Construction on phase one is currently underway and expected to be completed for the 2023/2024 season. Future developments in the area will include additional skier services like rentals, SnowSports School, and a day lodge; expanded beginner terrain that will increase Schweitzer’s overall skiable acres from 2,900 acres to approximately 3,050 acres; and three new chairlifts.

Schweitzer’s Master Plan & The Base Camp

The Base Camp improvements at Schweitzer are part of the resort’s multi-year master plan that was launched in 2017, and one of the most obvious challenges in recent years is the need for more and better parking.

“To keep up with demand and continue providing an exceptional guest arrival experience, we prioritized looking for solutions that directly affected parking and mountain access,” explains mountain operations director Rob Batchelder.

The vision for Base Camp is to become a dedicated area for day guests, perfect for beginner and intermediate skiers and riders, with ample parking and services.

“When fully realized, the development of Base Camp will create approximately eight new runs, three new lifts and an additional carpet catering to beginner and intermediate skiers and riders,” adds Batchelder.

One of the proposed lifts from Base Camp will connect to the saddle area between Down the Hatch and the top terminal of the Stella lift, making it possible to access the back side of the mountain without needing to pass through the main village or ride the Great Escape quad.

One of the key differentiators for this arrival zone is that the lift and the parking will be on similar elevations, meaning when guests arrive to Base Camp, they will not have to walk up a hill to access the lift—a huge benefit for parents with kids.

New High-Speed Quad to Replace Musical Chairs Lift

In addition to the new 1,400 parking spots (nearly four times the capacity of the current Fall Line Lot), the coolest piece of the plan especially for families and beginners is the replacement of the Musical Chairs double chairlift.

In the spring of 2022, a down payment was made with Leitner-Poma for the purchase of a new high-speed detachable quad lift, similar to the Cedar Park Express. Alignment for the new Musical Chairs lift will shift to connect Base Camp to the main village, spanning over Schweitzer Creek and ending near the SnowSports School meeting area in the village. 

“The installation of a high-speed detachable quad will be a major enhancement for all of our guests,” says Batchelder. “Not only will it be easier for beginner skiers and riders to load and unload, the new lift will increase capacity to 2,400 guests per hour (2-3 times the existing capacity), allowing guests to upload and download safer and more efficiently. It will also provide the opportunity to transport ‘foot passengers’ without skis or snowboards to and from the village, even in summer.”

The goal is to have the new Musical Chairs lift operational for the 2023/2024 winter season with access via the Fall Line parking lot, the Village and Happy Trails run, and the new yet-to-be-named run.

Learn more about Schweitzer’s master plan at Schweitzer.com/schweitzer-life/master-plan.

Originally published as “Schweitzer’s Game Changer” in the November-December 2022 print issue.

Find more stories about Schweitzer in the OTO archives.

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Set above the quaint town of Sandpoint, and only 80 miles from Spokane, Wash., Humbird offers a sleek updated take on the classic ski lodge with views of the mountains and nearby Lake Pend Oreille, the largest lake in the state.

“Humbird represents a real evolution in the lodging scene in North Idaho,” said Tom Chasse, president and chief executive officer of Schweitzer. “We took great care to build a beautiful hotel that will connect guests directly to the outdoor experiences they come here to enjoy. Equally important, we worked to ensure that Humbird will meet the needs of modern travelers by providing spaces where they can relax, recharge, refuel and even stay plugged in as needed.”

The three-story hotel, located in the heart of Schweitzer’s intimate village, offers 31 guestrooms with a mix of room types including single king rooms, double queen rooms and one oversized suite. Each room features an inviting window seat set against a panoramic window offering spectacular views of nearby Lake Pend Oreille.

Designed with travelers’ comfort in mind, rooms include items to aid mountain adventure such as boot dryers, locally roasted Evans Brothers Coffee and mugs hand painted by local artists. Locally produced bath amenities will offer a custom cedarwood and orange scent, formulated with aloe vera, jojoba oil, sunflower oil and avocado oil to help combat the dry winter air. Rooms also come with binoculars to take further advantage of the sweeping views.

The hotel’s design, courtesy of noted Portland, Oregon-based Skylab, is a contemporary take on the classic ski lodge that draws on the heritage of the area and connection to the natural surroundings. Built using mass timber construction, the sleek exposed wood structure conjures images of early mountain lodges with a minimal and modern feel. Inside, the hotel is decorated with historic photos sourced through a partnership with the Bonner County Historical Society & Museum as well as new artwork inspired by the surrounding lake, forest and snow.

