Skiers and snowboarders have been given Opening Day golden tickets right here in the Northwest. Crystal Mountain opened Oct. 1 for a lucky 75 folks who wanted an early-season lift assist to inbounds hiking and skiing. Over at Stevens Pass, they opened their lift to the public for a special "Government De-Rail Session" rail jam on Oct. 5. A little closer to home, heavy rain in the valley translates to fresh blankets of snow in our area mountain ranges. And snow is the first, most important, ingredient when planning for Opening Day.
Before making your way to your favorite ski resort for Opening Day, there are plenty of activities for winter enthusiasts planned all over the Inland Northwest in the coming months. We've got a full calendar of ski movies, ski swaps, winter parties and, of course, Snowlander Expo. Next week is the premiere of a local favorite, Warren Miller's Ticket to Ride, slated for Oct. 25, the night before the first and biggest ski swap of the season, the Mt. Spokane Ski Patrol Ski Swap.
Over here at the Inlander offices, we're busy getting ready for the upcoming Snowlander Expo. This year, we're stoked to announce the addition of the PowderKeg Brew Festival taking place at the Expo. Save the dates for this can't-miss event — Friday and Saturday, Nov. 8 and 9. Stick around Saturday evening for the Spokane premiere of the Teton Gravity Research ski movie Way of Life.
Area resorts are scheduling their Opening Days for a little more than six weeks from now, so it's only a matter of time — and a little more snow — before we're toasting our own Opening Day celebrations!
Think snow!
