No new snow, but plenty of 'freshies' on Turner slopes

Turner Mountain ski area will have a chance this weekend to demonstrate its resilience, as snowfall has been sparse during the past few days and no new snow is predicted until late next week.

It’s true: Turner Mountain hasn’t had a good dumping since December, and warm conditions for much of January offset the new snow that fell during the month.

But it’s also true that Turner Mountain has so much off-trail terrain that it would take months without snow to track out all the powder in the tree groves. The backside, in particular, remained in great shape last weekend and should still have some freshies for determined powder-seekers. 

The ski area still claims a 30-inch base at the bottom and a 50-inch base at the top, numbers that have remained unchanged since early January. Six inches fell last weekend, but warm weather has settled the snow below midway.

Bruce Zwang, president of Kootenai Winter Sports, is taking an optimistic view.

“Even though we haven’t had a dump in a while, there is still very good snowboarding and skiing up there,” Zwang said. “We’re keeping everything well-groomed and widening out the groomed trails.”

February is typically the snowiest month of the ski season, Zwang said, so it’s possible that Turner Mountain will get another boost soon.

Meanwhile, ski area coordinators are gearing up for the annual Community Appreciation Day on Feb. 18 (Presidents’ Day). Anyone 18 years old or younger will be given a day pass at no charge, and adults can buy discounted day passes for $20. 

Community Appreciation Day is sponsored by local businesses. Those who qualify for a free day pass must pick it up at one of the sponsoring businesses, including The Western News.   

The event is expected to draw about 300 skiers/boarders, which is about three times more than a normal day at Turner Mountain. 

“We typically get a big crowd,” Zwang said. “If you can’t get out of bed for free skiing, then I don’t know what to tell you.”

(The Top Shack is a weekly feature written by ski and snowboard enthusiasts who are deeply conflicted over whether it’s better to promote Turner Mountain or keep the whole thing to ourselves. If you would like to contribute to this regular feature, please contact Matt Bunk at 293-4124.)