Snow brings near-record opening for Turner

Saturday’s opening day at Turner Mountain may not have broken the ski area’s attendance record, but it was the busiest day in 25 years, according to Kootenai Winter Sports Inc. president Bruce Zwang.

Zwang said Saturday’s turnout, 342 skiers, may have been the busiest day in Turner Mountain’s fifty-year history but he couldn’t confirm that from memory.

“It was a near-record day,” he said. “It was certainly the biggest day we’ve had in 25 years. The only day that comes close is the day we opened the chair lift in January 2002.”

Turner’s successful opening brought excitement and fun not only to local skiers, but also drew in visitors from around the region, including some international guests from Canada. The economic impacts were felt in a number of local businesses, including hotels and saloons.

Bruce Mohr, owner of the Red Dog Saloon near Turner Mountain, said Saturday was his establishment’s busiest day ever.

“Our gross was 10 percent higher than our biggest figures ever,” he said. “It seems when Turner opens, the smiles come out. There was an awful lot of smiles.”

Mohr said his staff served exactly 10 percent more pizzas than their previous record, although declined to specify the exact number of pizzas. He was not sparse with his praise for the saloon’s staff, however.

“This wouldn’t have happened without the hardworking staff we have here,” he added.

Bob Lee, owner of the Caboose Motel, said his motel saw a solid influx of guests as a result of Turner’s opening. The motel offers a ski-and-stay package, but Lee said he wasn’t sure of the exact number of people who took advantage of it this weekend as he had several promotions going on during the weekend.

“We had a great weekend,” he said. “We had a good number of people come through and add some money to the local economy.”