BONNER COUNTY, Idaho — Several inches of fresh snow kept skiers and snowboarders content in Bonner County while simultaneously creating headaches for some drivers on Monday.
Forecasters were calling for up to seven inches of snow in Sandpoint and even higher amounts in mountain areas.
"It's been awesome," said Sandpoint resident Jason Welker, calling the precipitation the area's first "real snow" of the season. "It hasn't really been winter before today, actually. We've had a lot of rain in town. Rain on the mountain, all the way up to the top of the chairlifts."
Some drivers weren't as enthusiastic though.
Authorities responded to 27 crashes and slideoffs through Monday afternoon, according to the Bonner County Sheriff's Office. Undersheriff Ror Lakewold said the snow made for a busy day for area responders.
Guests and employees at Schweitzer Mountain Resort were relishing the fresh powder, though. As of Monday afternoon, the mountain had received at least 10 inches of snow with more in the forecast.
"I was so stoked," said local skier Carol Conron of the forecast. "Overall, I've had probably the best runs of the season today and I've gotten 20 days or so under my belt so far [this year.]"
Conron's brother was visiting from California and was also enjoying North Idaho's snowy embrace.
"I'm just enjoying it while I can. I'm loving it so far," said William Conron. "I'm not used to good snow like this. I'm used to Tahoe, which is just straight ice and packed all the time."
The forecast, which showed Schweitzer receiving about two feet of fresh snow by the end of the week, was likely a comforting sign for the resort's employees too.
"Oh, it's amazing," remarked Matt Conger, a marketing coordinator for Schweitzer. "It's awesome to see that winter is finally here."
Depending on who you ask, some would argue that Schweitzer's snow coverage was on the thinner side on lower areas of the mountain to start the season. Just last week, the resort was finally able to open remaining sections of the mountain's back side, including the Stella chairlift and Schweitzer's new Cedar Park express lift.
"It's definitely building up down there. So it's pretty deep in pockets for sure," said Conger.
Both Conger and Conron, who also works as a Schweitzer ski instructor, said that previous forecasts were inconsistent and often didn't dump much snow on the mountain.
"With some of the storms we've had recently, it's nice to see some of the amounts come through," Conger said.
"It actually came through this time and it's awesome out there," said Conron.
Conger said that following this week's storm, Schweitzer's snowpack was expected to be at standard mid-season base levels.