Schweitzer Mountain
Encyclopedia
Schweitzer Mountain Resort is a ski resort
in northern Idaho
, 11 miles (18 km) northwest of Sandpoint
in Bonner County
. Located in the Selkirk Mountains
, it overlooks Lake Pend Oreille
to the southeast with views of the Bitterroot
and Cabinet
mountain ranges. The ski area is approximately 45 miles (72 km) south of the Canadian
border.
Schweitzer Mountain has a summit elevation
of 6400 feet (1951 m) above sea level with a vertical drop of 2440 feet (744 m). The average annual snowfall is over 300 inches (762 cm). There are 92 named runs and open bowls on Schweitzer's skiable area of 2900 acres (11.7 km²). The longest continuous groomed run is Little Blue Ridge Run, at 1.7 miles (2.7 km). Schweitzer's uphill lift capacity is 12,502 people per hour.
Seven chairlifts (a high-speed six-pack, two high-speed quads, 1 fixed-grip triple, and 3 doubles) and 3 surface tows
serve terrain rated at 20% beginner, 40% intermediate, 35% advanced, and 5% expert. The slopes on the front side (Schweitzer Basin) face east and south, those on the back side (Colburn Basin) face mostly northeast.
hermit who lived at the bottom of the basin (Schweizer is German
for "Swiss"). He had been in the Swiss military, and, as part of a crime investigation, his house was searched. It yielded the bodies of numerous local cats that had gone missing. According to legend, the man enjoyed cat stew; Mr. Schweitzer was soon hauled off to the asylum and forgotten, but his name remains.
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 Schweitzer made a profit in only one year. Initially planned as a weekend-only ski area, it was operated seven days a week at the insistence of Sam Wormington, the area's first general manager. 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. Summer chairlift rides were begun in 1986, 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
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. The high-speed Stella six-pack replaced chairlift #5, a fixed grip double. With the addition of Stella, the resort totaled 2500 acres (10.1 km²). In July 2005, the mountain's ownership status changed again when Harbor Resorts' ownership was dissolved, leaving the resort with a sole owner—McCaw Investment Group, or MIG, of Seattle. This allowed for the addition of the Idyl-Our T-Bar, the Hermit's Hollow Tubing Center, and a SunKid Magic Carpet in time for the 2005-06 season. The Idyl-Our T-Bar/Little Blue expansion added 400 acres (1.6 km²) and five new runs.
In February 2007, Schweitzer announced an ambitious expansion program. Included was a $6 million lift expansion, primarily the replacement of the original lift at the resort, Chair One, with two lifts: a high-speed detachable quad, the Basin Express, on the lower portion, and a fixed-grip triple lift, the Lakeview Triple, on the upper portion. The Basin Express uses the old Chair Seven liftline, to the right of Chair One's. (Former Chairs Two, Three, & Seven were removed in the 1990 to make way for construction on the Great Escape Quad; they roughly paralleled Chair One, but did not reach the summit.) The chairs were installed in the summer of 2007. Also included in the program was a Lakeview Lodge remodel, increased snowmaking and new grooming capacity, new chairs on the Great Escape Quad, and $2 million for infrastructure and planning for future expansions.
Also in 2007, Schweitzer Mountain Land & Timber Company, the real estate arm of Schweitzer Mountain Resort, released 35 new ski-in/ski-out lots, approved for 1-4 units per lot, for sale in the Trapper's Creek-1 subdivision. By winter of 2007-08, heated roads, skier underpasses and utilities were installed. Late in 2008 it was decided that all real estate offerings by Schweitzer be put on hold until further notice, due to the ongoing financial crisis and "the fact that much of life around here revolves around skiing." Additionally, Schweitzer Mountain Real Estate (dba Schweitzer Land & Timber Company) was merged with New Schweitzer, LLC, giving President and CEO Tom Chasse more power regarding the overall "experience" of the resort and how the real estate fits in with the skiing. Once development begins again, the next real estate release after Trapper's Creek will likely be the first homesites in the GreyHawk neighborhood, a single-family development pad below Musical Chairs. with two to 4 acres (16,187.4 m²) lots.
