Lookout Pass
Ski and Recreation Area
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Located just off I-90 at Exit 0,
on the Idaho Montana border, midway
between major airports in Spokane, WA, and Missoula, MT,
Lookout Pass Ski Area
is famous for its FREE ski school
for kids 6 to 17, and DEEP champagne powder for everyone.
Lookout Pass Ski Area
has offered a family atmosphere and
inexpensive winter adventures for seventy years.
Created in 1938, the ski area on Lookout Pass was operated
by the Idaho Ski Club, a non-profit community organization
financed in large measure by several Silver Valley mines,
until 1991, when it became a commercial venture. 
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Current view of
I-90 traffic at Exit 0 |
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 this photo page was last updated on Friday, January 08, 2010. |
See the Snowfall Forecast page for current regional weather, expected snowfall and snow quality maps. This page also now incorporates a PRINTABLE Ten Day Weather Forecast for Lookout Pass Ski Area. |
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Google Earth Animation
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In 1998, about 50 acres, originally called Buzzards Valley, was opened for snowboarders and skiers. This area, renamed Claim Jumper in 2001, and B-52 in 2003, by the current Forest Service leasee, continues to attract the adventurous to its 1100 foot long terrain park and acres of trees. For the 2001/02 season, a new advanced beginner run named Hoot Owl was cut into the timbered area. |
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Early in 2003, a major expansion began as a result of the Forest Service approved Final Environmental Impact Statement. Phase I of Alternative D was implemented for the 2003/04 season with the addition of a new lift and 5 new runs that face the St. Regis Lakes Basin to the south. All 7 new runs may be visualized by comparing
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Phase III built the new north-facing ski area shown in the FEIS figure. As may be seen from the photos below, these runs are very steep and will appeal to experts and over-achieving intermediate skiers and boarders. The photos show the progression of events beginning with a cross valley view of the new terrain as of September 2006. The wide bare earth run will become Hercules. The middle photo was shot by someone who poached Hercules in December 2006. The run to the left will become Purgatory and will accommodate the new North Star chairlift in the summer of 2007. The photo on the right was shot midway down Hercules in December 2007. The mouseover enlargements associated with each photo show the same place. Click on a photo to enlarge it in a separate window.
The new North Star loading station is located just above the Northern Pacific Trail a forest road and historic railbed enhanced for recreational multi-use by the Friends of the Coeur d'Alene Trails and the High Mountain ATV Association during the summers of 2004 and 2005. The railbed is a popular snowmobiling and cross-country skiing route between Idaho and Montana every winter. Poachers used this route to get back to the resort during the 2006/07 ski season. |
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Ski Photo Journals
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Several backcountry areas filled with alpine lakes are nearby for the enjoyment of the cross-country skiing enthusiast. A dozen miles west on the Interstate is the historic town of Wallace, and another dozen miles takes you to Silver Mountain Ski Area located above the town of Kellogg. |
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The
2009/10 Snowfall Log for Both Ski
Areas with Commentary was last updated on Wednesday, March 10, 2010. |
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Most of these pages
have not yet been updated for the
2009/2010 season.
Until they are, please go to the
official site for more information.
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Current view of
I-90 traffic at Exit 0, elevation 4725' Ski Area elevation: 4800' to 5650' |
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2009/2010 Snowfall Log
with Commentary and Photos was last updated on Wednesday, March 10, 2010. |
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| Winter Legacies |
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Lookout Pass Ski Area operates under a Special-Use Permit of the U.S. Forest Service with Lookout Associates, LLC, in the Idaho Panhandle National Forest. | |
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Summer 2001 |
Lookout Associates, LLC, is also the concessionaire for
the nearby 15 mile long
Route of the Hiawatha
(a.k.a. "Taft Tunnel") mountain bike trail. |
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