Another ski season is nearly here, which means another season of SnoCast is back! This week, we're tracking the first potential big snow of the season. 

It’s summer, but that doesn’t mean heading to the ski hill is out of the question. Eleven of Idaho’s ski areas offer lift-served mountain biking and North Idaho’s resorts offer plenty of options.

Beginning with the 2021/22 ski season, Schweitzer will become a partner on the Ikon Pass, joining 44 other iconic destinations including Crystal Mountain, RED Mountain, Snowbird, Alta, Revelstoke, Big Sky, and Mt. Bachelor among others. Schweitzer is proud to be the first Idaho destination to join the Ikon Pass community.

It’s sad, but true and time to face the fact there’s only so much ski season left. Whether you’re a die-hard to last chair, a pond-skimmer, or seeking out the best spring turns in a windbreaker, here’s what to expect weather-wise during the first week of April.

March came in like a lamb, and so it seems will go out the same way. A few shots of snow, plus mild temperatures will have you looking forward to soft and spring-like turns into April. Here’s what’s on tap in this week’s SnoCast.  

A large pool of bitter cold air seeps into the US from Canada this week, affecting the weather from coast to coast. Here’s what to expect on the slopes.

While the northwest peaks remain most active this week, cold air in the East and two systems bring new snow to the southern Appalachians. Here’s where to find best conditions this week.

2021 already looks good with storm after storm lining up in the West, and a turn to a more active pattern for the East. Here’s where to find great ski conditions through the first week of January.

A busy forecast through the end of 2020 from coast to coast will have you picking and choosing your windows of opportunity to hit the slopes.

While the northeast watches the forecast closely for a weekend nor'easter, the West soaks in the sunshine and bluebird days. Watch and read this week's SnoCast as we highlight where to find the best conditions. 

Alaska Airlines is relaunching its “Ski Free” promotion, giving free lift passes to skiers and snowboarders at resorts across the U.S. and Canada when they show their boarding pass. 

The focus for cold and snow this week stretches from British Columbia, down the Northern Rockies to the Great Lakes, bringing the potential for base-building snow. In the east, a mainly soggy storm mixes with snow in the colder peaks of New England. 

If you're heading up into the mountains, grab your hiking boots and mountain bike.

While lurking past closing hours in the mountain resort parking lot has always been the domain of the dirtbag, more ski areas are bringing the practice of overnight stays out of the shadows—and some are downright embracing the car-bound camp movement. This focus on ski resort winter camping, which accommodates visitors of lesser means—as well as nomadic adventurers—is a refreshing step back from the luxury demographic. that the ski industry habitually targets.

Mother Nature has begun to smile upon on the West, particularly the northern and central Rockies where significant amounts fell on resorts from Alberta to southern Colorado.

Early on, above-freezing temps kept snowfall down in the Pacific Northwest. But lately, the temps have dropped and the depths have risen. Pacific storms have stayed north, pummeling the Cascades and intermountain region with snowfall measured in feet.

Multiple storm systems and a steady plume of moisture will stream into the Pacific Northwest, bringing big totals into the weekend.

Hittin' the deep stuff. (Schweitzer/Facebook)

Nestled high in the Selkirks of northernmost Idaho, Schweitzer has the feel of a locals’ mountain and a burgeoning destination resort. Its 2,900 acres sit 45 miles from the Canadian border and above lumber town Sandpoint and Lake Pend Orielle. In a season like 2017-2018, Schweitzer gets plenty of snow but conditions can be variable – and weather foggy -- because it’s fed by moisture-laden Pacific storms.

Midwest resorts are in prime location to pick up several inches of snow and keep it around. (Boyne Highlands/Facebook)

Cold air dominates most of the United States and Canada through Christmas, leading to favorable conditions for snowfall in many areas.

A summer chairlift ride includes eye-popping views. (Schweitzer Mountain Resort/Facebook)

Idahoans and visitors alike escape the summer heat down below by heading into the mountains of the Gemstone state.