Mt. Spokane continues building toward future
An overnight snowstorm earlier this week had Mt. Spokane Ski and Snowboard Park scrambling toward a possible opening today. Even so, general manager Brad McQuarrie made time to talk about the state of the mountain over breakfast.
New runs, new equipment and a new look for the bar await skiers and riders this season. Planning for expansion also marches inexorably forward.
Last season ended with Mt. Spokane 2000, the non-profit ski area concessionaire, awaiting a critical decision by the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission. After spending a year, $130,000 and hundreds of volunteer hours studying expansion options and their possible impacts, the mountain presented their data to the commission last April.
“Before launching an environmental impact study, which could cost half a million dollars to complete, we asked them to confirm that expansion would be included in the park’s master facilities plan,” McQuarrie said. “That is the victory we had to win.”
Mt. Spokane 2000 convinced the parks commission to consider their argument that without expansion, Mt. Spokane would continue to fall behind in the race to meet the region’s demand for winter recreation. A new lift on the backside is now an option in the master facilities plan for the entire park.
The environmental study is in progress. Mt. Spokane 2000 has hired a land-use attorney and a three-person team to drive the project.
“We had people in the field even before we had a decision,” McQuarrie said. “It’s an 18-month study. We have to go through all four seasons, present the data to all the agencies, jurisdictions and commissions and then go back and hit what we may have missed. It requires a lot of patience but we want to make sure we’re doing it right.”
On the backside of the mountain this winter, scientists are hanging climate boxes in the trees and keeping an eye out for tracks of Canadian lynx and its favorite food, the snowshoe hare. Minimizing impact on lynx habitat is a priority in the expansion plan.
Meanwhile, on the front side snow riders will discover two new gladed runs to the skier’s right of chair four flowing into Lamonga Pass. Plus, slash and debris have been cleaned out of the Red Dot run, a trail cut late last November that quickly became a favorite.
“The ranger came through and marked the trees to be left standing with a big red dot,” McQuarrie said. “That’s what everybody calls it. I would rather sell the naming privileges to some rich guy in town, but Red Dot sounds pretty good for now.”
McQuarrie said the new terrain has a wide-open backcountry feel with old growth trees, variable pitches and diverse environments from top to bottom.
If cruising groomers is more your speed, you’ll be glad to see a new $400,000 winch cat. Winch cats are a must-have these days. They allow for more delicate, low impact grooming by rolling snow up and over a slope instead of pulling it off the hill.
Things you won’t notice include a new $50,000 towrope on chair three and communication wire that has been moved off the lift towers and into the ground to promote more reliable lift operation.
Inside the lodge, the bar has undergone a major makeover. The walls have been repainted. The refinished bar has old-style stools and an antique silver rail. Two flat panel big screens are mounted on the walls.
“We’re going to be celebrating our past,” McQuarrie said. “We took down the beer signs and the mirrors and put up historical pictures of the ski area. I sent out e-mails asking for pictures and people sent me great shots, like when they were 10 years old on the mountain back in 1957.”
Mt. Spokane embarks on a new season at the crossroads of a rich legacy and a promising future. Bring your camera and you could make a little history.