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Notable news for the skier contingent. Google Maps has begun adding maps of ski runs for a number of North American ski resorts.

The ones we care about that have the option are Sandpoint's Schweitzer Mountain, Sun Valley and Mount Bachelor in Bend, Ore.

A total of 38 resorts are part of the first Google batch. The maps are available on tablets, computers or smartphones.

Click the map here and zoom in to see the runs on Schweitzer.

Even cooler, the service for some areas includes a StreetView option for some runs.

Schweitzer Mountain Resort will add 20 new residences to White Pine Lodge. The four-story addition will add 16 two-bedroom/two-bathroom homes and four three-bedroom/three-bathroom homes, the resort says.

The three-bedroom homes will be designed as lock-off units, allowing for varied configurations for owner rental and use.

“These are whole ownership residences in the heart of the village,” said Rod Engel, Schweitzer’s director of real estate.

Schweitzer said it expects to release final pricing for homes in early February and will begin selling units at that time, with construction scheduled to begin as early as this summer.

Lydig Construction of Spokane, which built the original White Pine, is expected to construct the addition. Seattle based Collins-Woerman Architecture is handling the design.

The folks at Sandpoint Forward who are sponsoring a Chairlift Pitch contest next week have a pretty solid idea. We summarized that idea in a story earlier this week.

The guy whose head hatched the Chairlift Pitch contest is Mark Rivers, who lives in Boise most of the time but also works as a consultant for Sandpoint's economic development folks.

One detail we were not able to add to the story is Rivers' other idea: he plans to have a helmet cam attached to some of the judges who accompany the seven contestants up the chair lift. 

Later, Rivers said they'll add some of the videos to a YouTube channel, so folks can hear the pitches from the seven company owners.

The prize of the contest is $1,000 plus six free months of office space in downtown Sandpoint.