
Lookout Pass straddles the Idaho-Montana border, with a summit at 5,650 feet dropping 1,148 vertical feet to a base at 4,502 feet across 38 runs spread over 540 acres. Terrain splits 47 per cent intermediate, 32 per cent advanced, 13 per cent beginner and 8 per cent expert, with average annual snowfall of roughly 424 inches, among the highest totals of any Idaho ski area. Four lifts, including two double chairs, one quad and one triple chair, serve the mountain, which carries no major multi-resort pass affiliation.
Lookout Pass is one of only a handful of ski areas in the country where skiers can cross a state line on the mountain itself, a novelty tied directly to its position on the historic pass. The resort's substantial snowfall total, well above most of Idaho, has built its reputation as a reliable deep-snow destination despite its comparatively modest acreage. Its lodge and facilities carry genuine historic character rather than modern resort styling.
Scandinavian skiers first used the pass in the early twentieth century, riding Northern Pacific freight cars to reach the terrain, before the area was officially established as an alpine ski area in 1935. A tow rope built the following year from car parts salvaged off an abandoned wreck on the old Yellowstone Highway, now Interstate 90, and on 24 February 1938 the Idaho Ski Club officially opened Lookout Pass Ski Area to the public. Its lodge, built in 1941, is the second-oldest ski lodge in the Pacific Northwest.
The resort's free ski school for children, founded in 1942, has introduced more than 60,000 kids to skiing and snowboarding and is recognised as the longest-running program of its kind. Lookout Pass became a commercial venture in 1991 under Lookout Associates LLC, which has operated and expanded the resort since. Adult daily tickets range from 60 to 75 US dollars, with season passes from 399 dollars, reflecting a historic, community-rooted mountain rather than a high-priced destination resort.
Lookout Pass straddles the Idaho-Montana border on the Interstate 90 corridor, with 38 runs across about 540 acres (219 hectares). The summit reaches 5,650 feet (1,722 m) and the base is at 4,500 feet (1,372 m), for a vertical of roughly 1,150 feet (350 m). Intermediates hold 47% of the terrain, advanced skiers 32%, beginners 13% and experts 8%. Four lifts serve it: two doubles, a triple and a quad. The area is small by acreage, but it picks up around 424 inches of snow a year, so conditions often outdo what the numbers suggest.
The Eagle Peak chair opened higher terrain in 2022, with runs more than a mile long, some groomed and some left natural, and the peak itself sits close to the state line. Bigfoot Glades is the gentler tree zone, while Thunder Glades steps up to black diamond skiing among the trees. The original front side carries the classic cruisers and the beginner slopes. Lookout Pass suits intermediates and advanced skiers chasing deep snow without a long road trip, and it offers an easy day for families who prefer a small, friendly mountain.
The 2025-26 season at Lookout Pass ran from 28 November 2025 to 20 April 2026, a roughly twenty-week season supported by average annual snowfall of approximately 424 inches, among the highest totals in Idaho. This substantial snowfall gives Lookout Pass a longer and more reliable natural season than many nearby resorts. Season dates can shift slightly depending on early and late-season storm activity.
Midwinter, from December through February, typically delivers the deepest and most consistent snowpack, with the resort's straddling of the Idaho-Montana border adding storm exposure from both sides of the pass. Weekday visits tend to be considerably quieter than weekends, and the resort's location directly off Interstate 90 makes it accessible for both regional day-trippers and travellers passing through.
The resort's free ski school for children, running since 1942, remains a defining part of its seasonal programming, having introduced more than 60,000 kids to the sport over more than eight decades. This long-running educational focus shapes much of the resort's midwinter and holiday-period activity. School holiday periods bring increased family visitation given the program's prominence.
Late-season conditions into April typically benefit from the area's exceptional snowfall total, often extending good coverage later than lower-snowfall Idaho resorts. Specific event programming beyond standard operations and the long-running ski school is not confirmed in available resort information. The mountain's historic character, including its 1941 lodge, continues to shape the atmosphere of the season for visitors.
Lookout Pass sits directly on the Idaho-Montana border, with a base elevation of 4,502 feet and a summit at 5,650 feet across a 1,148-foot vertical drop over 540 acres. The resort's position on Interstate 90 places it in the Silver Valley region of northern Idaho, within a landscape shaped by the area's mining and railroad history.
The nearby towns of Mullan and Wallace, Idaho, offer lodging and dining options for visitors, with the broader Silver Valley providing additional services along the I-90 corridor. Spokane, Washington lies within a comfortable driving distance to the west, extending Lookout Pass's practical catchment area beyond Idaho into the Inland Northwest. The resort's direct highway access makes it a convenient stop for travellers moving between Idaho and Montana.
Interstate 90 runs directly past the resort, providing straightforward access from both directions without need for secondary roads. This direct highway location is a significant advantage over more remote Idaho ski areas, though winter driving conditions on I-90 through the pass can still include snow and ice during storms. There is no direct public transport service to the resort itself.
Spokane International Airport, roughly 90 minutes to the west, is the nearest airport with substantial commercial service. This makes Lookout Pass reasonably accessible for fly-in visitors despite its remote mountain-pass setting. Most visitors, however, arrive by car along Interstate 90 from either the Idaho or Montana side of the border.
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Mammoth Mountain is first up in California, targeting Friday 13 November after a dusting of September snow. Heavenly and Northstar follow on 20 November, Palisades Tahoe on Wednesday 25 November and Sugar Bowl on 27 November, with Kirkwood on 4 December and June Mountain on 19 December. Plenty of smaller areas have no date yet. A super El Niño favours the Sierra, but a warmer storm track is the catch.