Humbird offers ample space to relax including the Glass Room which serves as the hotel’s unique living room. Surrounded by glass on three sides, the Glass Room offers treetop views stretching across multiple states and Lake Pend Oreille. Flexible seating, perfect for relaxing or playing a game, melts into the design of the Glass Room to let the view and modern architecture shine. The Glass Room includes a foosball table and a large retractable projection screen, perfect to watch a movie or host a meeting.

Humbird hotel at Schweitzerl: Exterior rendering (top) and room interior. // Photos courtesy Schweitzer.

A third-floor rooftop deck sits atop the space with open-air views and a 12-person hot tub. Guests can also enjoy the well-equipped onsite fitness center and a heated community outdoor pool.

Located just off the lobby, Humbird’s onsite restaurant, Crow’s Bench, serves upscale Alpine-inspired cuisine. Design elements speak to the region’s lineage of outdoor recreation including globe lights hung above the bar that spell out “pray for snow” in Morse code.

Schweitzer’s Patrol Dogs, who assist Schweitzer’s Ski Patrol with daily duties, will host regular meet and greet sessions at the hotel. The Patrol Dogs will add some furry fun to Humbird’s après scene on select dates by relaxing and playing with guests on the hotel’s outdoor patio.

Phase two of Humbird, which includes a new Wellness Center and an innovative ski and gear storage system, is expected to open this summer. The new Wellness Center at Schweitzer will offer well-appointed therapy rooms for massages and spa treatments as well a tranquil relaxation room.

The facility will also offer ski storage lockers for Humbird guests on a separate floor. The tech centric ski lockers will be controlled by an app, allowing guests unfettered access to their equipment without a wait.

The hotel is named for the Humbird Lumber Company, which was the lifeblood of Sandpoint’s economy and community in the early 1900’s. More than just a place to work, Humbird Lumber Company built an all-encompassing community by attracting new residents to the area, building schools, functioning as the local store and even serving as the title sponsor of the local baseball team. The work and community attracted men, women and families who were hungry for adventure and enjoyed the outdoors, a spirit that is encapsulated in the hotel and is still pervasive among current visitors to the area. 

Humbird is part of the resort’s multi-year master plan launched in 2017. This winter, Schweitzer also debuted several on-mountain improvements including new on-mountain dining and RFID technology to make getting on the slopes easier than ever. As part of the plan, Schweitzer will also debut a number of new residential real estate options, including 5-Needles at White Pine, a 26-unit expansion to an existing base-area condominium complex that is currently sold out and expected to complete construction within the next year.  

Winter rates at Humbird start at $450. For more information, including reservations, please visit www.humbirdhotel.com.

Schweitzer open year-round for four-season recreation opportunities: Located in the rugged Selkirk Mountains of the northern Idaho panhandle, the new Humbird hotel (bottom right, artistic rendering), provides ski-in/ski-out access. // All photos courtesy Schweitzer.

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Schweitzer Mountain Resort—Sandpoint, Idaho

Families can register for lessons with the Ski & Ride Center, whether it’s a private one-hour lesson for a child up to age 6 or a semi-private 2-hour group lesson for ages 4-6. For ages 3 and under, private lessons are available, and parent participation is strongly encouraged. Schweitzer’s Ski & Ride Center has 2-hour group lessons for ages 4-6. Schweitzer’s on-mountain day care, The Children’s Center, has limited availability this winter—call or email before arrival.

A limited number of day lift tickets will be available, sold in advance online, in order for local season-passholders to have priority access.

For full details, visit schweitzer.com.

PHOTOS: (TOP ROW) Landon McCaffree with 6th grade Passport skiers (and twin sisters) Ava and Zoey Lewis, off Schweitzer’s Basin Express chair (left); Skiing down the bunny hill (upper right) // Photos: Amy McCaffree; Night skiing on Basin Express at Schweitzer. (left) // Photo: Shallan Knowles; (BOTTOM ROW) Photo courtesy Schweitzer Mountain Resort (left); Family Go-Pro selfie on Stella. (right) // Photo: Judd McCaffree.

Lookout Pass Ski & Recreation Area—Mullan, Idaho

Private lessons for individuals, families, and self-organized small groups of family and friends are available with advance reservations. Call (208) 744-1234 and ask for the Ski School Desk.

