Recent stories by Bill

• Reifer’s full life always leads him to the slopes

  April 1, 2011 in Sports on Page B6 Lookout Pass Ski Area has celebrated its 75th season. That’s about as many ski seasons as Hans Reifer has seen in his eventful lifetime. I joined him on his 102nd …

• Mead graduate Will Brandenburg endures baptism by fire on his first World Cup circuit

  March 25, 2011 in Sports on Page B7 Mead High School graduate Will Brandenburg had a tough time sustaining the momentum from his top-10 finish in the 2010 Olympic super combined event at Whistler, British Columbia, last February. …

• Getting injured in the Pasea could lead to a race against time on the back side of Mt. Spokane

  March 18, 2011 in Sports on Page B7 A critical issue with the proposed expansion at Mount Spokane Ski and Snowboard Park is safety. About 800 acres of undeveloped state park land on the northwest side of the …

• Public workshop a key milestone in Mount Spokane expansion plan

  March 11, 2011 in Outdoors, Sports on Page B7 The long, arduous process of expansion at Mount Spokane Ski and Snowboard Park is reaching another critical milestone. A public comment period on Mount Spokane 2000’s final proposal began Feb. … 3

• Peak Adventures wins an uphill battle to deliver deep powder

  March 4, 2011 in Sports on Page B6 Sunday I was in the St. Joe Mountains skiing up to my armpits in light, dry powder. I was able to experience such epic conditions because of the determination of … 1

• Arctic Oscillation keeps La Nina from working its snow magic

  January 28, 2011 in Sports on Page B6 It’s halftime at the 2010-2011 skiing and riding season. Winter is in the locker room, analyzing the first half and planning its second-half strategy. From the opening kickoff, winter’s star …

• Young skiers kept their focus despite challenging conditions

  January 21, 2011 in Sports on Page B7 Most people in their right mind didn’t go skiing last Sunday. An atmospheric river flowing from the tropics flooded the region with moisture. Ski areas were pounded with rain. Mount …

• Telemarking beginners end up singing in the snow

  January 14, 2011 in Sports on Page B3 I hooked up with a couple of friends who ski telemark and hit 49 Degrees North Saturday. We were there during the mountain’s Winterfest weekend. The conditions weren’t ideal. Wet …

• Schweitzer moves on without Ski NW Rockies

  January 7, 2011 in Sports on Page B8 The Ski NW Rockies Corporate Pass is a hot ticket. But this season the vouchers good for a sweet discount on passes at local hills aren’t good at Schweitzer. A …

• Lost Mt. Spokane skier tells his tale

  December 31, 2010 in Sports on Page B5 The search for a lost skier on Mt. Spokane in the middle of a stormy winter night was covered in this column last week. The guy everyone was looking for, …

• Volunteers offer cautionary tale for skiers

  December 24, 2010 in Sports on Page B6 If you like to ski out of bounds, pay heed to a cautionary tale. A few weekends ago the Mount Spokane Ski Patrol was getting ready for its Christmas party. …

• Search-and-rescue volunteers give it their all

  December 23, 2010 in Outdoors, Sports If you like to ski out of bounds, pay heed to a cautionary tale.

• Silver Mountain can thank Ross for 20-year anniversary

  December 17, 2010 in Sports on Page B4 Silver Mountain’s legacy goes back to 1885, when Noah Kellogg’s donkey wandered off and discovered the Bunker Hill Mine. Ever since, Kellogg natives wisecrack that their town was founded by …

• 49 Degrees North ski patrol reaches its peak

  December 10, 2010 in Sports on Page B4 Driving to a ski hill at sunrise on a cold, clear day, the sky turns from black to purple to orange to cyan blue. The blanket of snow on the …

• Ski expansion plan nears finish line

  December 3, 2010 in Sports on Page B4 Expanding Mt. Spokane Ski and Snowboard Park has been trapped in a painfully slow bureaucratic process. After 12 years of studies, public meetings and changes in that process, the suspense … 1

• The truth about vertical feet is in the skis of the beholder

  November 26, 2010 in Sports on Page B3 “Vertical feet” is a statistical category the ski industry likes using to measure the potential of a mountain experience. Ski area marketers try to include every scrap of elevation in …

• Keep watching as Lookout continues expansion

  November 19, 2010 in Outdoors, Sports on Page B4 Lookout Pass has tripled in size the past decade. But Phil Edholm, president and CEO of the ski area on the Idaho-Montana border 90 minutes east of Spokane, isn’t stopping …

• Resorts offer deals for resourceful skiers

  November 12, 2010 in Sports on Page B6 Skiing and snowboarding can cost a lot of money, if you’re careless. Playing in the mountains costs a lot less if you’re smart. Deals are everywhere long after the season-pass …

• La Nina may cook up holiday feast for the slopes

  November 5, 2010 in Sports on Page B6 Most people of the ski and snowboard persuasion know a La Nina winter is on the way. The reality set in for me when a powder alert from Larry Schick …

• Late-season skiers pencil in Leadman

  April 2, 2010 in Outdoors on Page B7 It’s not how you start, but how you finish that makes an impression. The 2009-10 ski season started with some of the earliest hill openings in recent memory. But early …

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