As a Mt. Spokane season pass holder, I've been looking forward to this episode from the moment it was first announced. It has been apparent that Jim's been putting in the work, but there's been little info about what's next. I know some of that is the uneven nature of working with the state and parks system, but getting more information was great.
I absolutely love this mountain. Its 42 minutes from my house. The vibe is relaxed. Our best friends now were strangers we met over a shared table on a crowded day. The ski school programs have been amazing for our kids and our friends' kids. Even when its busy, there's plenty of space on the slopes (especially if you escape back to Hidden Treasure). Jim undersold the current glade skiing.
There were a number of mentioned items that give me some encouragement for the future. A surface lift for the park riders will be huge for everyone. I've been somewhat curious why the mountain hadn't repurposed one of the old tow ropes from the beginner area for that purpose already. It will lighten traffic on chair 3 which is a definite choke point during high traffic times. Fixed triples will be a huge upgrade. I understand his reticence on dropping HS quad cash, but I think replacing chair 2 with a hs quad and moving its bottom terminal down toward the lodge would be a huge improvement for skier traffic all across the hill. A detachable would also open up better options for summer downhill riding. The new HS quad at 49 North completely changed the ski experience there for the better. It'd do the same at the Kan. I will say that I'm concerned about increasing parking at the mountain without first increasing capacity of the lifts. Adding a few hundred parking spaces without changing the lift capacity would be incredibly detrimental to the skier experience.
The one thing that sets Mt. Spokane apart in the Inland NW is the night skiing. Pretty much everyone else is steeper. Lookout is deeper. 49 and Schweitzer are bigger. But I can ski after work at Mt. Spokane. One-on-one time with each of my kids each week after school is possible because of night skiing. That's where I wish the mountain would invest just a bit more. Another night or two, better and more efficient lighting, maybe a few more lights on New Bowl and light up the area between Two Face and Gates/Allison's. I'd be hugely interested in any of those projects as well.
Thanks Stewart and Jim. I'm stoked for what the future holds here at the Kan.
Great podcast & article Stuart! Mt. Spokane is a great spot, I remember my first time going there, it was a sunny, cold powder day and I remember shredding through the glades off Hidden Treasure, which truly lives up to its name, as it is by far the quietest area of the mountain.
My overall favorite zone of Mt. Spokane has to be the area surrounding Vista Cruiser, firstly for the incredibly vintage lift, secondly, it feels like a little Sun Valley to me. I know the comparison to Sun Valley was made with the Northwood area, but Vista Cruiser features some lengthy, immaculately groomed, pure fall-line black diamonds that roughly match the difficulty of a blue at Sun Valley! I'll be sad to see Vista Cruiser go when it does, but it is very old and I understand!
Mt. Spokane is the king of night skiing in the Spokane-Coeur d'Alene metropolitan area. 49 Degrees North hasn't done it for a number of years, Lookout Pass doesn't have it, Silver Mountain rebooted their night skiing a couple weeks ago for the first time in years, but it was only a special occasion (can't remember if it was Christmas or New Year's Eve, but I wish I was there!), and Schweitzer does it some days for part of the season, but Mt. Spokane has the most night skiing terrain and does it by far the most often.
One thing I like about Mt. Spokane is the very comfortable vibe. The views of Washington & Idaho mountains and lakes are beautiful, it has great sun coverage, the lifts are old school, the lodges comfortable and very clean, the glades plentiful, the grooming is excellent and the runs are pretty long! If anyone flies into the Spokane International Airport with the intent of going on a ski vacation into Idaho & Montana or the Canadian Rockies, it's definitely worth stopping at Mt. Spokane for a day and having a day of relaxing, enjoying the great views, and also absolutely ripping some great groomers, glades and moguls.
Interestingly, 49 Degrees North, like Mt. Spokane recently went from running five days a week to seven days a week, I believe they started that after they installed their detachable quad. Now every ski resort in the Spokane-Coeur d'Alene metropolitan area runs seven days a week!
