Get the full mountain experience
Install the free SnowStash app for real-time 49 Degrees North conditions, webcams, offline trail maps, plus track your ski days - it'll open straight to this resort.
Melbourne-based skier and snowboarder with 50+ resorts across 5 continents. Specialises in Australian resorts and international resort comparisons.
Skiing for 15 years and visited resorts in:
🇦🇺 Australia (6) • 🇺🇸 USA (15) • 🇯🇵 Japan (5) • 🇪🇺 Europe (10)
49 Degrees North's summit reaches 5,774 feet, dropping 1,850 vertical feet to a base at 3,924 feet across 89 runs spread over 2,325 acres near Chewelah, Washington. Terrain splits 40 per cent intermediate, 30 per cent beginner, 26 per cent advanced and 4 per cent expert, with average annual snowfall of roughly 229 inches. The resort carries Indy Pass affiliation. Seven lifts, including one quad chair and five triple chairs, serve the mountain alongside one surface lift.
The resort's substantial acreage relative to its lift count gives skiers plenty of room to spread out, a hallmark of eastern Washington's less crowded resorts compared with the busier Cascade mountains closer to Seattle. Its light, dry powder and extensive tree skiing have built a loyal regional following. The mountain sits within the Colville National Forest, offering a genuinely rural setting relative to Spokane, its nearest city.
Winter recreation on Chewelah Peak began in 1935 when the Forest Service issued a permit, with Cy's Hut completed the following year and a rope tow installed in 1939. A two-story Chewelah Mountain Lodge and a double chairlift followed in 1950 and 1951, driving a surge in visitors, but by 1968 the original area closed due to an obsolete chairlift and deteriorating facilities. On 6 May 1970, the newly formed Chewelah Basin Ski Corporation won approval to develop a resort in a basin roughly two miles east of the old site, opening for public use in late 1972.
The ski area filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in June 1990. Local resident John Eminger purchased the resort in June 1996 and operated it for the next 23 years, before selling in spring 2019 to CMR Lands LLC, led by Seattle-area businessman Tryg Fortun, whose group also owns Silver Mountain in Kellogg, Idaho, purchased three years earlier. Adult daily tickets run from 79 to 99 US dollars, with season passes from 699 dollars.
Total Runs
89
Total Area
2325 ac
940.9 ha
49 Degrees North runs seven lifts: one quad chair, five triple chairs and one surface lift, serving 89 runs across 2,325 acres near Chewelah. The five triple chairs form the backbone of the network, spreading skiers across the mountain's substantial acreage relative to its comparatively modest lift count.
The current lift network dates to the resort's 1972 relocation from the original, now-closed Chewelah Peak site to its present basin location roughly two miles away, when the newly formed Chewelah Basin Ski Corporation built three lifts alongside new runs and a day lodge. Ownership under John Eminger from 1996 to 2019, followed by CMR Lands LLC's 2019 purchase, has supported continued investment without dramatically altering this core layout.
The quad chair and triple chairs distribute skiers across the resort's beginner-to-advanced terrain, while the single surface lift supports learning areas near the base. There is no gondola or high-speed six-pack chair, consistent with the resort's identity as a spacious, uncrowded eastern Washington mountain rather than a high-throughput destination.
Since CMR Lands LLC's 2019 acquisition, which also brought common ownership with Silver Mountain in Idaho, investment has continued to support the existing seven-lift network. Specific recent lift replacement or expansion projects beyond this configuration are not confirmed in available resort information. The resort's Indy Pass affiliation brings additional visiting skiers to a lift network built for spacious, low-crowd skiing.
Total Lifts
7
Lift Types
3
The 2025-26 season at 49 Degrees North ran from 6 December 2025 to 13 April 2026, a roughly nineteen-week season supported by average annual snowfall of around 229 inches. This snowfall total, combined with the resort's substantial acreage, supports a comfortably long season without excessive crowding even during peak periods. Season dates can shift depending on early and late-season weather.
Midwinter, from December through February, typically brings the most consistent conditions to the resort's varied terrain. Given its location roughly 50 miles from Spokane, 49 Degrees North draws primarily from eastern Washington and the Inland Northwest rather than national destination traffic, keeping crowds notably lighter than Cascade resorts closer to Seattle.
As an Indy Pass resort, 49 Degrees North draws some visiting skiers holding that multi-resort pass in addition to its core regional base. Nordic trails are included as part of the resort's broader offering beyond alpine skiing. School holiday periods bring increased family visitation given the resort's substantial beginner and intermediate terrain.
Specific event programming beyond standard operations is not confirmed in available resort information. Since CMR Lands LLC's 2019 purchase, investment has continued to build on the foundation established during John Eminger's 23 years of ownership from 1996. The resort's spacious, uncrowded character remains its clearest point of differentiation from busier Washington resorts.
Current Season
2025 - 2026
Opening Day
12/6/2025
Closing Day
4/13/2026
Days Open
129
49 Degrees North sits in the Colville National Forest near Chewelah, Washington, with a base elevation of 3,924 feet and a summit at 5,774 feet across a 1,850-foot vertical drop over 2,325 acres. This eastern Washington location places the resort within the Selkirk Mountains, distinct from the Cascade Range that hosts most of the state's other ski areas.
Chewelah is the nearest town, offering local lodging and dining, while Spokane, roughly 50 miles to the south, provides more extensive services and supplies much of the resort's weekend visitor base. The broader Colville National Forest offers additional outdoor recreation beyond skiing throughout the year.
US Route 395 connects Spokane to Chewelah, with local roads then leading the final distance into the Colville National Forest to the resort. Winter driving conditions on these routes can include snow and ice, though the route is well used given the resort's role as the region's primary ski destination. There is no direct public transport service to the mountain.
Spokane International Airport is the nearest airport with substantial commercial service, roughly an hour's drive from the resort. This makes 49 Degrees North reasonably accessible for visitors flying into the Inland Northwest, though most skiers are regional locals driving from Spokane, Chewelah or the surrounding communities.
