If this winter's weather falls somewhere around "normal," ski areas here will enjoy a big run this season, Inland Northwest resort operators say.

Ski areas here report early sales of season passes have gone well, and most say skiers and boarders will see new runs, equipment, or facilities.

Mt. Spokane Ski & Snowboard Park, has sold a record number of ski passes in the preseason this year, says Brad McQuarrie, general manager at Mt. Spokane.

"A lot of people are investing in the mountain and wanting to see it succeed," he says. "Money coming in from season passes allows us to do more projects."

The resort hopes to tally over 80,000 skier visits and take in revenues of $3 million during the upcoming season, up from 75,000 skier visits and revenues of $2.7 million during the last ski season, McQuarrie says.

Area ski resort operators regarded last season as generally positive with strong early and late-season attendance, but a few reported a slowdown during the midseason when some resorts experienced a month-long snow drought.

Although Mt. Spokane, like all ski resorts, is highly dependent on snow conditions to drive visitors, skier numbers have been trending upward in recent years, McQuarrie says.

"We've had good snow in the last few years, and we've seen some great visitor numbers," he says. "Even during the recession, we've seen skiers sticking close to home, but still recreating."

Full-day adult lift prices for the upcoming season are set at $49 on weekends and holidays, and $36 on midweek, non-holiday dates, up slightly from a year earlier to cover increases in fuel and wages, McQuarrie says.

Mt. Spokane has expanded its lodge by an additional 1,400 square feet, increasing its seating by 100 to bring the total seating capacity to 370.

The addition, funded through a $250,000 allocation from the state Legislature, includes a new river-rock fireplace. It also has overhead doors that will enable the lodge to host open-air spring and summer events, McQuarrie says.

The project is the first major lodge addition in about 30 years, he says. Mt. Spokane acted as its own contractor on the project, and ALSC Architects PS, of Spokane, designed it.

Mt. Spokane also has completed an environmental impact statement and is starting the permitting process with Spokane County to cut seven new major ski runs this winter.

McQuarrie says trees that will be cut to create the runs will be removed over the snow to reduce impact of the project.

Depending on snow conditions, some new runs could open during the upcoming ski season.

"We hope if we can cut a couple of runs earlier, and get off of them, we might be able to open those runs for the public and work on other runs," McQuarrie says.

Mt. Spokane also has been doing considerable work to maintain existing terrain, he says. The resort currently has 45 runs and 1,425 acres of skiable terrain.

Mt. Spokane will employ up to 400 people as the ski season hits full stride, McQuarrie says.

"About 80 percent come back year after year," he says. "A lot will be part-time people and weekend ski instructors."

49 Degrees North

John Eminger, owner of 49 Degrees North Mountain Resort, near Chewelah, says a recently installed chairlift that will provide access to new skier terrain is going through final inspections.

"It's the nicest lift we've ever built," Eminger says. The 4,400-foot-long double chairlift, to be called Chair Six, will rise 1,400 feet in elevation to Angel Peak, which is northwest of the resort's Chewelah Peak summit.

Nine new runs on Angel Peak will add 200 acres of ski terrain to the 2,300-acre ski resort, he says.
"If all things are equal, I expect an increase in attendance, even if it's just from people curious about the new terrain," Eminger says.

Full-price adult tickets will be $57 on weekends and holidays and $52 on weekdays.

Eminger says 49 Degrees North will employ about 75 people at the outset of the season, which he hopes he will start no later than Thanksgiving weekend. Within a few weeks of opening, the resort likely will have about 150 employees, he says.

The resort will host a new music festival in March to coincide with a Snowboard Cross and Big Air Tour event, Eminger says.

The new chairlift is the first phase of improvements valued at $2 million that are planned at the resort. The next phase will include a three-story, 4,800-square-foot lodge at a trail junction overlooking the Pend Oreille Valley.

The lodge, designed by Chewelah architect Tom Bristol, will have a heated deck, a meeting area in the daylight basement, food and beverage services, a dining room, and a ski-patrol dispatch area. Construction is expected to start next spring or summer, Eminger says.

