The Overview
Michael Fulton
Melbourne-based skier and snowboarder with 50+ resorts across 5 continents. Specialises in Australian resorts and international resort comparisons.
Schweitzer's summit reaches 6,401 feet, dropping 2,401 vertical feet to a base at 4,000 feet across 92 runs spread over 2,900 acres above Sandpoint, Idaho. Terrain splits 40 per cent intermediate, 35 per cent advanced, 15 per cent expert and 10 per cent beginner, with average annual snowfall of roughly 300 inches. The resort carries Ikon Pass access and is Idaho's largest ski area by acreage. Ten lifts, including three quad chairs, one six-person chair and two triple chairs, serve the mountain alongside two double chairs, one surface lift and one t-bar.
Schweitzer's setting above Lake Pend Oreille gives it panoramic lake views uncommon among Idaho resorts, alongside terrain extensive enough to support genuinely varied skiing across two connected bowls. The resort's scale as Idaho's largest ski area supports a diverse mix of terrain parks, tree skiing and open bowls. Its Ikon Pass affiliation, gained through Alterra Mountain Company ownership, brings destination-level visitor traffic to what began as a modest local mountain.
Jim Brown recognised Schweitzer's potential as early as the 1930s, and Spokane advocates Jack Fowler, a dentist, and Grant Groesbeck, an architect, joined him in pushing for its development. Brown, Fowler and Groesbeck formed a partnership in the early 1960s, and Schweitzer opened on 30 November 1963 with a day lodge and a mile-long double chairlift. Brown later bought out the other stockholders, making Schweitzer a family-run business until his death in 1989.
Brown's daughter Bobbie Huguenin then led the resort through further additions and improvements. Harbor Properties purchased Schweitzer from US Bank for 18 million US dollars on 31 December 1998, partnering with the McCaw family of Mission Ridge to bring the resort out of bankruptcy. Following Harbor Resorts' dissolution in 2005, Seattle's McCaw Investment Group became sole owner until MKM Trust sold the resort's operations to Alterra Mountain Company in 2023, bringing Ikon Pass access. Adult daily tickets run from 89 to 119 US dollars, with season passes from 899 dollars.
2,402ft
Vertical
92
Runs
2,900 acres
Skiable
25ft
Annual snow
Ikon
Pass
The Terrain
92 runs across 2,900 acres skiable
Schweitzer Mountain spreads 92 runs across 2,900 acres skiable of terrain. It leans intermediate at 40%, with 9 beginner runs to find your feet and 46 advanced or expert runs when you want to push.
Terrain split
92
runs
92 runs across 4 grades
Beginner9 runs · 10%
Intermediate37 runs · 40%
Advanced32 runs · 35%
Expert14 runs · 15%
Time it right
When to visit Schweitzer Mountain
The 2025-26 season at Schweitzer ran from 21 November 2025 to 13 April 2026, a roughly twenty-one-week season supported by average annual snowfall of around 300 inches. This substantial snowfall total, combined with the resort's 2,900-acre footprint, gives Schweitzer one of the more reliable natural seasons among Idaho resorts. Season dates can shift slightly depending on early and late-season storm activity.
Midwinter, from December through February, typically delivers the most consistent conditions across Schweitzer's two connected bowls. As an Ikon Pass destination, the resort sees a mix of Sandpoint locals and visiting pass holders, with weekends and holiday periods drawing heavier crowds than the Idaho resort's earlier decades as a purely local mountain. Weekday visits generally remain quieter.
The resort's Ikon Pass affiliation, gained through Alterra Mountain Company's 2023 acquisition, has expanded its visibility well beyond its historic Sandpoint catchment. This has brought a broader range of programming and visitor services in line with other Alterra-operated resorts. School holiday periods and Ikon Pass blackout considerations shape much of the resort's peak-season crowd patterns.
Late-season conditions into April benefit from the area's substantial snowfall total and elevation, often extending good coverage across the mountain's varied terrain. Specific event programming beyond standard operations is not confirmed in available resort information. Schweitzer's combination of lake views, extensive terrain and Ikon Pass access has increasingly positioned it as a destination resort rather than purely a local's mountain.
Season 2025 - 2026
21 Nov 2025
Opens
13 Apr 2026
Closes
143
Days open
25 ft
Annual snow
Getting there
Getting to Schweitzer Mountain, and where to stay
Schweitzer sits above Sandpoint in the Idaho Panhandle, with a base elevation of 4,000 feet and a summit at 6,401 feet across a 2,401-foot vertical drop over 2,900 acres. The resort's position offers sweeping views over Lake Pend Oreille, one of the largest lakes in the northwestern United States, a defining feature of the Schweitzer experience.
