The rain has started, with the feeling that it will never stop. The positive? Eventually the temperature will drop and those raindrops will turn to snowflakes, and those flakes will accumulate to opening-day base requirements. Then come the social media posts, emails from area resorts, and then the opening-day announcements.
I was recently reminiscing about an opening day at 49 Degrees North on Nov. 11, several years ago. More recently, a Lookout Pass opening day in 2011 on Nov. 18, quickly followed by Schweitzer opening on the next day. Those are the seasons that catch you by surprise and begin with so much stoke, and end with legs of steel and the greater possibility of bagging 100 days.
Until that time, there's still so much to check off the preseason checklist, including many household chores that will, for sure, be neglected once the season begins. There's also the last-ditch attempt to get in shape and locate the whereabouts of ski gloves, goggles, helmets, base layers and other necessary gear, to be ready for those opening-day announcements.
Over the past three years, this weekend has been a great way to connect with winter friends and get your stoke on for opening day. The Snowlander Expo and PowderKeg Brew Festival bring together winter enthusiasts from all over the region, as well as many of our favorite retailers and resorts. This year we're excited to announce the Washington Trust Rail Jam during the event on Saturday, and the premiere of the Teton Gravity Research movie Almost Ablaze. It'll be two days of action-packed fun at the Spokane Convention Center. Check out snowlanderexpo.com for more information and to purchase tickets.
See you this weekend!