“If a family or friends group is comfortable taking lessons together or having their children take lessons together, we will happily accommodate them,” says Lookout Marketing Director Matt Sawyer.

Because the Free Ski School is not part of Lookout’s professional instruction program, and taught by volunteers, the planning process is still being figured out for 2021. But according to Sawyer there will be a free lesson program this winter.

Check for updates and make reservations at Skilookout.com.

PHOTOS: (LEFT) Photos courtesy Lookout Pass; (RIGHT) Little Ripper Erin McElgunn. // Photo courtesy Stacy McElgunn.

Silver Mountain Resort—Kellogg, Idaho

Families can schedule private or semi-private lessons for all ability levels with 24-hour advance reservations required. Lessons for weekends and holiday periods must also be booked online, at least 24 hours in advance.

The Silver Kids lesson program, for ages 7-12, offers group sessions for “Never-Ever” (Level 1) and Beginners (Level 2) this season. Because the on-mountain daycare is closed, the Prospectors programs for kids age 6 and younger is cancelled. Plans have not yet been announced for Silver’s ALL Mountain Kids Club.

Find complete program details and updates at Silvermt.com. 

PHOTOS: (LEFT) The Heston family at Silver Mountain. // Photo courtesy of Mary Heston; (RIGHT) Silver Mountain season passholders and three generations of the Lukes family. // Photo courtesy Janell Lukes.

To learn more about children’s snow sports and winter recreation opportunities in the Inland Northwest, click here: Family Winter Sports Guide 2020.

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The COVID-19 pandemic is picking up steam this fall like a deep-winter storm cycle, yet our regional ski and snowboard resorts are feeling positive about being able to provide a safe experience this season. From adding online, limited contact ticket sales to expanded outdoor hangout areas, mask requirements and social distancing for indoor spaces, and group size limits for lessons, this season that could see a return of La Nina is shaping up to be one we will never forget. 

Schweitzer Mountain Resort

“At this point, we are looking forward to opening for the winter season on Friday, Nov 27,” says Schweitzer marketing manager Dig Chrismer. “The long-term forecast is calling for a “La Nina” weather event this winter which could mean significant snowfall in our part of the world. The last time we had a strong La Nina was in 2010/11 when we ended the season with 171” of snow still on the summit!” 

In response to COVID, Schweitzer will require all guests to use masks while indoors and to practice social distancing like all of our regional resorts. “We really hope that all of our visitors will take the pandemic seriously and make the right decisions about travelling [to Schweitzer from outside the Inland Northwest] if there is a larger spread this winter,” says Chrismer. “We hope that everyone will work together to mitigate the spread of COVID…all do our part to keep each other, our staff, and our guests healthy.”  

Ticket sales will also look different this year, says Chrismer. Schweitzer will not be offering day-of lift ticket purchases at the ticket window and will be calculating an approximate number of visitors for any given day of the season (based on historical data and season pass sale numbers) to then offer limited, date-specific lift tickets for sale. “Those tickets will be on sale starting November 9 and once a day is sold out, it’s sold out. Our goal with this approach is to accommodate all of our season passholders and Schweitzer lodging guests as a priority.” Check for program and COVID updates at Schweitzer.com.  

Mt. Spokane Ski & Snowboard Park

Spokane’s closest ski area has been working throughout the year to create protocols to ensure the health and safety of the community. “We’ve had to rethink every process on the mountain—from concessions to lift lines. Following state regulations, face coverings will be required, as well as distancing protocols. There may be a few changes mountain-wide that we all will need to adhere to—but the experience will make it all worth it,” says assistant general manager and marketing director Jodi Kayler. Mt. Spokane’s mission is more important than ever, adds Kayler. “With less options for entertainment for families and individuals, we are dedicated to providing a safe place for people to recreate. This is the year to hit the slopes and create a lifetime of memories.” Visit MtSpokane.com for the last operation updates.

Silver Mountain Resort 

Since Silver shut down on March 16 due to COVID-19, the mountain has done extensive planning to reopen safely for the coming season. Like other resorts, face coverings will be required in all indoor spaces (except when seated to eat or drink), as well as when guests are outdoors when 6 feet of physical distance isn’t possible. Masks will also be required while riding and waiting in line for the gondola, and guests will self group with their own travelling party (singles will be placed with other singles in numbers that allow for distancing). Gondola cabins will also receive extra cleaning after every ride. Physical distancing will also be encouraged in the lift line, and lift attendants will not require guests to ride with people who are not in their group.  

