There are many notable dates on the calendar that we look forward to all year. Some are set dates, like Christmas or your birthday. But for some, we don’t quite know when they’re going to happen, and for many, that makes them all the more special. A date from this list is the opening day of one of Missoula’s drivable ski resorts. And one of these hills just shook off the postseason dust. Boasting one of the earliest opening days of any US ski resort in the 2024-25 season, Idaho’s own Lookout Pass started turning their chairs this last weekend, Nov. 8.
Lookout opened for a total of two days, Friday Nov. 8 and Saturday, Nov. 9. They announced via their Instagram and website that they planned to remain open the following Sunday but were forced to close due to “unfavorable weather”.
With only eight reported inches of snow at the base and a measly twenty at the summit, skiers and snowboarders didn’t have much to work with. Conditions were certainly questionable and snowpack was much less than was reported in places. But the snow sport community has learned to use what they’ve got in the past few seasons, and skiers and snowboarders showed up en masse to enjoy some of the earliest turns in the country.
Prior to opening day, Lookout warned patrons via their website that they were opening exclusively for extremely “committed skiers” and that “early season conditions” were common across the mountain. They were most definitely not lying; dirt patches and rocks were commonplace on even the groomed runs and navigating many trails was difficult for skiers and snowboarders.
Additionally, Lookout certainly had some issues to shake out after the off season. On Saturday, they had planned to open the Eagle Peak Quad chairlift, allowing skiers to access some higher and hopefully snowier terrain. Unfortunately, due to a mechanical issue, the chair broke down soon after it was opened, stranding many patrons on the lift for multiple hours. Lookout’s main chair, Chair 1, also experienced a mechanical issue which was thankfully fixed after only about thirty minutes.
Despite a number of these little bobbles, chairlifts turning on November 8th and 9th is nothing short of a monumental success for skiers and snowboarders. These early first days hopefully serve as a good omen for a very very very snowy season to come. A potential six month ski season is not out of the question, as many resorts have historically stayed open through April 8. Skiers and snowboarders just have to keep sacrificing household pets and occasionally a first born child to the snow gods, and we should have many powder days ahead in the coming months.