Sandpoint is the nearest town, a lakeside community offering lodging, dining and a distinct small-city character that has grown alongside the resort's increasing destination profile. The broader Idaho Panhandle region combines lake recreation with mountain skiing, giving Sandpoint a four-season appeal beyond winter sports alone. Spokane, Washington lies within a comfortable driving distance to the southwest, extending the resort's practical catchment area.
US Route 95 connects Sandpoint to the broader regional highway network, with local roads leading up to the resort itself from the town below. Winter driving conditions on the approach can include snow and ice, though the route is well maintained given Schweitzer's status as a major regional destination. There is no direct public transport service to the mountain from Sandpoint.
Spokane International Airport, roughly 90 minutes to the southwest, is the nearest airport with substantial commercial service, making Schweitzer accessible to fly-in visitors from across the country via its Ikon Pass network. This combination of lake views, extensive terrain and reasonable airport access has helped transform Schweitzer from a local Sandpoint mountain into a genuine Pacific Northwest ski destination.
Where to stay
Search all stays →Hotels and lodges near Schweitzer Mountain, powered by Stay22.
Latest News
From the SnowStash desk
Aspen Snowmass Marks 80th Anniversary With $3.75 Throwback Lift Tickets
Aspen Snowmass turns 80 this December, and it's marking the milestone with $3.75 lift tickets on the anniversary itself - the original 1946 price. A discounted long weekend, $19.46 dining specials, lodging deals up to 46 percent off, and a season of anniversary programming round out the celebration across all four mountains.
17 Sept 2026
Doppelmayr Group Posts 9.1% Revenue Growth in 2025/26, Passing 1.3 Billion Euros
Doppelmayr closed its 2025/26 business year with revenue up 9.1 percent to 1.3 billion euros, driven by projects including the Big Sky Explorer Gondola, Deer Valley's Mayflower East Village Gondola, and the first TRI-Line installation at Hoch-Ybrig. Headcount grew too, with the ropeway manufacturer now employing almost 4,000 people worldwide.
16 Sept 2026
Hintertux Glacier Replaces 40-Year-Old Gondola to Tuxer Fernerhaus
Hintertux Glacier is retiring its 40-year-old gondola to the Tuxer Fernerhaus. The replacement carries 10 people per cabin instead of four, with seat heating and nearly 40 percent more hourly capacity. Doppelmayr's new line opens at the end of October 2026, right as the glacier's high-altitude terrain becomes accessible again for the new season.
16 Sept 2026
FIS Weighs Holding World Championships in Almost Every Winter, Starting 2032
The International Ski and Snowboard Federation is looking at a major shake-up to its title events calendar. From 2032, World Championships could run not just in odd-numbered years but in every non-Olympic winter too, effectively putting a global title event on the calendar almost every season. The FIS Council has approved the concept following a feasibility study, though an accelerated rollout as early as 2028 is also under consideration.
4 Sept 2026
Mount Buller Becomes Latest Australian Resort to Call Time Early on 2026
Mount Buller closes out its 2026 season this Sunday, joining Falls Creek, Hotham and Charlotte Pass in a cluster of closures landing almost simultaneously and roughly a month ahead of schedule. The culprit is stark: Spencers Creek's benchmark snow depth hit 31.2cm on 3 September, just 18% of the 73-year average and an all-time low for this point in the season. Six of Victoria and NSW's best-known resorts will have shut their lifts early within a span of about two and a half weeks.
4 Sept 2026
Tremblant to Add New Timber Summit Ski Sector for 2027/28 Season
Tremblant has confirmed a major expansion of its Quebec ski area, with a new Timber Summit sector adding 62 acres of terrain, eight trails and a high-speed quad chairlift for winter 2027/28. It's part of a CAD 42.5 million investment that also includes a new beginner learning zone at Versant Soleil opening this coming season. The project has grown considerably since it was first announced back in 2020, when it carried a far smaller budget and an opening date that never eventuated.
2 Sept 2026
Mount Hotham to Close for the 2026 Season on Sunday, September 6
We knew when the Bird Bath Pond Skim showed up on Hotham's Instagram that the season was on its way out. It's been a rough one - I only managed two days on snow all year, at Falls Creek - and now Baw Baw, Selwyn and Hotham have all called it, possibly the worst Australian season I've seen in a decade. Hotham's last day of lift operations is Sunday, 6 September, with a Retro Day, Father's Day après and closing sales before the lifts stop turning for good.
1 Sept 2026
Thredbo to Replace Ageing Gunbarrel Quad With New Six-Seat Chairlift for 2028
Thredbo Alpine Resort has confirmed plans to replace its 37-year-old Gunbarrel quad chairlift with a new six-seat Doppelmayr D-Line, targeting winter 2028. The AUD 35 million project will keep travel time roughly the same but lift capacity from 2,800 to 3,000 skiers per hour. It's part of a broader investment push that also includes doubled snowmaking capacity at Friday Flat for 2027, with the ageing Kosciuszko Express now flagged as the resort's next major lift replacement after Gunbarrel.
