Ski season nears for fans of Turner Mountain
Local ski and snowboarding enthusiasts will have more time this year to cruise the slopes on Turner Mountain.
With the exception of Christmas, organizers plan to run the mountain daily from Dec. 18 through New Years’, according to Bruce Zwang president of the Kootenai Winter Sports Ski Education Foundation. After Jan. 1, Zwang said the group will switch back to its usual Friday, Saturday and Sunday schedule.
Zwang noted the start date for the season may change depending on the whims of Mother Nature.
When hitting the slopes this winter, skiers and boarders can expect a few changes to the courses and structures on the mountain.
“We had a busy off-season,” said Zwang commenting on the work completed by volunteers over the summer and fall.
The most notable improvement the organization completed this year was a logging project between Chans Run and the lift line. Zwang said that before clearing the area, trees were growing too close to the lifts. The opening left by the cut also greatly improved Chans Run.
Previously, Zwang had announced the mountain’s chair lift had been repaired. On Feb. 24, a busted bearing contributed to the early closure of Turner last ski season. By the time the lift was back in working order, the nation was already in the grips of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As part of off-season work, this year workers also completed excavation work in the mid-mountain area. Volunteers built a primitive road to help facilitate rescue toboggans. As part of a construction project, the organization put up a lube storage building along with an attached shed.
To ensure Turner Mountain can continue to operate safely during the coronavirus pandemic, volunteers installed plexiglass dividers in the lodge and created a heated outside seating area. The organization will also limit the number of guests allowed inside the lodge at any given time to mitigate the potential spread of virus. Volunteers will continue working to ensure the operation follows state and local pandemic guidelines.
“Folks need to understand we are rising to the challenge,” Zwang said.
Turner Mountain volunteers are continuing fund-raising efforts in hopes of purchasing a new groomer. Since September the group has been gathering donations to replace one of Turner’s two aging machines. These large vehicles, improve conditions by packing snow, are essential to making mountains accessible to beginner and intermediate skiers and boarders.
Zwang said the group hopes to acquire the new groomer sometime this winter.
Anyone interested in adding to the fundraising effort can contact the organization at 406-293-2468 or by mail — care of the Kootenai Winter Sports Ski Education Foundation — at P.O. Box 210, Libby, MT 59923.