Lift tickets will be limited on weekends and holidays at Silver as well and must be purchased online for these busier periods. However, the resort reports, midweek non-holiday tickets sales “will be business as usual” with ticket window and online purchase options. Plenty of precautions are also planned to make the lodging experience as safe as possible, and temperature testing of all guests will occur at Silver Rapids Indoor Water Park, where capacity will also be limited and ticket sales will all be online. Season passholders can expect unlimited access on the mountain. Check out the entire COVID plan at Silvermt.com. 

49 Degrees North 

“We are pretty lucky that we have so much terrain that even on busy days we never seem to be crowded,” notes Rick Brown, the director of skier and rider services at 49. He says the ski area isn’t planning on limited ticket sales, but that limited availability because of COVID could happen on some holiday weekends. A new online sales system will also launch this season that will improve the guest experience by streamlining ticket and lesson purchase transactions. Tickets purchased online will be available for pick up at the ticket window. 

49 will also be following the Washington State Safe Start guidelines, with social distancing encouraged, face coverings required in indoor spaces except while dining and in more crowded outdoors spaces. Check online for updates throughout the season at Ski49n.com. 

Lookout Pass Ski & Recreation Area

“We are certainly encouraging guests who can, to visit midweek to avoid any congestion on the weekends and over typically busy holiday periods,” says Lookout’s director of marketing & sales Matt Sawyer. Social distancing and mask wearing indoors and in crowded outdoor locations will be required. “No brown bagging will be available inside,” adds Sawyer. “Please use your vehicle to eat lunches you brought from home.” Lookout will sell day passes at the area on a first-come, first-serve basis. “We hope that we don’t have to limit the number of people using the area, but…there may be a few days when we either reach an imposed capacity limit or we feel we’ll reach a limit that we are uncomfortable exceeding and could stop selling lift tickets.” Lookout is also exploring the options of remote ticket booths in the parking lot and the addition of Porta Potty’s in strategic locations. More info at SkiLookout.com/Covid-19. 

Whitefish Mountain Resort 

Given that the U.S./Canadian border doesn’t look likely to open anytime soon, nearby Whitefish Mountain Resort in Montana will probably see even more powder-chasing Spokane and North Idaho skiers and snowboarders paying them a visit this season. If you’re thinking about a trip to Whitefish, rest assured that the resort will be following CDC guidelines during the pandemic. Increased sanitation will be in the works and masks will be required indoors and in lift lines. The resort doesn’t, however, plan to limit ticket sales or require a reservation to ski. More info at Skiwhitefish.com/covid-faq. 

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Between both the main terrain park under Chair 2 and the Noah’s progression park on the front-side of the mountain, Gosline and his ten-person crew put out upwards of 40 different features throughout the season. 

At the beginning of every season, those features need to be re-installed or rebuilt from the ground up; every day the wind, water, and wear and tear from users conspire to erase or bury them. 

On dry days, Gosline and his crew spend at least an hour and a half getting the park open, shaping jumps shredded out from the day prior. 

On storm days it might take Gosline’s crew the entire day of heavy labor—digging out drifts, reshaping lips—to get the park up and running. It’s a Sisyphean task getting the park unburied only for it to potentially get dumped on again that night. 

But, says Gosline, who spends his summers running heavy equipment on the Silver Valley superfund cleanup, “There are a lot of people who, even on powder days, can’t wait until the park gets open!” 

Now in his 20th season at Silver, the last dozen as terrain park manager, Gosline has seen terrain parks get both bigger and broader—both in terms of scale and in terms of appeal. 

“When we first started building terrain parks, most of them were known as ‘snowboard parks,’” says Gosline, and it was not unheard of for the parks to have “no skis” signs posted at the entrance. 

That was due in large part to ski designs being incompatible with terrain park features such as half-pipes. But, like many things in the winter-sports industry, the evolution of ski design brought two-plankers into terrain parks. 

That parity exists on Gosline’s crew, too, with the proportion of skiers to snowboarders fluctuating year over year. 

The individual features have kept pace with ski and board technology. In the early days of the park, Gosline and his crew had only a handful of rails in addition to the jumps. Now, wood and metal stunts—jibs, rails, barrels, boxes—comprise a large part of the parks. 

