Turner Mountain opens for the season: A time to laugh, a time to ski

Submitted by Jay Forsyth

On a crisp winter morning, Turner Mountain Ski Area turned the ignition switch on and opened the mountain to winter customers. Cars filled the parking lot and people lined up to load the double chairlift and ride to the mountain’s summit on Friday, Dec. 23, Turner’s opening day for the 2016-2017 season.

Conditions were excellent and happiness filled the parking lot. As of Dec. 23, Turner had 17” of snow in the parking lot and 24” at the summit. The mountain is regularly open for business from Friday through Sunday, but has extended holiday operating hours to accommodate visiting skiers and snowboarders back in town for college break and to visit families for the holidays. During that period, the mountain will remain open from Dec. 26 until Jan. 2, 2017, and then will resume normal operating hours.

Turner remains one of only a handful of ski resorts in the country operated primarily by volunteers, and keeps costs to the customers low as a result. Lift tickets are $37 for an adult, a discounted ticket for veterans, college students, or seniors is $30, children 13-18 are $25, ages 7-12 pay $20, and children 6 and under ski for free. For people that don’t ski or snowboard, Turner offers a heated lodge with all modern amenities, including a ski rental business, ski patrol office and full grill to order hamburgers, soups, snacks, etc. The mountain also provides ski and snowboard lessons for the novice or for advanced riders just looking for more challenging terrain.

Recently featured in Warren Miller’s Here There and Everywhere, Turner offers an amazing opportunity to get outside regularly during the winter for exercise in a family-friendly atmosphere. For current snow conditions or for more information, call (406) 293-2468 or visit Turner’s website at skiturner.com.