Schweitzer offers ski pass deal and is getting ready for biking season

The calendar and weather screamed spring as the mercury reached 50 atop Schweitzer Mountain Resort during the second weekend of April. However, ski enthusiasts, many clad in Hawaiian shirts and shorts, enjoyed one last spring run.

The snow is melting at Schweitzer Mountain during a season of transition. However, it’s not too soon to think about next year as early bird passes are on sale until Monday.

There is also an opportunity to buy the Ikon pass at a discount. The Ikon pass includes Schweitzer mountain and 44 other ski destinations around the country and the world such as Washington’s Crystal Mountain, Oregon’s Mt. Bachelor and Wyoming’s Jackson Hole Resort.

There’s plenty to do during the off-season at Schweitzer. You can bike the hills now, but the resort is officially kicking off its mountain biking season June 18. “You can ride from Turn Four on down,” marketing manager Dig Chrismer said last month.

“Up above Four is wet and mucky. The snow is still melting,” Chrismer said. There are more than 40 miles of trails at Schweitzer. There will be a new hotel, the Humbird, to explore by the beginning of the next ski season. The Humbird, named after a local mill, was slated to greet skiers last winter, but construction was delayed due to COVID-19.

“The construction crew are making great strides,” Chrismer said. “As long as the weather holds up, it should be open by November. It’s just one more thing that’s happening at Schweitzer this year.”