Gosline says the progression park in particular has been a boon to new riders. Part of a broader movement over the past decade in the mountain-sports industry to ease beginner and intermediate riders into the sport, the Noah’s progression park sits on a mellow slope adjacent to the primary first-timer green runs under the gondola. 

Now, if patrollers or park crew see someone struggling in the Chair 2 park, they can direct them toward the progression park. 

“You have kids coming through with parents who grew up hitting features here at Silver,” says Gosline. That multi-generational evolution, from grom to grownup, personifies the park’s own growth. 

“It’s pretty cool to see the progression of our mountain,” says Gosline. 

And that’s why the sand castle gets rebuilt every day. // 

More Chances to Shred 

Both advanced and aspiring riders will find terrain parks to suit their skills at the region’s ski areas. Here’s what the other three Ski the NW Rockies Association resort terrain parks offer up. 

49 Degrees North  

Located near the bottom of Bonanza Chair 1—although safely screened by trees if your tricks are not ready for an audience—the terrain park at 49 Degrees North features good top-to-bottom progression, from simple jumps to big boxes and booters. Beginner riders can also find smaller hits in a terrain park off Silver Ridge at the top of the mountain. 

Lookout Pass Ski Area 

Comprising nearly 40 features between them, the two terrain parks at Lookout Pass offer a nice progression from beginner to expert. Halfway down the Idaho side, Huckleberry Jam Progression Park consists of beginner-friendly features—smaller jumps, simple and short boxes and rails—tucked away from the main traffic of the mountain to allow riders to practice with confidence. Accessed from Chair 2, Rolling Thunder is an all-natural terrain park constructed from trees felled for forest health. The highlight of the park is a nearly quarter-mile-long quarter pipe.  

Mount Spokane  

The ‘Kan offers three places to jam, all easily accessed off Chair 3. Left of the unload station, the Progression Park features low-consequence tabletops and small boxes and rails. Right of the unload station, at the top of the Half Hitch run, Half Hitch boasts bigger features; its location allows for hot laps in transit to other parts of the mountain. Located off Crash and Burn, Gnarwood Forest is the mountain’s natural terrain park, with a mix of natural features and timber-constructed hits. //

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As April Whitney, the resort’s director of PR, told me on a recent visit, during less-than-ideal conditions regionwide you can only fool people once.” The report? “Today is a day for die-hards only.” Although McCall crawls with weekend revelers from Boise, only two hours away, Brundage and its ski-area neighbors answer to the locals at the end of the ski day. That said, it’s easy to trust the reputation of Brundage, which boasts Idaho’s best snow.

Topping out at 7,640 feet in arid west-central Idaho, Brundage benefits from high, dry powder. And the naturally open terrain at this elevation creates wide-open meadows and whitebark pine glades. At 1,920 acres, Brundage is big—and that doesn’t include the 420 acres of unpatrolled, lift-served side-country that’s an easy scoot from the top of the Bluebird Express quad.

Locals revere the steep, protected trees of Northwest Passage and Hidden Valley, in the black and double-black territory on the north side of the resort. But on-piste skiers have dozens of options, too, with long, highway-wide blue groomers like Alpine and Main Street. On the backside, Lakeview Bowl tends to hold protected powder on its short blues and blacks; it’s a good bet when the obvious front-side lines get tracked out.

South of McCall, Tamarack Resort is the ski area that almost wasn’t. An ambitious development—at the time, the first purpose-built luxury ski resort in decades—stalled out during the housing crash of 2007. Creditors went so far as to repossess one of the chairlifts, and for several seasons the remaining chairlifts sat idle. But homeowners recently purchased the resort from creditors and, like its namesake tree, Tamarack has come back to life—and back to basics. Scaffolding still encases the skeletons of unfinished lodging, and the resort’s services still reside in “temporary” modular structures. But the high-speed quads spin again, and the skiing is excellent.

From the top of the Summit Express quad at 7,700 feet, it’s 2,800 feet of quad-burning vertical to the base area. Not that there’s any need to return to the base until the end of the day: there’s plenty of half-lap action at the top, with the cornice drops of Me First and After You depositing skiers into steep snowy bowls, and the glades of Reasons to Quit providing reasons to eek out another run.