Construction could be far enough along to allow limited use of the new lodge during the 2013-2014 ski season, but the building likely will be completed in the summer of 2014, he says.

Lookout Pass

Lookout Pass Ski & Recreation Area will open with a new triple chairlift this year that will serve the resort's Success beginner area, replacing its rope tow, says Chris Barrett, the new marketing director at the ski area that straddles the Idaho-Montana state line on the south side of Interstate 90.

Lookout Pass will continue to offer its free ski school for children to bolster the resort's reputation as a family-friendly ski area, Barrett says, adding that Lookout Pass also plans to promote a fresh image to appeal to the freestyle snowboarder and skier markets.

"We're now a big player in this game, and we're going to start grasping other parts of the market," he says.

Lookout's full-price lift tickets will be $38 on weekends and holidays, and $35 on weekdays.

Looking ahead, the resort is anticipating breaking ground on a new lodge next summer, and, pending environmental approval from the U.S. Forest Service, adding two chairlifts for the 2014-2015 ski season.

Lookout Pass has recorded steady increases in skier visits since 1999, Barrett says. Part of the reason for rising attendance is that Lookout routinely receives the earliest and most snow, Barrett claims.

He says Lookout is in an ideal location where wet air from the west meets up with dry cold air from the south and east, resulting in heavy snowfall.

"The reality is we've always had good snow," Barrett asserts. "We get 300 inches in a bad year. That's what other resorts get in a good year."

Schweitzer

Bill Williamson, operations director at Schweitzer Mountain Resort, north of Sandpoint, says crews there hope early snow in October was a sign that the ski season is at hand, and they're ready to fire up the snowmaking equipment if they need to give Old Man Winter some help.

"We'll start making snow as soon as we start seeing the right temperatures, and we'll try to open the day after Thanksgiving," Williamson says.

Schweitzer likely will open with 400 employees, and ramp up to 700 people on its payroll in the peak of the ski season, he says.

The resort is expecting business to be up this year, Williamson says.

"We're doing well on season-pass sales," he says. "We have a lot of early bookings for hotel rooms. There's a lot of interest."

Schweitzer's full-price lift tickets will be $68.

The 2,900-acre resort has been working on about $1 million worth of improvements for the coming year.
"We've been trying to build infrastructure within the acreage we currently have," Williamson says.
That includes tweaking some chairlifts to increase efficiency.

"We've got some different chairs on the beginner chair, and a different drive system on the Great Escape quad chairlift," he says.

Schweitzer also is completing a facelift on its Mill Building, which is occupied by the ski and snowboard center.

"We redid all of the rental and retail area there," Williamson says. "It's looking like it will provide an easier flow for customers."

Schweitzer also has enhanced its Gourmandie specialty foods market in the White Pine Lodge and added seating space there. "It will be a pleasant environment, more than a wine and cheese shop," he says.

Silver Mountain

Jeff Colburn, general manager at Silver Mountain Resort, near Kellogg, Idaho, says the long-term weather forecast is turning toward the resort's favor, after earlier forecasts predicted a meager snow winter.

"It has changed in the last month," Colburn says of the snow outlook, "It looks like it's stacking up to be normal or better than normal."

The resort has 73 downhill ski trails including two new runs. One new run will be an easier trail through a lightly treed area. The other will be a more advanced run off of Chair Four, one of the resort's main lifts.

Resort staff currently is conducting regular maintenance in anticipation of opening the season on Nov. 23, the day after Thanksgiving, he says.

Silver Mountain likely will open with 180 employees, and the resort will employ 230 people at the height of the season, Colburn says.

Full-priced adult lift tickets will be $55 on weekends and holidays, and $52 on weekdays.

Silver Mountain is working on a final date to bring in a company that will set up a giant air bag for ski jumpers to land on. "Jumps into airbags are easier than landing on snow," Colburn says. "You'll be able to practice without fear of injury."

Colburn also says he's expecting an increase in skier visits this year, compared with last year's attendance.

"It's hard to read the economy, but it seems things are loosening up and heading in the right direction," he says. "We've had great season-pass sales, and it's looking good here."