In addition to the Trapper's Creek and GreyHawk neighborhoods, Schweitzer was also looking in 2008 for outside developers to build up to five new condominium buildings in Schweitzer village with up to 50 units each, similar to the White Pine Lodge. The parcels were put on the market with Schweitzer Land & Timber Company, only to be removed a few months later.
In 2009, the resort began construction on Mountainside at Schweitzer—the new name for Trapper's Creek. Three fractional ownership
homes and one full ownership home will be completed by spring of 2009. The homes will be LEED-certified (Leadership in Energy Efficiency and Design). Special attention will be paid to the environment, with local building materials and an architectural style that evokes northern Idaho. It is unclear whether all new homes in Mountainside at Schweitzer will be LEED-certified. Likewise, it is unclear what the planned "direction" is for the rest of what was Trapper's Creek.
). That basin stayed in his mind - until he went into the basin on foot and skis - on Memorial Day nonetheless - to test out the skiing. He was impressed, and thus became a prime mover for the ski resort.
Ski resort
A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing and other winter sports. In Europe a ski resort is a town or village in a ski area - a mountainous area, where there are ski trails and supporting services such as hotels and other accommodation, restaurants, equipment rental and a ski lift system...
in northern Idaho
Idaho Panhandle
The Idaho Panhandle is the northern region of the U.S. State of Idaho that encompasses the ten northernmost counties of Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, Clearwater, Idaho, Kootenai, Latah, Lewis, Nez Perce, Shoshone. Residents of the panhandle refer to the region as North Idaho...
, 11 miles (18 km) northwest of Sandpoint
Sandpoint, Idaho
Sandpoint is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Bonner County, Idaho, United States. Its population was 7,365 at the 2010 census.Sandpoint's major economic contributors include forest products and light manufacturing, tourism and recreation and government services...
in Bonner County
Bonner County, Idaho
Bonner County is a county located in the northern part of the U.S. state of Idaho. Established in 1907, it was named for Edwin L. Bonner, a ferry operator. As of the 2010 census, the county had a population of 40,877. The county seat and largest city is Sandpoint.-History:Bonner County was formed...
. Located in the Selkirk Mountains
Selkirk Mountains
The Selkirk Mountains are a mountain range spanning the northern portion of the Idaho Panhandle, eastern Washington, and southeastern British Columbia. They begin at Mica Peak near Coeur d'Alene, Idaho and extend approximately 320 km north from the border. The range is bounded on its west,...
, it overlooks Lake Pend Oreille
Lake Pend Oreille
Lake Pend Oreille is a lake in the northern Idaho Panhandle, with a surface area of . It is 65 miles long, and 1,150 feet deep in some regions, making it the fifth deepest in the United States. It is fed by the Clark Fork River and the Pack River, and drains via the Pend Oreille River...
to the southeast with views of the Bitterroot
Bitterroot Range
The Bitterroot Range runs along the border of Montana and Idaho in the northwestern United States. The range spans an area of 62,736 square kilometers and is named after the bitterroot , a small pink flower that is the state flower of Montana.- History :In 1805, the Corps of Discovery,...
and Cabinet
Cabinet Mountains
The Cabinet Mountains are part of the Rocky Mountains, located in northwest Montana and the Idaho panhandle, in the United States. The mountains cover an area of 2,134 square miles...
mountain ranges. The ski area is approximately 45 miles (72 km) south of the Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
border.
Schweitzer Mountain has a summit elevation
Elevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....
of 6400 feet (1951 m) above sea level with a vertical drop of 2440 feet (744 m). The average annual snowfall is over 300 inches (762 cm). There are 92 named runs and open bowls on Schweitzer's skiable area of 2900 acres (11.7 km²). The longest continuous groomed run is Little Blue Ridge Run, at 1.7 miles (2.7 km). Schweitzer's uphill lift capacity is 12,502 people per hour.