As the racing coach told me, at a bar stacked with staff one quiet Sunday night, “I’ve been at Tamarack for five weeks, and it’s been the best five weeks of skiing of my life.” That’s high praise in a continent-spanning coaching career, but it’s not entirely hyperbole: weeks into a region-wide dry spell, I’m still able to find untracked powder. “Stashes” isn’t even the right word—these are right out in the open for the taking. Aspen glades frame Payette Lake below as I schuss trees solo. This is country-club skiing without the country club.

Like any good cross-town rivalry, Brundage and Tamarack both have their vocal partisans. Your best bet? Ski both. But save time for an afternoon or evening at their junior neighbor, the Little Ski Hill. On weekday afternoons, the line for the single T-bar at this community-operated hill between Brundage and McCall swells to Sun Valley proportions, courtesy of the school buses shuttling after-school ski lessons. Tweens drop into the terrain park at the top of the “mountain”, carrying on a tradition that’s produced an outsized share of Olympians.

Here at Little Ski Hill, like at its bigger kin, you can trust the locals.

When You Go

Located on the shore of Payette Lake, McCall caters to tourists year-round and has accommodations suitable for the swankiest of travelers to ski bums.

Before skiing, stop at the popular Fogglifter Café for coffee and eggs benedict. For those accustomed to eating snacks out of their ski-jacket pocket: locals swear by the burritos and biscuits and gravy (in handy to-go cups) at the Old Town Market inside the Shell gas station.

The small size of the Brundage base-area lodge belies the quality of accommodations inside. Of-age guests should grab a window seat in the Upper Lot Pub, which boasts the best people-watching on the mountain, both indoors and out.

At Tamarack, guests at the Lodge at Osprey Meadows get two Tamarack Passports per night, good for services from overnight hot waxes to snowshoe and Nordic ski rentals. For aprés, stretch out at Seven Devils Pub, in the base area, with buffalo cauliflower and craft brews. //

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Tucked between steep, pine-covered hills, Wallace will give you easy driving access to spring powder dumps and soft, sunny groomers as well as some fun spring events, such as the in-town Craft Beer Pub Crawl or Leadman Triathlon at Silver Mountain Resort. The unique lodging and craft eateries with small-town hospitality are well worth your drive. You’ll also find deals around town when you show your lift ticket or season pass from Lookout or Silver. Added bonus: anyone skiing at Lookout or Silver can ski for FREE through the end of the season if they buy a 2019-20 season pass.

Spring Ski Events at Lookout Pass & Silver Mountain

• March 13: KREM TV Free Ski Food Drive at Lookout Pass—Bring 4 or more cans of food and receive a free lift ticket.
• March 28: Season Pass Holder Spaghetti fest—free food for any Lookout Pass season pass holder!
• April 14: Hawaiian Luau, Cardboard Box Derby & Coco Nut Bowling at Lookout Pass
• April 21: Annual Pond Skimming Competition at Lookout Pass—wear your wildest costume and try to make it across the pond with your skis or snowboard!

Wallace Craft Beer Pub Crawl

April is Craft Beer Month in Idaho, and craft brewers from around the region will come together in Wallace on April 20 for an epic pub crawl. Enjoy the historic buildings of Wallace as you taste and take a free trolley ride through town. Of the numerous craft brewers in attendance, microbreweries from the Silver Valley will be included, such as Radio Brewing Company, Wallace Brewing, and North Idaho Mountain Brew.

The craft beer journey begins at the Horseshoe Bar, where you can pick up your souvenir 16-oz. glass, wristband, and “venues & menus” map. You’ll get three free 4-oz. fills during the crawl! Designated drivers will be provided by local bars and Shoshone County Search and Rescue. Visit the Wallace Craft Beer Pub Crawl Facebook Page for more info. Tickets are $15 at the door, which opens at 1:00 p.m. Tickets may also be purchased by calling the Wallace Chamber of Commerce at  208.753.7151 or online.

The event is preceded by the Leadman Triathlon in Kellogg on the morning of April 20, and followed up by Wallace Fight Night USA Boxing Sanctioned matches at the Wallace Elks Lodge that night.

Food & Fuel

Before you head to the ski hill, grab a cup of coffee or Bloody Mary at Wallace Coffee House at 6^th & Cedar. They have a full espresso bar and serve bagels, breakfast sandwiches, baked treats, and craft cocktails.

