Turner Mountain just waiting for snow

Kootenai Winter Sports President Bruce Zwang said Turner Mountain is “100 percent ready to go” and is just waiting for snow.

Zwang said six inches of heavy wet snow carpeted the parking lot Saturday night. With 16 inches on top of the mountain, he said there is a good base for the next round of snowfall.

Ski patrol member Karen Alexander said as soon as more snow comes they will hurry to finish marking mountain boundaries.

Alexander said ski patrol members have finished their annual mandatory trainings and are now in a holding pattern. They polished their scenario training and when more snow falls they can also brush-up on being towed behind snowmobiles, one of the more enjoyable exercises.

This season the ski patrol has upgraded their chairlift evacuation equipment. The new equipment makes the process much more comfortable for the evacuee.

During the summer they were busy with brush clearing and chairlift maintenance on the mountain.

An early season fire at the maintenance shop was a setback for the mountain, but it’s something the public probably won’t notice.

Dec. 20 was the target opening date for the mountain, but that decision is ultimately made by nature. Typically, Turner Mountain will have a good year in terms of revenue and total ski visits if the mountain opens to skiers and snowboarders by Christmas.

Zwang said all it will take is a few storms and the mountain will open quickly. As soon as the mountain opens, they will run daily through Jan.4. After that they will be open to the public on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Updated information can be found at the Turner Mountain website, or people can call 293-2468.