Seven chairlifts (a high-speed six-pack, two high-speed quads, 1 fixed-grip triple, and 3 doubles) and 3 surface tows
Ski tow
thumb|right|A rope tow or ski tow.A ski tow, also called rope tow or handle tow, is a mechanised system for pulling skiers and snowboarders uphill....
serve terrain rated at 20% beginner, 40% intermediate, 35% advanced, and 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 SwissSwitzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
hermit who lived at the bottom of the basin (Schweizer is German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
for "Swiss"). He had been in the Swiss military, and, as part of a crime investigation, his house was searched. It yielded the bodies of numerous local cats that had gone missing. According to legend, the man enjoyed cat stew; Mr. Schweitzer was soon hauled off to the asylum and forgotten, but his name remains.
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
Chairlift
An elevated passenger ropeway, or chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating steel cable loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers, carrying a series of chairs...
, which provided 1700 feet (518 m) of vertical drop. During the 1960s Schweitzer made a profit in only one year. Initially planned as a weekend-only ski area, it was operated seven days a week at the insistence of Sam Wormington, the area's first general manager. Three chairlifts were added in 1967, replacing T-bars
T-bar lift
A T-bar lift, also called T-bar, is a mechanised system for transporting skiers and snowboarders uphill, along the surface of the slope...
and rope tows
Ski tow
thumb|right|A rope tow or ski tow.A ski tow, also called rope tow or handle tow, is a mechanised system for pulling skiers and snowboarders uphill....
, 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. Summer chairlift rides were begun in 1986, and in 1988 the ski area was renamed Schweitzer Mountain Resort, and it began offering hiking trains and mountain bike
Mountain biking
Mountain biking is a sport which consists of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, using specially adapted mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes, but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain.Mountain biking can...
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
Detachable chairlift
A detachable chairlift or high-speed chairlift is a type of passenger aerial lift, which, like a fixed-grip chairlift, consists of numerous chairs attached to a constantly moving wire rope that is strung between two terminals over intermediate towers. They are now commonplace at all but the...
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
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
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
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
-based company, operators of Stevens Pass
Stevens Pass Ski Area
This article is about the ski area. For information on the mountain pass along US Highway 2 where the ski resort is located, see Stevens Pass...
and Mission Ridge
Mission Ridge Ski Area
Mission Ridge Ski Area is a ski area located near Wenatchee, Washington. The base elevation is at 4570 feet with the peak at 6820 feet .Mission Ridge receives an average of of snow per year with over 300 sunny days.- Alpine Skiing :...
(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. The high-speed Stella six-pack replaced chairlift #5, a fixed grip double. With the addition of Stella, the resort totaled 2500 acres (10.1 km²). In July 2005, the mountain's ownership status changed again when Harbor Resorts' ownership was dissolved, leaving the resort with a sole owner—McCaw Investment Group, or MIG, of Seattle. This allowed for the addition of the Idyl-Our T-Bar, the Hermit's Hollow Tubing Center, and a SunKid Magic Carpet in time for the 2005-06 season. The Idyl-Our T-Bar/Little Blue expansion added 400 acres (1.6 km²) and five new runs.
Present Development
Schweitzer's village currently has two condominium/hotels: The Selkirk Lodge and The White Pine Lodge. Hundreds of private residences and condominiums are also available throughout the lower and upper village. There is one day lodge, the Lakeview Lodge, which houses Guest Services, a cafeteria, a coffee shop, ski patrol and daycare services.In February 2007, Schweitzer announced an ambitious expansion program. Included was a $6 million lift expansion, primarily the replacement of the original lift at the resort, Chair One, with two lifts: a high-speed detachable quad, the Basin Express, on the lower portion, and a fixed-grip triple lift, the Lakeview Triple, on the upper portion. The Basin Express uses the old Chair Seven liftline, to the right of Chair One's. (Former Chairs Two, Three, & Seven were removed in the 1990 to make way for construction on the Great Escape Quad; they roughly paralleled Chair One, but did not reach the summit.) The chairs were installed in the summer of 2007. Also included in the program was a Lakeview Lodge remodel, increased snowmaking and new grooming capacity, new chairs on the Great Escape Quad, and $2 million for infrastructure and planning for future expansions.