When it’s time to unwind, check out the City Limits Brew Pub, a spot serving great beer from North Idaho Mountain Brew as well as pub fare with vegetarian and gluten-free options. They’re in a beautiful building near the edge of town and close to the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes. For downtown options, visit Wallace Brewing Company, which offers local brews and board games, or check out Fainting Goat Wine Bar and Tap Room, a classy spot with international wines, local beers, and from-scratch meals. Also notable is the Blackboard café, a gourmet eatery that’s perfecting the homemade grilled cheese. 

Stay a While & Save

You’ll find historic and modern accommodations alike in Wallace, most of which offer deals to late-season skiers and snowboarders. The Wallace Inn has a ski and stay package for $134. The Ryan Hotel offers 15% off rooms for guests skiing on the hill. You’ll get discounts at North Idaho Mountain Brew and Wallace Brewing Company for showing your ski pass. 

Catch the live theatre production of “Vintage Hitchcock: A Live Radio Play” at the Sixth Street Melodrama & Theatre from March 1-17. 

Learn more about how Wallace is evolving as a ski town and other spring recreation in Wallace then book your spring ski getaway!

(Sponsored Content)

In-article photos courtesy of Wallace Chamber of Commerce

Feature photo by Aaron Theisen

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Powder days can destroy your legs at the same time they elevate your spirit. They can humble you while they let you play the hero. You can make instant friends whooping across a glade or get lost to the magic of a white washed forest. We are lucky to have so many skiing and riding options in the Inland Northwest, where we can track the storms and head for the mountains with the biggest dumps. And with a strong skiing community, there is no lack of intrepid riding partners. The saying is “No friends on powder days,” but in my experience that is when your true friends shine. Enjoy these five tales of epic powder days from our local mountains!

Mt. Spokane: Too Deep for Beefcake

Mandy Marek is the mom that wants to shred with her kids as opposed to hanging in the lodge. In January 2016 she headed to Mt. Spokane with her 5-year-old son, known by mountain staff as beefcake due to his compact stature. The prospect of getting her son out on an 18-inch powder day was just too temping. The plan was to run some laps off of chair 3. But on the first run Mandy’s son magically went from a 5 year old to a 3 year old. Beefcake was just too short to power through all the powder. Many of us know the feeling of being transported to the blissful days of childhood on a powder day, and some of us may also have had to struggle when the snow is just too deep. After taking an hour on the first run, Mandy and Beefcake had to call it quits so they could come back and shred the mountain another day.

Lookout’s Biggest Dump in the World

Bill Fuzak is a main stay at the local mountains, having skied them for few dozen years. I have frequently found Fuzak lurking and hooting in the tree stashes at Mt. Spokane. But this tale of epic powder unfolded at Lookout Pass on March 20, 2012. Lookout Pass had the most snowfall “in the world” that week, with 46 inches in just two days! He was forced to lap Purgatory under the North Star lift, the only face steep enough to deal with all that snow. Bill has the experience to push his way through the deep stuff. No backseat action for him. He rocked his 115-underfoot Line skis and fully extended on the up swing of his turns. Take it from a seasoned master to show you the proper technique for riding deep powder.

Fresh Tracks Forever at 49

Landon has been skiing local mountains since he was 2. He was a ski racer and spent some time being sponsored in Colorado, so he knows a powder day when one comes his way. One Friday last season, Landon drove up to 49 Degrees North in a white out. His buddy Brad was already in line for first chair, and Landon was able to slip right in. They spent the first few runs lapping the fresh tracks from the midway stop on the bonanza lift. They spent the morning slashing the powder, stopping to check their surroundings and then slashing some more. As more people arrived on the scene, they then headed over to the trees along Silver Ridge where the hero snow let them get air on every knob and feature without fear of bottoming out. Toward the end of the day they got creative and headed for some secret stashes off of Lost Dutchman. Here they did not cross a single track for the rest of a blissful, exhausting day.

White Gold Rush at Silver

Although Nigel is more likely clad in Lycra atop a bike or a pair of skate skis, he can’t say no when the prospect of a powder day is looming. During Sunday of President’s Day weekend 2012, with a buddy in town from the west side, they headed to Silver Mountain. That previous days had brought a few inches here and there, so they were thinking it would be an above average day but not epic. Then the noon hour came and the snow began to fall in earnest; between noon and last chair 12 inches of fluffy powder came down! The pair headed to chair 4 and repeatedly lapped from top to bottom. They prospected for powder, dug for white gold, and found solitude on the blue and black runs without crossing tracks. The powder day comradery was palpable, and they were “whooping repeatedly to Wardner’s wonders,” calling to those intrepid souls hiking up Wardner Peak. The snow came so quick during that afternoon that Fourth of July Pass was almost closed. Lucky for them they made it back to town so they could get out and ski another epic on that long weekend.

