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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Outdoors blog

Schweitzer reports hot start to season

Schweitzer Mountain Resort offers scenic views of several mountain ranges. This year, visitors can order their tickets in advance through their smart phones.  (Courtesy of Schweitzer Mountain Resort. )
Schweitzer Mountain Resort offers scenic views of several mountain ranges. This year, visitors can order their tickets in advance through their smart phones. (Courtesy of Schweitzer Mountain Resort. )

WINTER SPORTS -- Maybe the outdoor economy isn't all doom and gloom.

Schweitzer Mountain Resort today reported solid increases in visitation for December and the holidays that grace the early snow season.

Overall visitation for the month of December was up 18.9 percent, while up 7.3 percent for the holiday period, the resort said in a press release. 

It helps that  the resort has recorded 129 inches of snow in the village already this season, nearly half of its average annual snowfall of 300 inches.

All of the region's ski resorts benefited from the early onslaught of winter and record snowfall for the Month of November in the Spokane area.

"Our lodging occupancy for the holiday period  was up 9.1 percent, while rental and retail enjoyed an 8.4 percent increase," said Tom Chasse, Schweitzer’s President and CEO. 

The December holiday period is one of three key times for area ski resorts.

The Martin Luther King weekend in January as well as President’s week in February also are critical to their bottom line.



Rich Landers
Rich Landers joined The Spokesman-Review in 1977. He is the Outdoors editor for the Sports Department writing and photographing stories about hiking, hunting, fishing, boating, conservation, nature and wildlife and related topics.

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