Are You Going to the Ski Swap?

Sure, it's really Mt. Spokane's event, but it is truly considered the kickoff to the ski season in the inland northwest, and if you are a local and need new gear, you can't miss it. Here's the information direct from MSSP.

The 44th annual Mt. Spokane Ski Patrol Ski Swap. The region’s largest winter sports equipment and clothing event featuring thousands of new and used winter sports items being sold by both individuals and area sports stores. Equipment, clothing and accessories for all winter sports are available, including Nordic and alpine skiing & snowboarding.

WHEN?
Registration - Friday, Oct. 24th - 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.
SWAP Open - Saturday, Oct. 25th - 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 26th - 9 a.m. to Noon.
PU Checks/Unsold Equip - Sunday, Oct. 26th – 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

WHERE?
Spokane Interstate Fairgrounds, Havana Street, Spokane.

WHY?
For the best selection and buys on winter sports equipment. The annual event has come to symbolize the kick-off of the winter season in the Inland Empire. The “Swap” is the primary source of funding for the MSSP for operations, purchase of medical and first aid supplies, rescue equipment and training materials.

HOW?
Register items on Friday. A fifty-cent fee will be charged for each item registered for sale at the swap. Show up Saturday or Sunday to purchase. Cash, credit cards and personal checks are accepted. Note: come early Saturday morning to beat the crowd. Come back on Sunday to take advantage of 25% discount on market items. Pick-up payment, or unsold
equipment Sunday, 2-4 pm.

WHO?
Admission is $4 at the door. Children 12 and under are admitted FREE. Brought to you by the over 125 volunteers that make-up the Mt. Spokane Ski Patrol, a volunteer, non-profit educational organization.

Frequently Asked Questions:
About the Swap How many items are available?
It is anticipated that over 18,000 items will trade hands at this year’s SWAP.

What kind of equipment is available?
About half of the equipment is alpine (downhill) ski related - including boots, poles, bindings, skis, gloves, clothing and accessories. The selection of cross country and telemark equipment is expected to increase again this year. The amount of boarding equipment continues to grow as boarding popularity has increased - with thousands of new and used
boards and boots available. Equipment and clothing is available for all sizes and ages. Children’s gear and clothing is the fastest to go, for best selection, early arrival on Saturday is recommended.

Where does the equipment come from?
Approximately 30% of the gear is brought to the SWAP by individuals. 70% is from approximately 20 retail shops in the region that bring both used and new equipment.

For more information on the ski swap and how you can put your gear up for sale, visit MSSP's website by clicking THIS LINK. We'll round up the upcoming swaps for you in the coming weeks, including a full list, countdowns, and when you should wake up to get the best deals.

Weather Forecast - 9/19: Chances of Snow Return Near Schweitzer Peak as the Summer Weather Pattern finally breaks down

The weather pattern has finally showed signs of weakening as the last
heat wave of the summer will come to an end by Sunday. The net result?
A more fall-like weather pattern finally arrives, just in time for the
first day of autumn; and we may see the first snow of the season at
Schweitzer as snow levels drop below 6,400 feet.

The valleys can expect a few light showers with the next storms, but
with the highs in Spokane only reaching about 58*, it should be cold
enough on the mountain that we should see at least one snowflake near
the summit of Schweitzer Peak, likely at Big Blue. If not, then there
will almost certainly be a wintery mix - temperatures at the top?
About 35 to 39 in the daytimes, but down into the 20s at night. Be
sure to stay tuned to Selkirk Powder Company's webcam image in the
upper-right hand corner of this screen, and as always, I'll update you
in the event of snowfall or any other major event, for that matter.

Loveland, Colorado Starts Snowmaking in Two Weeks

As of this writing, there are 15 days, 18 hours, and 52 minutes until snowmaking begins at Loveland Ski Area in Colorado. Loveland typically opens for the season in October, weather permitting, and is often the first resort in the United States to open (besides Timberline, of course, as that's open all year). Snowmaking at Loveland: Starting Wednesday, September 24 with a target opening date of mid-October. We'll see how it goes. Good luck to Loveland, and Schweitzer, whose primary capital improvement this year was, in fact, snowmaking.

The Road to Opening Day - Part VI - The Interactive Trail Map

Yes, this is the Road to Opening Day, and this is the 2008-2009 ski season coming upon us. Today we'll talk about a small but important piece of the puzzle that has now been implemented by Schweitzer management: the interactive trail map.

Schweitzer has now released a popular piece usually implemented by major resorts such as Vail, Beaver Creek, Telluride, and Whistler that typically receive more than 500,000 visits per year. Schweitzer, by comparison, is much smaller, attracting approx. 200,000 visits per year. The move by Schweitzer, in my eyes, is to appeal to the destination skier that is completely new to the resort. Why would they want to attract destination skiers? To self-sustain. There is a very small piece of skiers in the inland northwest, and five resorts are competing for them. So for Schweitzer to stay afloat, they must appeal to skiers in new markets. That's why they released the interactive map.

