La Nina to make Montana a powderhound’s paradise

The snow might be sparse on the valley floor this week, but skiers and snowboarders can rejoice — the season is here. Winter's fury has returned with a vengeance named La Nina.

A skier's favorite weather phenomenon, La Nina means the snow should pile up and the temperatures should stay low in the Northern Rockies this winter. She's already made an impact as Lookout Pass prepares for a Friday opening.

Straddling the Montana-Idaho border, the interstate-side ski area will open one lift to the 5,650 foot summit and at least 10 runs.

"We got almost two feet over the weekend, it's snowing right now, it's supposed to snow through the week," Lookout's Marketing Director Bill Jennings said.

Last March, Lookout Pass received more snowfall than any other ski resort on earth in a seven-day period, which totaled six and a half feet, he said.

There's currently about two feet of snow at Lookout Pass with snowy forecasts through the weekend. It opens Friday at 9 a.m. Pacific time.

Snowbowl, Missoula's backyard ski area, might open Saturday, Nov. 26, said groomer operator Pat McKay.

The snow is piling up, but it's still shallow. McKay and two other groomers were packing down lower runs Tuesday in anticipation of the week's snowy forecast.

The 23-year Snowbowl veteran said last year was incredible, and hears positive predictions for the upcoming season.

"If they're right, we're going to have a repeat," he said.

Those predictions have some scientific backing, says University of Montana geosciences professor Johnnie Moore. He said current data and models indicated a La Nina pattern through January at least.

"Statistically, that means chances of cooler weather and more precipitation," he said. "So statistically speaking, it should be a good ski year. But it might not be."

La Nina occurs when the Pacific Ocean's temperature drops around the equator, sending cold weather and precipitation to the American Northwest and a warm winter to the Southeast.

This news has circulated among customers visiting local board shop Edge of the World, employee Chris Bacon said.

"We've been busy after a really good season last year and with all the hype going into this year. It's pretty cool," Bacon said.

brooks.johnson@umontana.edu

Around the region, other resorts are preparing their machinery and training their lifties.

• Big Sky Resort, south of Bozeman, and Discovery, near Phillipsburg, open Thanksgiving Day.
• Great Divide, near Helena, will open a chairlift on Sunday, Nov. 20.
• Lost Trail, south of Missoula on the Idaho border, will likely open in the first half of December, according to its website.
• Blacktail Mountain, outside of Lakeside, has picked up snow, but has no projected opening date.
• Whitefish Mountain Resort, 2 1/2 hours north of Missoula, is Saturday, Dec. 3.