Schweitzer Launches Competing Blog… and We Think It’s Pretty Good

The day has finally arrived… Schweitzer has launched a new blog
competing with this one, skiSchweitzer. We have known this day would
come since the day they launched their new multimedia website.

We'd like to congratulate the resort on this new medium for providing
information to skiers and riders. I know that I will be a regular
visitor. skiSchweitzer will continue to strive to bring quality
feature content, up-to-date weather information, and original
photography to the reader as soon as we get the information. As we
don't have any "sources" other than Schweitzer, we may not be able to
provide information as fast as they will – but we'll try.

—
"Live. Dream. Snow."?
How about "Live. Dream. Ski."?

That's it!

Live. Dream. Ski. (and think snow)

What Happens When the Warm Air is on top of the Cold Air?

The answer: an inversion. Exactly what's happening now at the
mountain. What does this mean? It means that the temperature is too
high to try out that new snowmaking equipment and too dry for natural
snow. The end result is annoying weather causing a rough start to the
season. Thee is a light at the end of the tunnel, however. The folks
over at the forums on Almanac.com say that it will all be over soon
enough. On Thanksgiving, the storm door opens up and the snow our
resorts need to open may arrive. In the meantime, we all need to be
living, breathing, and thinking snow. Who knows? Maybe it will work.
THINK SNOW!

The Latest from Schweitzer

Breaking out the snowblower to battle to the 10″ of snow Schweitzer received on Election Day… but why would you want to fight it?
Snow drifts @ 49 Degrees North
Snow behind the Selkirk Lodge. Not a bad start if you ask me.
Are you ready? There chairlifts are. The mountain is almost there.

What’s 10 + 1 + (a few) ? It’s how much snow Schweitzer currently has on the mountain. I called the Activity Center earlier today, and they told me, “it’s really dumping up here right now.” Of course, this is good news for all the resorts, so why not have a recap right here?

Silver Mountain is too proud of itself for putting in an indoor waterpark to publish a snow report, but their webcams show a fresh layer of snow, probably about 8″.

49 Degrees North now has 9″ of snow, as of this morning. As it’s been snowing for the better park of the day, there’s a good chance that there’s a bit more than that by now.

Mt. Spokane has received a total of 12″ with these storms, also as of this morning. Again, as it’s been snowing off and on since this morning, expect these numbers to be more by tomorrow morning.

Election Day Snowstorm brings "a bunch" of snow to Schweitzer

This election day has been full of surprises so far, and now there’s even more good news. According to the SNOTEL sensors in Schweitzer Basin, the mountain has received up to 6 inches of new snow out of an election day snowstorm. This is great news, and more snow is expected throughout the week, with a slight warmup over the weekend, and more snow over next weekend.

In other news, 49 Degrees North reported 5″ of snow at the summit at 4:00 PM, as did Mt. Spokane at 11:30 AM. These totals may inflate slightly overnight. There are no new reports from Silver Mountain or Lookout Pass. But we’ll keep you posted.

The Road to Opening Day: Part VII – New Snowmaking Capabilities

New this winter, Schweitzer has installed new snowmaking machines on Midway Run. The ten new high-capacity snowguns and sixteen hydrants will be served by a snowmaking pond near the top of the mountain. The gravity fed system will require almost no energy in terms of moving the water to the guns. In addition, the new capacity will allow consistent openings by Thanksgiving with a 300-foot wide swath from the top of the Basin Express high-speed quad to the bottom of Musical Chairs. This season will be a test season, and next year will be the year that we may have a set opening date. Now the question is: if we receive enough snow early that the snowmaking hasn’t kicked in yet, will the resort open? That remains to be seen, but who knows? We’ll see what happens, but for now, stay tuned for more coverage as the weather continues to cool down.

Arapahoe Basin in Colorado Now Open

The first ski resort to open this season, Arapahoe Basin, is now serving skiers on one run, with one chairlift and a small terrain park. A-Basin’s snowmaking consistently allows them to open in mid-October. This is the third year in a row that Arapahoe Basin was the first ski resort in North America to open.

Weather Forecast – 10/3 – Monster Storm to Crash into the Northwest

…and it is going to be huge. I mean it. This is going to be a major rain-maker for the Spokane – Cd’A area that is more typical of the late October – early November rain storms that we get, that can often bring a good base for the mountains. I’m also going to break the forecast up a little differently today because a lot of interesting weather is going on in the mountains in the west. I’ll start with the inland northwest (Selkirk Mountains where Schweitzer is located

MOUNTAIN FORECAST (6,300 feet Above Sea Level)

Weather.com graphic that illustrates the current weather patterns over the lower 48. Note the wet weather approaching the west coast and the stationary/warm front coming out of that low (still in the Pacific, so you can tell it’s huge). Also note the close-together lines that indicate high upper-level wind speed (which could translate to high winds on the ground).

The forecast calls for rain and possibly snow this weekend at Schweitzer Mountain Resort. Here, we see the very moist storm approaching on infrared satellite radar imagery.