Podcast #113: Mt. Spokane General Manager Jim van Löben Sels
As a Mt. Spokane season pass holder, I've been looking forward to this episode from the moment it was first announced. It has been apparent that Jim's been putting in the work, but there's been little info about what's next. I know some of that is the uneven nature of working with the state and parks system, but getting more information was great.
I absolutely love this mountain. Its 42 minutes from my house. The vibe is relaxed. Our best friends now were strangers we met over a shared table on a crowded day. The ski school programs have been amazing for our kids and our friends' kids. Even when its busy, there's plenty of space on the slopes (especially if you escape back to Hidden Treasure). Jim undersold the current glade skiing.
There were a number of mentioned items that give me some encouragement for the future. A surface lift for the park riders will be huge for everyone. I've been somewhat curious why the mountain hadn't repurposed one of the old tow ropes from the beginner area for that purpose already. It will lighten traffic on chair 3 which is a definite choke point during high traffic times. Fixed triples will be a huge upgrade. I understand his reticence on dropping HS quad cash, but I think replacing chair 2 with a hs quad and moving its bottom terminal down toward the lodge would be a huge improvement for skier traffic all across the hill. A detachable would also open up better options for summer downhill riding. The new HS quad at 49 North completely changed the ski experience there for the better. It'd do the same at the Kan. I will say that I'm concerned about increasing parking at the mountain without first increasing capacity of the lifts. Adding a few hundred parking spaces without changing the lift capacity would be incredibly detrimental to the skier experience.
The one thing that sets Mt. Spokane apart in the Inland NW is the night skiing. Pretty much everyone else is steeper. Lookout is deeper. 49 and Schweitzer are bigger. But I can ski after work at Mt. Spokane. One-on-one time with each of my kids each week after school is possible because of night skiing. That's where I wish the mountain would invest just a bit more. Another night or two, better and more efficient lighting, maybe a few more lights on New Bowl and light up the area between Two Face and Gates/Allison's. I'd be hugely interested in any of those projects as well.
Thanks Stewart and Jim. I'm stoked for what the future holds here at the Kan.
Great podcast & article Stuart! Mt. Spokane is a great spot, I remember my first time going there, it was a sunny, cold powder day and I remember shredding through the glades off Hidden Treasure, which truly lives up to its name, as it is by far the quietest area of the mountain.
My overall favorite zone of Mt. Spokane has to be the area surrounding Vista Cruiser, firstly for the incredibly vintage lift, secondly, it feels like a little Sun Valley to me. I know the comparison to Sun Valley was made with the Northwood area, but Vista Cruiser features some lengthy, immaculately groomed, pure fall-line black diamonds that roughly match the difficulty of a blue at Sun Valley! I'll be sad to see Vista Cruiser go when it does, but it is very old and I understand!
Mt. Spokane is the king of night skiing in the Spokane-Coeur d'Alene metropolitan area. 49 Degrees North hasn't done it for a number of years, Lookout Pass doesn't have it, Silver Mountain rebooted their night skiing a couple weeks ago for the first time in years, but it was only a special occasion (can't remember if it was Christmas or New Year's Eve, but I wish I was there!), and Schweitzer does it some days for part of the season, but Mt. Spokane has the most night skiing terrain and does it by far the most often.
One thing I like about Mt. Spokane is the very comfortable vibe. The views of Washington & Idaho mountains and lakes are beautiful, it has great sun coverage, the lifts are old school, the lodges comfortable and very clean, the glades plentiful, the grooming is excellent and the runs are pretty long! If anyone flies into the Spokane International Airport with the intent of going on a ski vacation into Idaho & Montana or the Canadian Rockies, it's definitely worth stopping at Mt. Spokane for a day and having a day of relaxing, enjoying the great views, and also absolutely ripping some great groomers, glades and moguls.
Interestingly, 49 Degrees North, like Mt. Spokane recently went from running five days a week to seven days a week, I believe they started that after they installed their detachable quad. Now every ski resort in the Spokane-Coeur d'Alene metropolitan area runs seven days a week!
was planning on a stop here during a trip, but it won’t work out. would love to hit this place next year.
You have Northwoods and Hidden Treasure switched on your google maps image.