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Skiing, Golfing, Boating, Oh My! skiSchweitzer's Got You Covered This Memorial Day Weekend - Day One

There's a lot of things you could be doing this Memorial Day Weekend. But if you're like most people in the Inland Northwest, you're probably planning on golfing, barbecuing, and/or spending a day out on Lake Coeur d'Alene. If you want to do something really fun, however, why not try doing all this and more in one weekend?

Saturday, May 23, 2009

6:30 AM: You're going to get an early start, or you're going to be out of luck. Spokanites and Sandpoint-residents will want to get up early and be out the door no later than 6:30. Coeur d'Alene residents can probably sleep in until about 7. You're starting your weekend off right with Silver Mountain -- just make sure you pack shorts and a t-shirt. Silver (silvermt.com) will open 17 runs and two chairlifts at 7:30, so you want to be prompt. Once you arrive, grab your gear and pick up a breakfast burrito in the Gondola Village.

7:30 AM: Get in the Gondola. Now. WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? pie Skiing awaits, and it's twenty minutes up the mountain.

2:30 PM: Stop skiing. No, it's not that you want to, but the mountain will close at 2:30 to preserve snow for skiers on Sunday. Go down the gondola, get in your car and start driving toward Coeur d'Alene.

3:25 PM: Hopefully you skipped lunch, because you're going to the best hamburgers in the Inland Northwest at Hudson's (207 E Sherman, CDA). Grab a bite and walk around the town as you wait for your tee time at Trailhead in Liberty Lake. You'll be back soon enough.

4:30 PM: Arrive at Trailhead (located here and actually near the site of a lost ski resort, by the way) with your clubs ready. Play nine holes, then drive home to Spokane, or wherever (sorry people of Idaho and elsewhere, but most readers live here).

8:00 PM: Barbecue at your home in Spokane, or wherever. Mmm, burgers, fries, and potato salad. What's not to love?

Itching for Some Skiing? Today's Your Lucky Day

(logo property of Silver Mountain Resort and Eagle Crest Resorts)

Silver Mountain will reopen this Sunday, May 17, 2009 for a day of free skiing sponsored by Dave Smith Motors. The gondola will upload at 7:30 AM and chairs will be open from 8 AM - 3 PM in the Chair Two Basin only. Again, this ski day is free for everyone. Thank you, Silver Mountain, for satisfying local skiers' need for snow and skiing.

UPDATE: Silver Mountain will again reopen this weekend -- Memorial Day weekend -- for skiing on two chairlifts and seventeen runs with trails for all ability levels. The gondola will throw riders up on the mountain starting at 7:30 on both Saturday and Sunday with chairlifts running from 8-2:30 and the gondola closing at 4:00. It comes at a price though: $25 gets you a lift ticket.

The Late Review: Big Bear Mountain Resorts, California

(logo property of Big Bear Mountain Resorts)

Snow Summit and Bear Mountain Resorts and Southern California have a lot going for them. They're located high up in the mountains in the city of Big Bear Lake, on north-facing slopes with 100% snowmaking coverage. They both offer excellent terrain parks and each have two high-speed quads. The problem, however, comes in two key areas: snowpack and service. And I know that snowpack isn't something I should be complaining about for Southern California, but I'll explain my points. Let's start with Snow Summit.

 

Snow Summit, the larger of the two Big Bear Mountain Resorts, markets itself as the “premier destination resort experience.” Unfortunately, their claim seems to come up short. Don’t get me wrong; Snow Summit is great. But I was appalled from the beginning about their service.

 

Wishing to try something different and to try a pair of new skis, when renting I opted for their “demo package.” I expected a current model year pair of Line, Rossignol, K2, or Armada twintips, given Snow Summit/Big Bear’s reputation as a “park resort.” The tech (who didn’t seem to know a thing about skis) handed me a pair of 5 to 9 year old K2s. I asked, “what brands are you demoing?” beforehand, but he didn’t seem to hear me. Not seeing any different behind the counter, I gave up and figured I’d give the skis a try.

 

I walked out and took a few runs of each high-speed quad. No lines, but it was a Monday, so I didn’t expect any differently. It’s hard to explain Snow Summit on paper. Their trail map doesn’t do the place justice and their blacks and double blacks are much like Schweitzer’s more difficult blues (i.e. Zip Down, Little Blue Ridge) and easier blacks (i.e. Jack’s Dream). The “snow” was solid ice – there wasn’t any possible way to get an edge, which made for one wild ride down. I wanted to just suggest that they groom their runs in the morning, rather than in the afternoon after the mountain closes for the day. The snowpack softened up a bit in the afternoon, however.

 

Interesting fact: Snow Summit and Bear Mountain’s “glades” had no snow when I was there. One of the employees at Snow Summit claimed they pushed the snow out of the trees to avoid liability issues. I got a good laugh out of that one. Also interesting: both resorts had “Trash Targets: Are You Good Enough?” underneath their HSQs. Just garbage cans, there, with a stupid caption.

 

After a competitively priced lunch (compared to other resorts), I hopped on the free shuttle to Bear Mountain.

 

At Bear Mountain we experienced some of the best conditions of the trip. Still very marginal, but better. Their most difficult run, Geronimo, would probably by a high blue or low black at Schweitzer, but who cares? It was a great run to lap, although it was the only run off of the chairlift that serviced it.

 

At Bear Mountain we also experienced easily one of the coolest and best terrain parks I have ever seen. 150 jibs, rails, and boxes, and countless jumps and tables. This is a freestyle mountain after all. Anyway, after 5-9 runs on the great parks they had to offer, I hopped back on their flagship HSQ. At the bottom, a ticket checker started yelling at me: “Dude, you can’t have that on your ticket?”

“What is he talking about?” I thought. “My Schweitzer pass?” I asked.

“Yeah, it invalidates your lift ticket.”

“What? How does that work? I came from Idaho and am skiing at your resort.”

“I know, but next time you come boarding you can’t have it on.” I skied away, still wondering what the heck he was talking about.

In conclusion, Snow Summit and Bear Mountain Resorts are a good choice for skiers who find themselves in Los Angeles or San Diego. But they’re definitely not a Schweitzer or even a Mt. Spokane. Coverage was not perfect, and if you expect tree skiing, be disappointed. Bear Mountain makes up for many of Snow Summit’s weaknesses, but not one of the most important ones: service. Overall, if you are looking for a cheap place to take a few runs on a day off or on a business trip, this is a great choice. If you want a true “destination resort experience” with great snow, cool temperatures, a great park, and many of the things that Snow Summit/Big Bear are missing, you’re better off at Mammoth or Lake Tahoe.

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