Schweitzer Mountain Resort
Schweitzer is a burgeoning destination ski resort in Idaho. The Schweitzer Ski Resort is trying to move towards becoming the next
Sun Valley, but thankfully it’s got a long way to go. Schweitzer is small, peaceful, crowds are manageable, it is delightfully unpretentious, and the resort has a nice local feel to it.
Ski Magazine has voted Schweitzer Ski Resort as “the best kept secret in North America”, but this is a major exaggeration and Ski Magazine needs to explore a little further afield (they also ranked it #3 in USA for lifts at one stage – ha!)! Sure Schweitzer is uncrowded and a hidden gem relative to
Vail or
Aspen, but it’s definitely not deserted and it doesn’t feel like you’re skiing on your own private mountain. Despite Schweitzer already being well and truly discovered, the locals think it’s a well kept secret, so we’ll let them keep thinking that!
Schweitzer Mountain was named after a “Swiss man” (Schweitzer in German) who lived in the area as a hermit until he was placed in an asylum for strange behaviour such as eating cats. Despite the peculiar man that is Schweitzer’s namesake, there’s nothing strange about Schweitzer Ski Resort. It’s a very normal ski resort and it has all the bells and whistles you’d expect for an emerging destination resort.
Pros & Cons of Schweitzer Ski Resort
Pros
- Compared to the big named US ski resorts, Schweitzer is uncrowded (especially on weekdays).
- The ski area has terrain for all ability levels, with a particular strength being the advanced terrain.
- Schweitzer has some really nice tree skiing.
- Schweitzer Idaho is relatively inexpensive.
Cons
- There is very little terrain variety for beginners (do they really need it) but beginner lift tickets are really inexpensive.
Pro or Con Depending On Your Perspective
- The views from the ski resort across the massive Lake Pend Oreille are rave-worthy, but unfortunately foggy weather is somewhat common at Schweitzer and clear bluebird days are not that frequent.
- Schweitzer Mountain Resort is partially accessible on the Ikon Pass.
Schweitzer Ski and Snowboard Terrain
Schweitzer Ski Resort is reasonably large with 2,900 acres (1,174 hectares) of lift accessed slopes, and there’s also some great side-country terrain. The ski resort has 2,400 feet (731 metres) of vertical, although most skiers and snowboarders don’t ride the full vertical of the ski resort because the lower part is a dedicated beginners zone that runs below the Schweitzer village.
The
Schweitzer ski terrain has lots of variety including wide open cruisers, steep corduroy, open bowls, glades, some really impressive tree skiing, and three terrain parks. The trail statistics are 10% beginner, 40% intermediate, 35% advanced and 15% expert, and the double blacks aren’t the pretend kind. The steeps are only short, but they have rock features and are pitchy enough to provide some “pucker factor”.
The Schweitzer snow quality is somewhat variable, but when it’s happening the steep lines can be epic, and the fresh tracks last a little while.
Some of the lift infrastructure is reasonably modern, and of the 10 lifts, one is an express six-pack and there are three fast quad chair lifts.
Where is Schweitzer Idaho?
Schweitzer Ski Resort is located in the Selkirk Mountains in the panhandle of Idaho, only 60 miles south of the Canadian border. Schweitzer Mountain Resort is about 12 miles northwest of the town of Sandpoint, and 58 miles north of Couer D’Alene Idaho. Schweitzer is part of the
Selkirk Powder Triangle, along with
Red Mountain and
Whitewater Ski Resort.
The Spokane Airport in Washington is only 94 miles southwest of Schweitzer, a drive that takes under 2 hours. Spokane has direct flights from a variety of US cities including Seattle, San Francisco, Denver, Chicago and Salt Lake City. If you’re staying on-mountain at Schweitzer, you could get a shuttle between the airport and the ski resort, but if you plan to stay at one of the
Sandpoint hotels, a
rental car would be advantageous.
Schweitzer Lodging
The Schweitzer Village is small and primarily consists of just a handful of buildings. Other than a multitude of privately owned condos and vacation homes, Schweitzer lodging consists of the
Selkirk Lodge hotel and the
White Pine Lodge condos. Both have really convenient ski-in ski-out locations in the heart of the village.
Schweitzer Mountain Accommodations
Sandpoint
The on-mountain accommodation can be a little pricey, so some visitors prefer to stay down in the town of Sandpoint where the hotels are a little more economical.
Sandpoint, with a population of about 6000 folks, is a reasonably quiet town on the shores of Lake Pend Oreille. However relative to Schweitzer Village, Sandpoint is absolutely happening, particularly on the weekends when the many bars and restaurants are teeming.
Sandpoint Hotels
Schweitzer Mountain Facilities
The Schweitzer village is small but it covers all the required facilities and amenities for a ski vacation. In addition to a day lodge, the base area of Schweitzer has a few daytime eateries, a couple of pubs and restaurants, and two ski shops offering snowboard and ski rentals. Near the top of the mountain is the Skyhouse, which offers a restaurant and cafeteria.
There are also various activities on offer such as cross-country skiing, tubing, snowmobiling, or there’s a day spa if the body is in need of an overhaul.