tell me about idaho, specifically indy resorts

[LonghornSkier]

Missing out on Lost Trail-but I understand why you’re doing the trip the way you’re doing it.

I skied three powder days there in 02/2020 and all rank as some of my best days on skis!
It’s actually a fairly large ski area, which I think is under appreciated. Skis a lot like Wolf Creek if you’ve ever been there.

 

[Hoodoo]

~12 years ago, using Spokane as my airport, I did a Schweitzer-Silver-Lookout Pass trip.

Schweitzer was an insanely fun day with loads of coverage, weekday crowds (or lack thereof), bluebird skies, no wind and low 30's. I lapped the Stella chair and the North ridge mostly. Snow ghosts. Good tree runs. Insane lake views. It was a stellar day.

Silver had great coverage, weekday crowds and was overcast. The long gondola ride to the 'base' area was different, for sure. There was a blue run off the backside of Kellogg peak that skied more like a cat track, but, offered million dollar views looking south toward the Nez perce national forest. Most of my day was spent on the 4 chair, nabbing each side of Kellogg and Wardner peaks. The town of Kellogg was sorta hick-like but welcoming. Up the road, the town of Wallace even more so.

Lookout Pass had great coverage. Weekend family crowds. Funky down home vibe. Affordable burgers. Depending on which trail you chose, you were skiing in either Idaho or Montana. Not big, by any stretch but there were sufficient glade runs through super tall and skinny conifers.

As an added bonus. Walking the town dock at Coeur d'Alene, there was a sea plane pilot that offered my buddy an I a 30 minute flight for 20 bucks each. It was a hoot.

 

[KustyTheKlown]

upgraded my indy to no blackouts, so looks like its gonna be feb 18 - mar 1 with 49 degrees > schweitzer > silver. no drive south to tamarack/brundage

 

[jaytrem]

upgraded my indy to no blackouts, so looks like its gonna be feb 18 - mar 1 with 49 degrees > schweitzer > silver. no drive south to tamarack/brundage

Curious, why did you cut out tamarack/Brundage?

 

[KustyTheKlown]

cuts out the long drives. upgrading the indy pass for an extra $100 to avoid blackouts saves me a lot of driving south. i can come back. i can also still gametime it down there if i feel bored at schweitzer.

 

[jaytrem]

Makes sense, you can also snag a day at Mt. Spokane if you're bored. $54 midweek (before discount), 2000+ vert, can't go wrong! Lookout is also a quick drive. We headed over there after Silver just to look around and grab a new state for the girls.

 

[jaytrem]

Affordable burgers.

Funny, I too recall having a delicious, large and affordable burger at Lookout. I think I even took a picture, and I never take pictures of food.

 

[thetrailboss]

I wonder if Lookout did their expansion?

 

[jaytrem]

I wonder if Lookout did their expansion?

Hopefully soon, they bought the quad from Sundance.

 

[KustyTheKlown]

i do notice that the trail maps of brundage and tamarack look to be more 'my kind of place', and that they also have an extra 1000 elevation topping over 7000. i am presuming that at that latitude and so far inland that 5000-6000 feet is still pretty good powder skiing and that i wont be bored with 9 days at 49, schweitzer, and silver. but from silver im as far from lost trail as i am from tamarack and brundage, so all three remain viable audibles. whitefish is also in the mix as an a la carte audible option. i like long drives, but for a long desolate solo drive in unfamiliar territory, i feel more comfortable making that a game time decision to be undertaken in perfect weather and daylight conditions only.

 

[thetrailboss]

Hopefully soon, they bought the quad from Sundance.

Ah, that is interesting. I know that Sundance is progressing slowly with its lift improvements.

 

[ThatGuy]

Just booked 5 days in McCall first week of February to hit up Tamarack and Brundage. Never skied out west before so getting stoked even though its only August.

 

[jaytrem]

Just booked 5 days in McCall first week of February to hit up Tamarack and Brundage. Never skied out west before so getting stoked even though its only August.

"They"say Brundage has the best snow in Idaho. Seems true from what I've seen. Don't forget to make a few turns at Little Ski Hill while you're in the area!

One great thing about booking early is you get to be excited about it even longer.

 

[deadheadskier]

Very informative thread. I'd heard of some of these areas, but many I had not.

What I was unaware of was Spokane being an ideal airport to access several quality and good sized areas that aren't too far from the city.

Really seems to be a no brainer if you are someone who loathes crowds and has minimal "resort" requirements.

Looks like a much more appealing destination for my tastes than Denver, SLC or Tahoe.

Too bad there's no direct flights from Boston to Spokane.

 

[thetrailboss]

Very informative thread. I'd heard of some of these areas, but many I had not.

What I was unaware of was Spokane being an ideal airport to access several quality and good sized areas that aren't too far from the city.

Really seems to be a no brainer if you are someone who loathes crowds and has minimal "resort" requirements.

Looks like a much more appealing destination for my tastes than Denver, SLC or Tahoe.

Too bad there's no direct flights from Boston to Spokane.

Yes, Spokane has a lot of relatively good-sized unknown areas that are not too far away. Spokane, 49 Degrees, Silver, Lookout Pass, Schweitzer to name some off the top of my head.

 

[thetrailboss]

"They"say Brundage has the best snow in Idaho. Seems true from what I've seen. Don't forget to make a few turns at Little Ski Hill while you're in the area!

One great thing about booking early is you get to be excited about it even longer.

Agreed. Hit Little Ski Hill for a blast from the past! It is right on the way to Brundage from McCall.

 

[jaytrem]

Too bad there's no direct flights from Boston to Spokane.

Not a problem. Fly into Seattle instead and hit a few extras. Can hit Mission Ridge and White Pass, both on Indy. One on the way out, one on the way back. I also really enjoyed Snoqualmie this last trip. Had only gotten to ski the Central part in the past, Hyak and Alpental sections were awesome. We were having such a good time we ended up skiing until around 7:30.

 

[KustyTheKlown]

alpental is awesome and packs a lot of punch for its size. the gated sidecountry skiers left is sweet

 

[x10003q]

Spokane can be a gateway to the Powder Highway. Red Mountian resort is less than 3 hours from Spokane.

Powder Highway | Official Site | #PowderHighway

British Columbia’s Kootenay Rockies is home to the POWDER HIGHWAY®, where deep snow, funky towns, and some of the most downhome, stash-laden, adventure-packed ski resorts in North America exist.

www.powderhighway.com

 

[Shredmonkey254]

Spokane can be a gateway to the Powder Highway. Red Mountian resort is less than 3 hours from Spokane.

Powder Highway | Official Site | #PowderHighway

British Columbia’s Kootenay Rockies is home to the POWDER HIGHWAY®, where deep snow, funky towns, and some of the most downhome, stash-laden, adventure-packed ski resorts in North America exist.

www.powderhighway.com

and Schweitzer is right on the way to Red