's ski village. Come watch the light change over Lake Pend Oreille, plan your first Women's Wednesday, and settle in above it all.