Mount Spokane Expands Ski Season

If the gods of snow smile upon Mount Spokane, the ski hill will open for 97 days this season, starting on Thanksgiving.

During most of the ski season, the ski area north of Spokane will be open Thursday through Monday for day skiing, and Thursday through Saturday for night skiing.

That schedule delighted members of the Washington State Parks Commission during a Friday morning meeting at downtown Spokane’s Doubletree Hotel.

“They’ve substantially increased operations and their commitment to night skiing,” said Cleve Pinnix, director of the commission. “We want to give people as much access to the mountain as possible.”

“The average season is about 85 days,” said Wayne McLaughlin, contracts manager for the parks department. “We’re looking at an improvement over a typical season. It’s a schedule that looks like it’s going to be more responsive to the skiing public.”

As owner of the ski area land, the state awards the concession to operate the mountain.

This year’s schedule is an increase over last year. The company running the ski hill last year, Mount Spokane Skiing Corp., wanted to open only on weekends. After negotiations with the parks department, the Skiing Corp. agreed to open the ski area four days per week, with night skiing until 8 p.m. two days per week.

But skiers were outraged when the company closed the mountain in March despite record snowfalls.

This is the first year Mount Spokane 2000, a nonprofit group, will run the ski hill. It was awarded the contract by the state parks department last year and a lawsuit disputing the group’s right to take over from the Skiing Corp. was settled last week.

“We’re focusing on industry standards,” said Kirk Duncan, Mount Spokane’s new manager.

One group thrilled about the new operator’s plans is the Spokane Ski Racing Association, which plans to return to Mount Spokane after finishing last year at Silver Mountain in Kellogg.

It was the first time in the group’s 38-year history that it left Mount Spokane to race and train elsewhere.

We’re very excited to use Mount Spokane,” said Betsy Dix, president of the racing association, told the commission.

The association now has 50 racers aged 5 to 19 and holds about three races per season.

Dix said the racers left the mountain last year because Mount Spokane’s grooming wasn’t adequate, and Lodge 1, near the race course, wasn’t open.

Lodge 1 should be open this year, Duncan said. Extensive repairs are under way to fix support beams damaged under heavy snow last year.

Mount Spokane also will offer daycare this year, to be called Snow Play.

The service will be available during all hours of operation, will take up to 30 children per day.

“We’re be trying to get kids involved in outdoor activities, but there will also be a TV, a VCR and a quiet room,” Duncan said. “It’ll offer parents the ability to come up, drop off their kids and go night skiing.”

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