Turner Mountain Ski Area near Libby has closed until snow conditions improve.
Unseasonably warm weather and meager snowfall have plagued the ski area all winter and forced its closure in early February. Managers hope the shutdown is temporary but said the mountain needs at least 10 inches of new snow.
“It’s too early to call it a season,” said Bruce Zwang, a board member at the ski area.
“We just need to get some more snow.”
The ski area, with a summit elevation of 5,952 feet, reported a base of 26 inches. The mountain suffered a late start to the ski season due to dry conditions and did not fully open until Dec. 29. Since then, the region has received more rain than snow and the surrounding hills throughout the Kootenai National Forest are mostly bare.
The Kootenai basin is at 61 percent of its normal snow water equivalent, according to SNOTEL sites throughout the region.
Turner Mountain is suffering the same fate as ski resorts in California, Oregon and Washington, where dry, warm conditions have produced grim winters.
Average snowpack totals in each of the states are well below 50 percent, forcing many ski resorts to downsize operations. Some resorts, such as Homewood in Lake Tahoe and Willamette Pass Resort in Oregon, have had to suspend almost all operations at times.
The past month has more often resembled spring than winter with persistent rainfall and a scarcity of new snow throughout the region. The total snowfall atop Big Mountain — 186 inches to date — is well behind the annual average of 300 inches, and the settled base — 73 inches — is half of what it was when last season ended.
Hellroaring Basin at Whitefish Mountain Resort has been closed temporarily until more snowfall arrives because of dry conditions at the bottom.
Blacktail Mountain Ski Area reported 65 inches of snow at the summit, with new snow in the forecast.
The Flathead basin, encompassing the valley’s mountains, is at 100 percent of its snow water equivalent, according to SNOTEL sites in the region, largely thanks to the massive snowstorm that hit in early January.