Also in 2007, Schweitzer Mountain Land & Timber Company, the real estate arm of Schweitzer Mountain Resort, released 35 new ski-in/ski-out lots, approved for 1-4 units per lot, for sale in the Trapper's Creek-1 subdivision. By winter of 2007-08, heated roads, skier underpasses and utilities were installed. Late in 2008 it was decided that all real estate offerings by Schweitzer be put on hold until further notice, due to the ongoing financial crisis and "the fact that much of life around here revolves around skiing." Additionally, Schweitzer Mountain Real Estate (dba Schweitzer Land & Timber Company) was merged with New Schweitzer, LLC, giving President and CEO Tom Chasse more power regarding the overall "experience" of the resort and how the real estate fits in with the skiing. Once development begins again, the next real estate release after Trapper's Creek will likely be the first homesites in the GreyHawk neighborhood, a single-family development pad below Musical Chairs. with two to 4 acres (16,187.4 m²) lots.
In addition to the Trapper's Creek and GreyHawk neighborhoods, Schweitzer was also looking in 2008 for outside developers to build up to five new condominium buildings in Schweitzer village with up to 50 units each, similar to the White Pine Lodge. The parcels were put on the market with Schweitzer Land & Timber Company, only to be removed a few months later.
In 2009, the resort began construction on Mountainside at Schweitzer—the new name for Trapper's Creek. Three fractional ownership
Fractional Ownership
In business, fractional ownership is a percentage share of an expensive asset. Shares are sold to individual owners. A fractional owner enjoys priorities and privileges, such as reduced rates, priority access on holidays and income sharing. Typically, a company manages the asset on behalf of the...
homes and one full ownership home will be completed by spring of 2009. The homes will be LEED-certified (Leadership in Energy Efficiency and Design). Special attention will be paid to the environment, with local building materials and an architectural style that evokes northern Idaho. It is unclear whether all new homes in Mountainside at Schweitzer will be LEED-certified. Likewise, it is unclear what the planned "direction" is for the rest of what was Trapper's Creek.
Elevation & Geography
- Village Elevation: 4700 ft (1,432.6 m) - Main Village
- Summit Elevation: 6400 ft (1,950.7 m) - Top of Great Escape Quad
- Bottom Lift Elevation: 3960 ft (1,207 m) - Outback Inn
- Vertical Feet: 2440 ft (743.7 m)
- 2000–4400 ft. (610–1341 m) above the surrounding land
Terrain & Snow
- 300 inches of snowfall skiable inbounds
- 20% beginner
- 40% intermediate
- 35% advanced
- 5% expert
- > 40 kilometres (24.9 mi) of hiking and biking trails (summer)
Current Lifts
- No. 1 - Basin Express - Doppelmayr CTECDoppelmayr CTECDoppelmayr is an aerial lift manufacturer based in Salt Lake City, Utah, and Saint-Jérôme, Quebec, and a subsidiary of the worldwide Doppelmayr Garaventa Group. The North American company was formed in 2001 after the merger of Garaventa of Goldau, Switzerland, and Doppelmayr of Wolfurt, Austria....
High Speed Detachable Quad - (2007) - lower portion of former Chair One - N/A - Lakeview - Doppelmayr CTECDoppelmayr CTECDoppelmayr is an aerial lift manufacturer based in Salt Lake City, Utah, and Saint-Jérôme, Quebec, and a subsidiary of the worldwide Doppelmayr Garaventa Group. The North American company was formed in 2001 after the merger of Garaventa of Goldau, Switzerland, and Doppelmayr of Wolfurt, Austria....
Fixed Grip Triple - (2007) - top portion of former Chair One - No. 2 - Musical Chairs - RibletRibletThe Riblet Tramway Company was once the largest ski chairlift manufacturer in the world.The Riblet Tramway Company was founded by Byron Christian Riblet. Riblet was born in Osage, Iowa, in 1865 and earned a...