31 Aug 2026
Schweitzer Mountain Webcams
6 live angles across the mountain. Tap any camera to go full-screen.
About Schweitzer Mountain's live webcams
Check live conditions across Schweitzer Mountain with 6 real-time webcams showing snow, weather, and lift operations, updated every 10 minutes. Check high-elevation cams for powder visibility and base-area cams for crowd levels before you head up.
Camera guide
- Schweitzer Mountain Taps Deck View5,801ft
- Experience the vibrant mid-mountain atmosphere through this Schweitzer Mountain webcam positioned at Taps Deck at 1768 meters elevation. This Schweitzer live cam captures the popular gathering spot with panoramic views across Lake Pend Oreille below. Perfect for monitoring conditions and social activity, this live snow cam showcases the spectacular scenery that makes Schweitzer one of the Northwest's premier destinations in Idaho's Panhandle.
- Schweitzer Mountain Basin Express Summit6,640ft
- Monitor upper mountain terrain through this Schweitzer Mountain live cam stationed at Basin Express Summit at 2024 meters. This Schweitzer webcam provides real-time views of advanced skiing terrain and bowl access. Essential for checking visibility and snow conditions, this live snow cam reveals current conditions on the challenging slopes that make Schweitzer legendary for steep terrain and deep powder.
- Schweitzer Mountain Lakeview Triple Summit6,201ft
- Capture commanding lake vistas through this Schweitzer Mountain webcam at Lakeview Triple Summit at 1890 meters elevation. This Schweitzer live cam delivers stunning perspectives across Idaho's largest lake, Pend Oreille, stretching 43 miles below. Monitor current conditions while enjoying breathtaking scenery through this live snow cam positioned at one of skiing's most spectacular viewpoints.
- Schweitzer Mountain Colburn Triple Top6,401ft
- Track conditions at Colburn Triple through this Schweitzer Mountain live cam at 1951 meters. This Schweitzer webcam monitors one of the resort's key lifts accessing intermediate and advanced terrain. Perfect for assessing snow quality and lift operations, this live snow cam helps you navigate Schweitzer's diverse 2,900 acres of skiable terrain in Northern Idaho.
- Schweitzer Mountain Rowdy Grouse North View6,640ft
- Experience the wild north-facing terrain through this Schweitzer Mountain webcam overlooking Rowdy Grouse at 2024 meters elevation. This Schweitzer live cam captures the resort's legendary powder stashes and tree skiing zones. Essential for powder hunters, this live snow cam reveals conditions on the slopes that hold Idaho's famous dry snow longer than south-facing aspects.
- Schweitzer Mountain Outback View6,640ft
- Venture into backcountry-style terrain through this Schweitzer Mountain live cam positioned at the Outback area at 2024 meters. This Schweitzer webcam monitors the resort's most remote skiing zones and expert terrain. Monitor visibility and snow conditions through this live snow cam before exploring the challenging glades and steeps that define Schweitzer's adventurous character.
Schweitzer Mountain snow cams FAQ
How often do Schweitzer Mountain snow cams update?
All Schweitzer Mountain snow cams and webcams update every 10 minutes with fresh images showing current mountain conditions. This frequent update schedule ensures you have access to near real-time conditions for planning your ski day at Schweitzer Mountain.
Which Schweitzer Mountain webcam shows the best powder conditions?
The high-elevation Schweitzer Mountain Basin Express Summit webcam at 2,024m provides the clearest view of powder conditions and snowfall. These Schweitzer Mountain webcams capture fresh snow accumulation and visibility better than base area cameras.
Can I see Schweitzer Mountain lift queues on the webcams?
Yes. Multiple Schweitzer Mountain snow cams specifically show lift queue areas and chairlift operations, helping you time your arrival and avoid peak queue periods.
When is the best time to check Schweitzer Mountain snow cams?
Check Schweitzer Mountain webcams early morning (7-8am) for overnight snowfall assessment, and mid-afternoon for current crowd levels and weather. The live cams are most useful after storm events to assess fresh powder.
How can I check current conditions before buying Schweitzer Mountain lift tickets?
Use our Schweitzer Mountain webcams alongside the live snow report to assess conditions before purchasing lift tickets. The webcams show real-time visibility, snow quality, and operational status.
Do Schweitzer Mountain webcams work on mobile devices?
Yes. All Schweitzer Mountain snow cams and webcams are optimized for mobile viewing, so you can check live conditions from anywhere using your phone or tablet.
More Schweitzer Mountain intelligence: snow report, lift tickets, trail map, resort overview.