Sunday, November 1, 2026
This is the week to line up a ski day with friends. Schweitzer pass holders and Ikon Pass holders can share Friends and Family lift tickets at 50 percent off the regular price, double the usual 25 percent discount, but only for purchases made by Tuesday, November 3. Pass holders share the discount straight from their account; the voucher can be used any day of the season, and once redeemed and purchased it is set for a specific date, so pick your day with care, and buy at least 24 hours in advance. Ikon Pass holders get 15 discounted tickets to share, Ikon Base Pass holders get 10, and Schweitzer pass holders get the same 50 percent break on buddy tickets through November 3.
On the mountain this morning, the resort's own Mountain Report showed a cool, gray start to November: 39 degrees and partly cloudy in the village with a 2 mile per hour north-northwest wind, and 34 degrees and partly cloudy at the summit with a 9 mile per hour northwest wind. Every snow field is still a dash, with no base reported, and the mountain stands at 0 of 10 lifts, 0 of 92 trails and 0 of 2,900 acres open, closed for the season. The daily message notes the fresh layer of snow that arrived on October 28, with a long way still to go before anything is skiable. The village forecast stays cool and mostly cloudy: 37 and 32 today, 35 and 35 Monday, and 38 and 36 Tuesday. The shared radar shows showers over Sandpoint, Spokane and Coeur d'Alene and along I-90 and US-95, so the drive in today is a wet one.
Today is also the last call at the region's biggest gear event. The 62nd annual Mt. Spokane Ski Patrol Ski Swap wraps up this morning at the Spokane County Fair and Expo Center, open 9 a.m. to noon, with 25 percent off marked red-tag items on this final session. More than 24,000 new and used items have been on the floor this weekend. Admission is 5 dollars, children 12 and under are free, and proceeds support the all-volunteer patrol. If you miss it, Sandpoint's own SARS Ski Swap follows on November 14 at the Bonner County Fairgrounds. All this gearing up points to one date: Schweitzer plans to open November 27, conditions permitting, just 26 days from today. The season pass sale ends November 15, and limited 3-Packs at 249 dollars are available until they sell out.
The other date on every Bonner County calendar this week is Tuesday, November 3, Election Day. Early in-person voting ended at 5 p.m. on Friday, October 30, and absentee ballots must be received by 8 p.m. on Election Day at the Elections Office in the County Administration building on Highway 2 in Sandpoint; polls will be open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday. Sandpoint voters will decide the proposed 1 percent local option sales tax for streets and pathways, which would run from January 1, 2027 through December 31, 2036 and needs 60 percent approval to pass. Statewide, the ballot also carries Proposition 1, two constitutional amendments and a non-binding advisory question, Sample ballots are posted at voteidaho.gov, so today is a good day to make a voting plan.
Sunday in Sandpoint is built for lingering. The weekly pool tournament starts at noon at Roxy's on Pine Street, a BCA 8-ball event with a 10 dollar buy-in. Fiddlin' Red plays live from 1 to 4 p.m. at Barrel 33 on North First Avenue. At 2 p.m. the Panida Theater screens The Taste of Things, the 2023 French romantic drama, in French with English subtitles, about a gourmet and his cook in 19th-century France. At 3 p.m. the Pend d'Oreille Winery hosts True Crime and Wine: The Eyeball Killer, with retired detective John Matthews telling the firsthand story of capturing a notorious serial killer. This evening, the Sandpoint Swing Dance fills the Community Hall on South First Avenue, with a lesson at 6 p.m. and dancing from 7 to 9 p.m., open to singles, couples and beginners, at 10 dollars cash at the door.
The calendar keeps the ski stoke building next weekend. On Saturday, November 7, Warren Miller's 77th film, Days Off, comes to the Panida, with doors at 6 p.m. for the 7 p.m. show, presented by Mountain Fever Productions. Raffle prizes at intermission include a multi-day Schweitzer ski vacation for two, and a silent auction includes a Schweitzer season pass. A week later, on November 14, the SARS Ski Swap takes over the Bonner County Fairgrounds from noon to 6 p.m., raising funds for the Schweitzer Alpine Racing School while outfitting local families; gear check-in for sellers runs November 13. Each week now brings opening day a little closer.
That anticipation is why we love this time of year at The Village Overlook, our hotel-style studio on the hill above Schweitzer's ski village. Mornings start with a clear view of what the mountain is doing, and evenings end with the lights of Sandpoint and Lake Pend Oreille below. Whether you are coming up for a ski swap weekend, a Warren Miller night in town, or the first lifts of the season on November 27, we would be glad to host you. Come stay on the mountain and be ready when the chairs start turning.