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This season both Schweitzer and Mt. Spokane are stoked to get new park-specific PistenBully snow cats.  The addition of the PistenBully to these resorts should help in the production of snow features. Efficiency is key for keeping things lively by changing features on a weekly basis. Dan Nylund has been Schweitzer’s terrain park manager for the past 12 years and says they plan to build more creative and original features thanks to the geometry and range of the PistenBully blade.

With the extremely early season snowfall this year, a limited number of features were up for opening day, sparking some early-season terrain park sessions. As the season progresses and the snowpack increases, so will the total number of available features at the local resort parks covered in this guide.

Silver Mountain Resort

Silver’s park manager Terry Gosline says they are shooting for at least 30 features in their Chair 2 Basin Park. They are also expecting to have 10 plus features in Noah’s Progression Park. Be aware that the access to the Chair 2 basin park has changed this year due to the new Klondike Express run. Gosline says there are plans to build a banked slalom course that will snake down to the bottom of the basin park. Also, they are looking to add a couple new rainbow boxes this season, along with a tower pole feature. Gosline says there are a few young shredders to watch this season—especially Clayton Jerome, who helps out part-time and is very involved in the terrain parks.

Lookout Pass Ski & Recreation Area

Lookout will again be offering at least two parks this season: Rolling Thunder and Huckleberry Jam. Both parks are geared for fun with 30 plus features. Huckleberry Jam is their progression park and is designed to help beginners hone their skills and build confidence on smaller features. Rolling Thunder is mostly an all-natural terrain park featuring a 1,111-foot-long quarter pipe and is designed for riders with multiple skill sets. Lookout’s general manager Brian Bressel describes it as a “natural flow park set up [that] features a little something for everyone.”

49 Degrees North Mountain Resort

49 will be pushing this season to have 30 or more features, and they have plans to build several new rails. Gavin Wachtel, who is part of the park crew, says they are happy to have core members of the park crew back this season. The park crew is looking to bring back to life a battleship box and a flat down box that have been sitting in the rail and box bone yard. Wachtel mentioned a signature piece they have had for two years now—a rail that was painted by Northwest snowboard icon and legend Jamie Lynn, who is a sponsored Lib-Tech rider. Local standout riders to watch this season at 49 include Chaz Riddler and Cameron Fryman, who is sponsored by Pistole Boardshop.

Mt. Spokane Ski & Snowboard Park

Mt. Spokane’s park manager Zach “Grandpa” Lingo says he’s excited about many things this season— especially his new and returning crew and their hard work fabricating new rails. Grandpa is also thankful for the continued support of Mt. Spokane towards its terrain park. “There will be lots of new stuff this year,” says Lingo, but he wants to keep much of his plans a secret at this time. He does share that they plan to offer something for all age levels, with more than 25 features. Mt. Spokane has a total of four terrain parks, and they are all accessible from Chair 3 (or what some are calling the Parkway Express). Lingo says he’s looking to “keep it fresh and hesh all season.”

Schweitzer Mountain Resort

Schweitzer has three parks and is known for their large jump features. Nylund, the park manager, explains: “We focus a great deal on jump design and safety… and we put a lot of time and energy into building our jumps.” The first is the Terrain Garden, which is designed for beginners and generally contains a wide fun box, a couple of small jumps, and a few rollers. South Park is usually the most popular park on the mountain and has at least two medium size jumps and a wide variety of jib features with multiple line options. The third park—Stomping Grounds— is the largest park. Unique to Schweitzer, a Terrain Park Pass is needed to access the Stomping Grounds. Here, the largest jump features are found, and it’s also where the park crew gets to be creative with its own signature jib set-ups.

For more information, visit resort websites and follow the local terrain parks on social media. Also, be sure to thank the park crews when you see them. // (T. Ghezzi)

T. Ghezzi is Pacific-Northwest raised and believes we should respect the land, spend time in nature, explore, adventure, hike, and never stop the pursuit to ride powder. This is his first article for Out There.

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