Saturday is kind of boring. I’m not being negative, but it is. There’s a 100% chance of thunderstorms at the summit of Schweitzer. No snow yet as this system involves a warm front. Temperatures will be in the lower 40s, so there is a slight chance that some snow will fall Saturday as part of this system. Saturday night yields another night of rain, with a low of 30 degrees. Monday, there is a chance that we could see snow down to the village level (and possibly even lower) with a high of 36, however the chance of snow for both Sunday and Sunday night is 20-30%. Monday is a day of sun and clouds, with a high of 44, but Monday night, there’s a chance of rain with a low of 30 degrees. On Tuesday a high of 43 gives way to a day of a sleet/rain/snow-mix, but Tuesday night is a low of 23 and a chance of snow. Snow remains a possibility for the rest of the week, with highs in the 30s and overnight lows in the 20s.

FOR THE CASCADES AND ROCKIES AS A WHOLE:

Precipitation Forecast from Weather.com for the next 36 hours. Note that the storm will begin as rain and eventually turn to snow in the higher elevations (as in “6-12 new inches for the Cascades this weekend”). Hopefully I’ll update this graphic tomorrow as the conditions change.

Believe it or not, there are winter weather advisories posted in almost every major skiing mountain range in the west (other than Schweitzer and the Selkirks, for the time being). I’ll name them off, briefly – almost every mountain range in the state of Utah, much of the Sierra Nevada, and many mountain ranges in Colorado. Which one is most promising? Personally, I’d say  the Alta/Snowbird and Solitude/Brighton (Little/Big Cottonwood Canyons) are going to get the most snow out of this one. The National Weather Service calls for up to 24 inches of new snow accumulation with this system. That makes this storm system more typical of late November or December than anywhere else. To view the full watch while it is still available, click here.

I will add to this post in a few minutes; the local news is on…

BREAKING NEWS: FIRST SNOW AT SCHWEITZER MOUNTAIN RESORT

Pretty much as expected, Schweitzer has received its first snowfall of the 2008-09 ski season. It looks like they got just a trace of snow, but they seem to have gotten lost in another snow shower since this photo was taken. I like to use Selkirk Powder Company’s images because they update just about once every two or three seconds. To view their current image, visit Selkirk Powder Company’s website. Last year’s first snow was just around this time, about September 20th, so we are in good shape. However, bear in mind that this was a very cool storm more reminiscent of the middle of fall than the first full day. Still, it’s always great to see Schweitzer in white.

What Happened to SNIAGRAB (Bargains)?

Remember, SNIAGRAB, that blowout sale held every year at Gart Sports (now Sports Authority), that was all about ski and snowboard equipment? I actually once found a pair of skis there for $20. Sure, they weren’t great, but for new gear, you can’t go wrong. Well, I remembered that there hadn’t been a SNIAGRAB last year here in Spokane, so I did some research. Apparently SNIAGRAB is going on everywhere EXCEPT Spokane, at least in the western US. My question: Why? Spokane/Inland Northwest has some of the best skiing in the west at Schweitzer and Silver Mountain, and there are other resorts with great skiing, like 49 Degrees North. SNIAGRAB ends Labor Day for those willing to drive to Seattle or Boise.

Dig Deep into Schweitzer’s History

Yes, Looking Back on Schweitzer provides a great piece of Schweitzer history in a nice, condensed, easy to read form factor. But it may be missing a key element: trail maps. Not much can illustrate the evolution of a ski resort like trail maps from the past and present. That’s why there’s skimap.org and skilifts.org: to provide information from the past and present of past and present ski resorts, worldwide. Sure, SkiLifts.org isn’t updated every day (it still lists Chair One as a current lift and the old logo is used), but it is a great resource for pictures and technical info for chairlifts nationwide. SkiMap.org fills the gap where SkiMaps.com left off, providing resort trail maps from the past and present.

The great flood of information comes when you look up Schweitzer. Below is an old trail map, circa 1980. Note the flagship Chair One and the four parallel chairlifts . Also interesting is the bunny hill, the site of a t-bar and the “Enchanted Forest Terrain Garden,” which was probably referring to the jumps and skier-cross like features that go through the trees. Chair Seven is the lift on the far right of the parallel lifts. It is located on the same line as the Basin Express is now. In addition, Chair Six in the Colburn Basin was located IN the basin, instead of OUT of the basin, and Chair Five was Timber Cruiser, the double chair that was fifteen minutes long.
Below is the trail map from ten years later, 1990. Note the new Great Escape Quad that services that portion of terrain that was previously inaccessible. The three parallel lifts to Chair One have been taken out, including Chairs Seven, Two, and Three. Chair Two was moved to the bunny hill, and that t-bar was removed. A new day lodge has been constructed, and is now the Lakeview Lodge. The Selkirk Lodge, then the Green Gables Lodge, is constructed. On the backside, Chair Six has been moved to its current location, cutting a few runs off the trail map.
Not many changes for 1991, below. The main difference? Chair One is now seldom used. Even expert skiers will take the quad to the Midway load and take laps on The Face. Then, if they decide to go into South Bowl, they can ride Chair One up, thus avoiding the hike.
We’ll update this post later, with the rest of the resort’s history.