Arapahoe Basin, Keystone and Winter Park are all chasing an October start, though none has a firm date yet. The first dated openers are Breckenridge and Copper on Friday 6 November, then Vail on 13 November, with most of the rest bunched around US Thanksgiving. Hesperus did not open at all last season. A super El Niño offers hope but no guarantee, and forecasters say the southern mountains have the better odds.

Dolomiti Superski is spending around €100 million across its 12 areas before winter. Kronplatz gets a new 10-passenger gondola with a middle station, 3 Zinnen gets Helmissimo, and Val di Fassa swaps a chairlift for a gondola above Col Valvacin. New water-storage basins and upgraded snowmaking follow, and construction has started on the San Martino to Passo Rolle link. A peak adult day pass is €89.

Brian Head is targeting 6 November, though last year it aimed for 7 November and did not open until the 25th. Park City, Alta and Solitude are pencilled in for 20 November, Snowbird and Snowbasin for 27 November, and Deer Valley for 5 December. Eagle Point will stay closed after the Cottonwood Fire. A super El Niño is forecast, but the big snow is not expected until January.

Hintertux became Austria's second glacier to open for 2026-27 on Friday 2 October, after the Pitztal Glacier. Twelve kilometres of piste are running around the Olperer and Gefrorene Wand, served by one gondola and two drag lifts, with the Betterpark also open. Lifts officially run 8:15 am to 4:30 pm, but skiing stops at 2 pm for now.

A historically poor western winter cut Vail Resorts' annual net income from $280 million to $147.5 million and skier visits by 13.4 per cent. Now 2026-27 pass units are down 12 per cent as of 18 September, worse than the 10 per cent flagged in spring. Vail blames the weather and thinks some buyers are simply waiting, and it forecasts a rebound if the snow behaves.

Arizona Snowbowl advertised eight $1 lift ticket days this winter. Go looking and only three are showing - 10 March, 1 April and 10 April - so the rest may already have gone. The consolation is a calendar full of $9 days, including all but one day in April. Opening day is 20 November, weather permitting, and opening weekend is $19.

For years, Whitewater's Short Side was where you ducked a rope and hoped for the best: unmapped, ungroomed and unpatrolled. This winter it's inbounds. Six new runs of glades and fall-line skiing add 190 acres (about 77 hectares), taking the resort past 1,400 acres in total. F2 Logging spent a month in the trees to make it happen, and opening day is pencilled in for 4 December. Bonanza now needs less snow to groom, too.
Live open status isn’t available right now.
Scroll for the full outlook · Open-Meteo
Days 1–7
0.3"
Days 8–14
1.5"
Live snow from the resort feed; forecast from Open-Meteo, via Supabase.
Snow depth at Lookout Pass is tracked at both the base and summit, since the two elevations often see different totals — roughly a 350m difference here. We report fresh snowfall over the last 24 hours and 7 days alongside the running season total, in both metric and imperial units.
Wind and temperature swings matter as much as fresh snowfall. Cold, calm conditions hold snow quality well, while wind-loading or a warm-up can change things quickly — especially given the elevation spread between Lookout Pass's base and summit.
We pull Lookout Pass's conditions from on-the-ground mountain reporting, then layer in forecast data so you get a fuller picture than either source alone. The mountain is served by 4 lifts, including a quad chairlift.
Conditions can change overnight, so mornings and late afternoons are the best times to check back on Lookout Pass.