What’s new at the Inland Northwest ski hills

Ski hill operators do not hibernate during the summer. That is the time they get work done.

Crews spent the summer clearing runs, mowing down vegetation and updating signage. Buildings got some work done, and managers started planning out the new features they would offer this winter.

Now it is almost go-time, at least according to the calendar. Here is what’s new at the ski hills around the Inland Northwest.

Mt. Spokane Ski and Snowboard Park

Snow tubing made a grand return to Spokane’s backyard ski hill last year.

It was popular.

“It was a huge success,” said Jim van Loeben Sels, Mt. Spokane Ski and Snowboard Park’s general manager.

It is back again this year, and van Loeben Sels said they are planning to expand the operation and start it as soon as the rest of the mountain is able to open.

The run is near the hill’s lower lodge and is served by a handle-tow lift that attaches to a tube and hauls riders to the top. Those interested can reserve tubing slots online.

Skiers and snowboarders who explore the mountain’s 1,700 acres of skiable terrain may notice that more of that terrain is open during low snow conditions. Van Loeben Sels said crews did a lot of work preparing for low snow, particularly on the runs where the mountain runs night skiing.

A new webcam is in place at the terrain park, which is entering its second year with a dedicated handle-tow lift.

Van Loeben Sels also said staff have worked hard to expand the mountain’s school programs, which bring kids to the mountain on midweek days and introduces them to skiing.

“That’s exciting, introducing more people to the sport,” he said.

49 Degrees North

Crowding is rarely a problem on the slopes of Washington’s second largest ski area.

Rick Brown, the director of skier and rider services at 49 Degrees North, said the more than 2,300 acres of terrain on the hill near Chewelah gives people plenty of space to spread out.

Inside the lodge, however, it is a different story.

“At lunchtime on a busy Saturday, the lodge gets a little tighter,” Brown said.

That is why he is excited that construction projects and the new Experience Center – which houses the ski school, rentals and other services – have allowed the addition of 130 new seats in the lodge.

More space was also added for employees in the form of an old maintenance shop that was turned into a locker room.

Summertime grooming was a big focus, and Brown said they are hoping all of the mountain’s terrain can be opened to riders with just two feet of snow.

Bigger improvements are on the horizon. A new lift is expected next summer, and work has begun on a new lodge at the summit.

Schweitzer

Nothing major is changing for Schweitzer, the 2,900-acre resort outside of Sandpoint.

At least nothing as major as last year, when it launched Schweitzer Backcountry Adventures, its cat skiing operation. Or the year before, when the mountain was purchased by ski resort giant Alterra Mountain Company.

But visitors will find a handful of new experiences, such as the Summit Sunrise Breakfast – an early morning offering on select weekends starting in January.

Taylor Prather, Schweitzer’s marketing manager, said that on select Saturdays and Sundays, visitors can book a lift ride to the summit for breakfast before the mountain opens, helping fuel people up while they prepare to be some of the first riders to head down the mountain.

Prather said the mountain is also expanding its ski and ride school offerings and is launching a freestyle camp for kids who want to learn skills they can use in a terrain park.

“That’s an exciting new addition for kids looking to take their skills to the next level,” Prather said.

A Kids Ski Free week is planned for Dec. 6 through 12, allowing children 17 and younger to ride the mountain for free as long as they register ahead of time online.

Silver Mountain

Snow tubers will be happy to hear that Kellogg’s Silver Mountain is expanding its tubing sessions this winter, going to seven-days-a-week for the entire season.

That should make getting a session on one of the 640-foot tubing lanes easier, said Gus Colburn, Silver Mountain’s director of marketing.

As fun as riding a tube is, the offering will never overshadow Silver’s 1,600 acres of skiable terrain.

Colburn said the big update there came at the North Face Glades runs, where crews pulled out trees to give skiers more opportunities to blaze straight down the steepest parts of some of those runs.

New signage is going up, including a map at the top of the mountain that will show whether runs are open and whether they have been groomed. There have also been updates to boxes that test avalanche beacons for those who venture into the accessible backcountry from the mountain.

Lookout Pass

It is possible the update visitors will appreciate most at Lookout Pass Ski Area is the one they would like to talk about least.

Next to the Eagle Peak Chair, they will find a brand new, heated vault toilet.

Matt Sawyer, director of marketing at Lookout, which sits on the Montana-Idaho border along Interstate 90, said the toilet was built in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service, which manages the land Lookout sits on. It is in a part of the mountain where there are not many other services, and it will surely be a welcome relief for those who find themselves in need on that side of the mountain.

Summertime mowing should help the experience early in the season, Sawyer said, with many younger pine trees and huckleberry bushes knocked down to six or eight inches tall. Stumps were pushed down to the bottom from underneath Chair 3, which he said should make those runs more available early in the year.

“The quality of the experience at the beginning of the season is going to be much better than it was last year,” Sawyer said.