Fixed Grip Double - (1968, moved to its present location in 1990) - No. 3 - Great Escape - Lift EngineeringLift EngineeringLift Engineering, more commonly known as Yan Lifts, was a major ski lift manufacturer in North America. Founded in 1965 and based in Carson City, Nevada, the firm came under scrutiny by state safety officials after a fatal accident in 1985, and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in July...
/DoppelmayrDoppelmayrThe Doppelmayr Garaventa Group is an Austrian-Swiss company that manufactures chairlifts, cable cars, gondolas, surface tows for ski and amusement parks as well as urban people movers and material handling systems. To date, Doppelmayr and Garaventa have produced over 13,700 installations in 78...
High Speed Detachable Quad - (1990) - No. 4 - Sunnyside - RibletRibletThe Riblet Tramway Company was once the largest ski chairlift manufacturer in the world.The Riblet Tramway Company was founded by Byron Christian Riblet. Riblet was born in Osage, Iowa, in 1865 and earned a...
Fixed Grip Double - (1968) - No. 5 - Stella - Garaventa CTEC High Speed Detachable Six-Pack - (2000)
- No. 6 - Snow Ghost - RibletRibletThe Riblet Tramway Company was once the largest ski chairlift manufacturer in the world.The Riblet Tramway Company was founded by Byron Christian Riblet. Riblet was born in Osage, Iowa, in 1865 and earned a...
Fixed Grip Double (1971, moved to its present location in 1988) - No. 7 - Idyle-Our - Doppelmayr CTECDoppelmayr CTECDoppelmayr is an aerial lift manufacturer based in Salt Lake City, Utah, and Saint-Jérôme, Quebec, and a subsidiary of the worldwide Doppelmayr Garaventa Group. The North American company was formed in 2001 after the merger of Garaventa of Goldau, Switzerland, and Doppelmayr of Wolfurt, Austria....
T-Bar (2005) - No. 8 - Musical Carpet - SunKid Magic Carpet (2005)
- No. 9 - Happy Trails - Handle TowSki towthumb|right|A rope tow or ski tow.A ski tow, also called rope tow or handle tow, is a mechanised system for pulling skiers and snowboarders uphill....
(1990s, moved to its present location in 2005)
Selkirk Powder Company
In 2005, the mountain added a new dimension to its array of terrain. Selkirk Powder Company offers 3000 acres (12.1 km²) of cat-skiing terrain on the north and west facing slopes of Schweitzer Peak and the surrounding area. An average run is approximately 1200 vertical feet and the longest is approximately 2200 vertical feet. Also offering snowmobile tours, Selkirk Powder Company operates primarily on Schweitzer-owned land, meaning there is a potential for lift expansion on Big Blue and the north/west-facing slopes in the future.Looking Back on Schweitzer: The History of Schweitzer Mountain Resort
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 about the resort in the 1990s. Looking Back on Schweitzer: The History of Schweitzer Mountain Resort focuses on the early stage of Schweitzer's development into a ski area. 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 at Big Mountain (now Whitefish Mountain ResortWhitefish Mountain Resort
Whitefish Mountain Resort is a ski resort located at The Big Mountain in northwestern Montana, located west of Glacier National Park in the Flathead National Forest...
). That basin stayed in his mind - until he went into the basin on foot and skis - on Memorial Day nonetheless - to test out the skiing. He was impressed, and thus became a prime mover for the ski resort.
In the Press
- "#21 in the USA" - 2007 Skiing Magazine Reader Resort Survey
- "#3 in the USA for Tree Skiing" - 2007 Skiing Magazine Reader Resort Survey
- "Best Resort in the Inland Northwest" - The 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
- "#3 in the USA for Lifts" - SKI Magazine, October 2008
- "Best Place to Ditch the Crowds" - Skiing Magazine - October 2008"
External links
- Schweitzer.com - official site
- Ski Lifts.org - photos of Schweitzer Mountain's lifts
- Idaho Winter.org - official state tourism site
- Schweitzer turns 40, Dec-2003 - Sandpoint Online.com - Winter 2004
- Schweitzer Mountain History by Bob Gunter - Sandpoint.com
- TerraServer USA.com - USGS topo map & aerial photo