It has some cool features though, the new map. You can view runs, lifts, and other pieces all creatively put together. Enjoy: the Schweitzer Interactive Trail Map.

Welcome to the new look of skiSchweitzer

Welcome, everyone, to the new look of skiSchweitzer. I felt it was time for a change as the current look was getting a bit stale. All links will continue to work, this was only a slight change, and I hope you like it. Any feedback is always appreciated. Thanks!

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.

Weather Forecast - 8/24 : Chances of Snow Near Schweitzer Summit

Fall is in the air at Schweitzer Mountain Resort. From the events to the weather, something is definitely changing up in the mountains. Today, it means the leaves are beginning to change. Tomorrow, it will mean snow. Yes, snow has been forecasted near the summit of Schweitzer Peak.

Where, you might ask? Well, just past Big Blue lies Mt. Casey, the soaring treeless mountain that rises to 7,039 feet, one of the highest in the lower Selkirks. How, you may ask? Well, just follow THIS LINK to the National Weather Service page. But I'll relate all the details here anyway.

Cold fronts are moving through now. Expect tomorrow at Schweitzer Summit to be cool and wet, in fact, temperatures will likely not get our of the 40s. Wear a sweater if you plan on riding the Great Escape Quad to the summit for hiking, biking, or riding. Monday night's in the 30s, keeping the opportunity open for a chance of snow, but more likely it will fall as sleet. Tuesday is where it gets interesting, with a slight chance of snow showers after 11am. A low snow level of 6,700 feet will rise to 7,500 feet by the afternoon, meaning the snow level is 300 feet away from Schweitzer Peak. Any precipitation will likely fall as sleet during this time down to the summit level. Tuesday night the snow level will rise to 8,200 feet, out of grasp, for now, for the mountains of the Selkirks. We'll keep you updated on the latest Schweitzer weather as this story develops.

Overnight Lows Begin to Drop as Summer Events Reach their Climax

AS the days begin getting shorter and seasonal lag loses its effect, the lows traditionally go down at Schweitzer Mountain Resort. When the lows go down, the highs often stay fairly high. It gets interesting when precipitation begins to fall. Speculation: how low will the temperatures go? Will it snow? Keep it here at skiSchweitzer. We'll tell you first - just look at the webcam at the right. That mountain in the background is Big Blue, often where the snow accumulates first. Stay tuned for more news

AND in the events front, here's the latest news, in convenient Bulleted text:

• There's an Artist's Studio class on "off-loom bead weaving" in the White Pine tomorrow, August 23rd, at 9:30 until 12 noon. All ages are invited, but call the Activity Center in advance to RSVP, (208) 255-3081. The cost is $35.
• Music on the Lawn, Sunday August 24th. Live music in Schweitzer main village plaza, open to the public and free.
• Wednesday the 27th hosts Twilight Race Series #4, expect lots of action and lots of fun.
• Friday the 29th, expect the last Movie on the Lawn, where SLIFF comes to Schweitzer for one of their hits from last year, Last Stop for Paul. Entertaining and Free.
• Fall Fest comes to the mountain on August 30th and 31st. Free live music, NW microbrews, and kids activities, as well as chairlift rides and mountain biking.
• Schweitzer Lakedance International Film Festival, SLIFF, returns for 2008. SLIFF2008 will feature more breakthrough directors and actors than ever before. SLIFF2008 goes from the 7th to the 14th. Ticket packages are available starting this month at lakedance.com.

There you have it, the latest roundup of Schweitzer weather events. Keep it here. Subscribe. Come back. We'll have even more content for you as the weather gets cooler.

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.

The Huckleberries are Ripe at Schweitzer

(photo: Schweitzer Mountain Resort)

The huckleberries are ripe for the picking at Schweitzer! But have you ever noticed that no one tells you where they are? This time around, we're going to tell you where they are.

There are a few options for the intermediate hikers and bikers. Those who are intermediate hikers/bikers will want to look on the Overland Trail. Other areas include Upper GRR, and, for a long hike, try Coyote Canyon or Cloudwalker.

For the advanced hiker/biker, opportunities are abound. For a short hike, try looking in the Rolling Thunder and Hermit's Hollow areas. Others would try taking Boomerang to Howling Rock near the top of Stella. Obviously Huckleberry Hill will provide, but so might the expert trail BSR.

Remember to bring a used and washed out milk jug for the huckleberries. Cut off the top of the jug to make it easier to place the berries in the jug. Bring plenty of water, and make sure to get a trail map at the Village Activity Center or the Mill Building. If you forget these essential items, they can also be found at the Summit Activity Center at the top of the Great Escape Quad.