More Northern Rockies Ski Areas Pop Open

More ski resorts in the Northern Rocky Mountains have popped open following a series of storms over Thanksgiving weekend. Wet weather systems started to deliver the goods — enough to launch the 2012-13 season with a few lifts turning for skiers and snowboarders.

In Idaho, Sun Valley led in opening first, but was soon followed by three other ski areas. Schweitzer Mountain Resort flipped open two chairs and spread a handful of features in the Stomping Grounds Terrain Park. The resort plans to run Fridays through Sundays, conditions permitting, until daily operations begin mid-December.

Check out a bit of the opening day conditions at Schweitzer in this video clip:

Lookout Mountain started running two lifts. The ski area plans to open Thursdays through Sundays, but bump to daily operations through the holidays.

Silver Mountain launched the winter season with tubing and one lift catering to beginner skiers and snowboarders. The ski area aims to operate Fridays through Sundays until mid-December when more days will be added to the schedule.

Montana saw three ski areas open — Big Sky, Red Lodge, and Discovery. Discovery Ski Area ran two lifts and the carpet. The ski area plans to run the lifts on Saturdays and Sundays until Dec. 20, when it will open daily for the season.

Wyoming skiers headed to Jackson Hole and Grand Targhee Resort. Targhee opened Fred’s Mountain for top-to-bottom powder skiing on three lifts. The opening weekend launched daily operations for both resorts.

The most snow in the Northern Rockies sits in Alberta. While lifts have been turning at most of the Alberta resorts for a couple weeks, strong mid-November snowfall prompted Lake Louise to open all of its lifts just as the Winterstart World Cup began. Sunshine Village also unlocked the gates to Delirium Dive, one of its freeride zones, for the earliest opening on record.

For up-to-date snow reports on ski resorts, go here for Idaho, here for Montana, here for Wyoming, and here for Alberta.