Lookout Pass Ski Area

24 January 2013   6 inches of nice powder today and skiing was good.  Lookout has good coverage and will only get better.  Was a good powder day and only felt bottom on steeper runs; lower Sundance, Dipper and Hercules skied well but a little scratchy underneath in steeper pitches.Grooming is the best it has ever been.

 

2 January 2013  Plenty of snow.  We are in the middle of a cold front now.   In the teens mid day and colder early AM and late in afternoon.  Grooming is excellent and off piste is pretty hammered from the Christmas crowd.  Skiing is really good on the groomers but bring your cold weather clothing.  

 

 

17 Dec 2012 Monday.  Best day of year.  16inches of powder.  Whole area is shaping up great for this early in the year.  Groomers are 100% great and off piste has very few obstacles and tree areas are skiing good with a little common sense.

 

 

December 14th 2012.  Snow is getting better.  Groomers are excellent with the exception on a few hazards on the bottom of the backside - Chair 2 - but no big deal easy to avoid stuff.  Off piste snow is improving but still a little thin.  Bottom of Chair 3 still a little sketchy but skiable without hitting anything if you watch where you're going.  Face is almost tip tip covered but not quite.  For those of you familiar with Lookout:  EOB doable but still some hazards, snow was good though.  Lucky Fri in the trees was holding really nice snow but still a lot of hazards but doable.  Lucky fri lower to the road and walk back to the parking lot was fun but in my opinion not worth the hoof had to be too careful skiing to really enjoy the  ride.

 

The real bad news is the beer prices went up in the bar and that is a bummer.  More snow expected Sat and Sun so getting good.

 

 

 

 

 

The date is the 5th December 2012.  Lookout is open for full operation.  Dec. means open 5 days a week closed Tue and Wed.  Makes Thurs Powder day.  As of last Monday the skiing was good on the front side.  chair one only.  Thursday 12/6 the back side opens with the operation of chair 2.  It will be awhile before chair 3 opens as a lot of stumps etc. on bottom still.  I will update this report regularly.  Any questions about Lookout can be directed to me- Pete No. Idaho.

 

It is September 18th, 2011 and as an Epic Ambassador to Lookout Ski Area this is my lst entry.  Have skied Lookout for 8 years.  Will elaborate on my Pros and Cons this entry and will add some ski pictures.  More explanatory writing will occur later.

 

PROS.  Lookout is located on Mullan Pass, Interstate 90 on top of the Bitterroot  Mountain range. The ski area is right at Exit Zero on Hwy 90 and is in Northernn  Idaho and part of Montana. Missoula Mt. is 90 miles to the East on Hwy 90 and Couer d' Alene Idaho is approx. 1 hour West on Hwy 90.

 

Lookout is almost always the lst Northern Idaho ski area to open and has good quality snow. Lift ticket prices are very reasonable and season passes even more so.  The people at Lookout are a real down to earth friendly sort.  No airs, no pretense - just real look you in eye folks. The only day that could be considered crowded would be Saturdays as there is free instruction for kids and the kids do come along with their parents etc.  The real plus is the snow and the friendly lifties, people and you may have the free popcorn in the bar served by one of the owners- Hans.

 

CONS.  The runs are not long and there are no real steeps.

 

More detail will be  given in subsequent reviews.  

 

Pete No. Idaho - Ambassador to Lookout Pass ski area.

 

 

 

 

December 17th, 2011.

 

Lookout is open with decent/good snow and skiing good.  Around 60 inches on top and about 30 at Lodge, groomers are skiing good and the crew is doing a very good grooming job.  We can't really complain about groomers only - because WE are open which is more than most ski areas can say.  The very persistent and large high pressure ridge that has been dominating the whole western US is here too.  The ample snow we got in late Nov. is still good when groomed.

 

Skied Lookout Thursday (2 days ago) and found the following:

 

Chair 1 Frontside.  Bonanza, Gold, Silver etc. all groomed and skiing good, no hazards.  Mt. and Id. face dust on crust, very few hazards, no rocks a few brush stemms  showing.

 

Chair 2 B ackside.  All groomed runs skiing good.  Lower Sundance (under chair) is hard and has quite a few hazards showing and just under surface, didn't ski - have new skis and an old body.

 

Chair 3 North Side.  Skied Dipper and Marmot and both were good.  Marmot groomed and Dipper wasn,t but actually skied pretty good with about 1.5 inches of dust  Obviously Dipper never thawed at all and suprizingly skied good.  Wouldn't - didn't ski Hercules or Red Dog because of visible hazards.

 

All in all a good day of skiing.  Obviously powder would be better but Hey we are open and almost all runs were good.

 

Small crowd with  NO waiting anywhere..

 

Update  1/4/12.  Lookout is skiing good.  Groomers are in good shape and well groomed. Off piste is not advised, depending on the temp. can be icy ruts and/or mank off piste.  Goomers are skiing very good. If you are visiting Lookout for the lst or even 2nd time follow the following schedule:  AM say Opening till noon ski the front side off of Chair 1.  If the sun is out the backside Chair 2 will start to soften about 1130hours and Chair 2 will ski good in Afternoon.  Chair 3 is on the North side and may not freeze and may not thaw, it just all depends on the temperature etc.

 

Chili is still excellent in the Cafeteria.  Moosedrool good in the bar. Groomers only but good skiing and heck "WE ARE OPEN- with real snow too".

 

 

January 17th 2012.  Lookout is closed today Tuesday.  As of 1135 this AM Lookout is reporting 21 Inches of fresh snow.  By Wed AM opening it will be an Epic Powder day.  There is a very good base and 21 inches plus will be remarkable.