Schweitzer Mountain

border.

Schweitzer Mountain has a summit elevation of 6400 feet (1950 m) above sea level with a vertical drop of 2400 feet (731 m). The average annual snowfall is over 300 inches (762 cm). There are 82 named runs and open bowls on Schweitzer's skiable area of 2900 acres (12 km²). The longest continuous groomed run is The Little Blue Ridge Run, at 1.7 miles (2.7 km). Schweitzer's uphill lift capacity is 9,267 per hour.

Ten chairlifts (a "six-pack", two quads, 3 doubles, and 4 surface lifts) serve terrain rated at 20% beginner, 40% intermediate, 35% advanced, 5% expert. The slopes on the front side (Schweitzer Basin) face east and south, those on the back side (Colburn Basin) face mostly northeast.

History

The peak known as Schweitzer Mountain was named after an old Swiss hermit who lived at the bottom of the basin ("Schweizer" is German for "Swiss"). He had been in the Swiss military but beyond that little is known about the man who gave the mountain its name.

Skiing at Schweitzer began as early as 1933, but it was not until December 4, 1963 that it proudly opened as Schweitzer Basin, with a day lodge at 4700 feet (1432 m) and a mile long (1.6 km) double chairlift, which provided 1700 feet (518 m) of vertical drop. During the 1960s the ski area made no money, except for one year. Initially planned as a weekend-only ski area, it was soon operated seven days a week. Three chairlifts were added in 1967 (replacing T-bars and rope tows) and the back area of Colburn Basin was developed in 1971 with two more lifts. The road to the resort was paved in 1973 and Chairlift # 7 was added in the summer of 1974 to add capacity to the front side. In 1986 summer chairlift rides begun, and in 1988 the ski area was renamed Schweitzer Mountain Resort, and it began offering hiking trains and mountain bike rentals.

When owner (and co-founder) Jim Brown died in April 1989, his daughter, Bobbie Huguenin, took over the family business. Under her leadership, Schweitzer focused on becoming a destination resort; many additions and improvements were accomplished, including the replacement of the old lodge with the new 3-story Headquarters Day Lodge. A detachable quad chairlift was installed in 1991 and lights were installed for night skiing. Huguenin also saw the construction of the 82-room Green Gables Lodge.

Ultimately, the Brown family ran out of cash and was unable to market the resort as a destination alternative. In November 1996 the resort was put into receivership, filing for bankruptcy the following year. On December 31, 1998, Harbor Properties purchased Schweitzer Mountain Resort from U.S. Bank for the sum of $18 million. The Seattle-based company, operators of Stevens Pass Ski Area and Mission Ridge (sold in 2003) ski areas in Washington, made immediate improvements by providing equipment for slope management. A six-passenger chairlift "(Stella)" was installed in the summer of 2000 serving the Northwest Territory in Colburn Basin. With the addition of Stella, the resort totaled 2500 acres (10 km²). Finally, for the 2005-06 season, Schweitzer added a T-bar to Little Blue Mountain, a locals' favorite hike-out. The expansion added 400 acres (1.6 km²) and five new runs.

Today

Schweitzer's village currently has 2 lodges: The Selkirk Lodge (previously owned by Red Lion Hotels) and The White Pine Lodge. There is one day lodge housing Guest Services, a Cafeteria, and a coffee shop.

On February 15, 2007, Schweitzer announced an ambitious expansion program. Included is a $6 Million lift expansion. This includes replacing the original lift, Chair One, with two lifts: A high speed detachable quad and a fixed grip triple lift. The names of the new lifts are Basin Express and Lakeview Triple. The Basin Express uses the old Chair 7 liftline. Also included is a Lakeview Lodge remodel, increased snowmaking and new grooming capacity, not to mention $2 Million in spending for future expansion to the resort.

In 2007, Schweitzer Mountain Land & Timber Company released 35 new ski-in/ski-out lots, approved for 1-4 units per lot, for sale in the Trapper's Creek subdivision. By winter of 2007, heated roads and utilities were installed. The first homes will begin to appear during the summer of 2008. In 2008, Schweitzer Land & Timber will release the first homesites in the GreyHawk neighborhood, a single-family development pad with two to four acre lots. Eventually these homes will be serviced by a private chairlift to lift homeowners up to the mountain.

tatistics At-a-Glance

Elevation

*Village Elevation: convert|4700|ft|m
*Bottom Lift Elevation: convert|3950|ft|m
*Summit Elevation: convert|6400|ft|m
*Vertical Feet: convert|2400|ft|m

Terrain

*2900 Inbounds Skiable acres
*20% Beginner
*40% Intermediate
*35% Advanced
*5% Expert

Current Lifts

*No. 1 - Basin Express - High Speed Quad
*No. 2 - Musical Chairs - Double
*No. 3 - Great Escape - High Speed Quad
*No. 4 - Sunnyside - Double
*No. 5 - Stella - High Speed Six-Pack
*No. 6 - Snow Ghost - Double
*No. 7 - Idyle-Our - T-Bar
*N/A - Lakeview - Triple
*No. 8 - Musical Carpet - Magic Carpet
*No. 9 - Happy Trails - Handle Tow

Looking Back on Schweitzer: The History of Schweitzer Mountain Resort

In the late 1980s to 1990s, one of the first people to truly realize the potential of Schweitzer Basin as a ski area, Dr. Jack Fowler, a Spokane dentist, wrote a book. "Looking Back on Schweitzer: The History of Schweitzer Mountain Resort" focuses on the early stage of Schweitzer's development into a ski area. Overall, the first time Fowler saw the mountain was on the way back from a dismal ski trip to Big Mountain in Montana. While stopping to stretch in Hope, Idaho, Fowler's eyes looked upon Schweitzer Basin and found the snow that he did not find on that Big Mountain ski trip. That basin stayed in his mind - until he went into the basin on foot and skis - on Memorial Day - to test out the skiing. He was impressed, and thus became a prime mover for the ski resort.

In the Press

*The readers of Skiing Magazine rated Schweitzer #21 in their October 2007 Reader Resort Survey.
*Best Ski Resort in the Inland Northwest by the Pacific Northwest Inlander Reader's Poll, 13 years running.
*"Big Slopes and small-town charm at Northern Idaho's up-and-coming resort." - Sunset Magazine, Dec. 2003

External links

* [http://www.schweitzer.com Schweitzer Mountain Resort] - official site
* [http://skilifts.org/id-schweitzer.htm Ski Lifts.org] - photos of Schweitzer Mountain's lifts
* [http://www.idahowinter.org/alpine/schweitzer.aspx Idaho Winter.org] - official state tourism site
* [http://sandpointonline.com/sandpointmag/smw04/feature1b.html Schweitzer turns 40, Dec-2003] - Sandpoint Online.com - Winter 2004
* [http://www.sandpoint.com/Community/schweitzermountain.asp Schweitzer Mountain History] by Bob Gunter - Sandpoint.com
* [http://terraserver.homeadvisor.msn.com/image.aspx?T=2&S=12&Z=11&X=659&Y=6696&W=2&qs=%7cSandpoint%7cIdaho%7c TerraServer USA.com] - USGS topo map & aerial photo