SnowStash
ForecastsCompareNews
SnowStash Logo

Live snow, webcams and expert resort guides for the world's mountains - plan your next day on snow.

hello@snowstash.com
Download on the App Store

Destinations

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • Europe
  • Japan
  • New Zealand
  • United States

Company

  • About Us
  • Work With Us
  • Privacy Policy

Explore

  • Compare Resorts
  • News & Updates
  • Snow Forecast
  • Mobile App

© 2026 SnowStash. All rights reserved.

    Washington, Usa

    Mt Spokane

    1,704 acres, 55 runs inside Mount Spokane State Park. Home of the world's first double chairlift.

    Season 2025 - 2026
    Opens
    6 Dec 2025
    Closes
    5 Apr 2026
    Days open
    120
    Annual snow
    19ft
    The Overview
    MF
    Michael Fulton
    Melbourne-based skier and snowboarder with 50+ resorts across 5 continents. Specialises in Australian resorts and international resort comparisons.

    Mt Spokane's summit reaches 5,889 feet, dropping 1,690 vertical feet to a base at 4,199 feet across 55 runs spread over 1,704 acres within Mount Spokane State Park, Washington. Terrain splits 42 per cent advanced, 33 per cent intermediate, 22 per cent beginner and 3 per cent expert, with average annual snowfall of roughly 230 inches. The resort operates independently without major multi-resort pass affiliation. Seven lifts, including five double chairs and one quad chair, serve the mountain alongside one surface lift.

    Mt Spokane sits within Washington's largest state park, a distinction that shapes both its operations and its identity as Spokane's hometown mountain. The ski area carries a genuine claim to lift history: a Riblet Tramway Company installation using a converted mining ore tramway in 1946 is cited as the birthplace of the world's first double chairlift. Extensive night skiing across the mountain's five distinct terrain areas remains central to its appeal for the nearby Spokane population.

    The mountain, previously known as Mount Baldy and Mount Carlton, took its current name in 1912 after businessman Francis H. Cook purchased the summit in 1909 and began building a road to the top. Mount Spokane State Park was officially dedicated in 1927 with 1,500 acres, becoming the first state park established east of the Cascades. The Spokane Ski Club formed in December 1931 under the leadership of Cheney Cowles, building a log clubhouse and installing rope tows, jump hills and night-skiing lights.

    Through the 1930s, the Spokane Ski Club, the Selkirk Ski Club and the Spokane Mountaineers together purchased more than 500 acres for lodges, tows and jump hills, while a Civilian Conservation Corps camp established in 1934 built trails, shelters and roads. The historic Vista House, built from native granite as an emergency relief project in 1933, still stands at the summit today. Adult daily tickets run from 55 to 75 US dollars, with a season pass at 479 dollars.

    1,690ft
    Vertical
    55
    Runs
    1,704 acres
    Skiable
    19ft
    Annual snow
    The Terrain

    55 runs across 1,704 acres skiable

    Mt Spokane spreads 55 runs across 1,704 acres skiable of terrain. It leans advanced at 42%, with 12 beginner runs to find your feet and 25 advanced or expert runs when you want to push.

    Terrain split
    55
    runs
    55 runs across 4 grades
    Beginner12 runs · 22%
    Intermediate18 runs · 33%
    Advanced23 runs · 42%
    Expert2 runs · 3%
    Time it right

    When to visit Mt Spokane

    The 2025-26 season at Mt Spokane ran from 6 December 2025 to 5 April 2026, a roughly seventeen-week season supported by average annual snowfall of around 230 inches. This snowfall total supports reliable conditions across the mountain's five distinct terrain areas throughout the season. Season dates can shift depending on early and late-season weather.

    Midwinter, from December through February, typically brings the most consistent conditions to the mountain's advanced-weighted terrain. Night skiing is a defining seasonal feature, extending the useful ski day for Spokane-area residents well beyond daylight hours, consistent with the mountain's identity as the city's hometown ski area. Weekday evenings see strong local demand alongside typical weekend patterns.

    As an independently operated resort without major pass affiliation, Mt Spokane draws primarily from the Spokane metropolitan area and the broader Inland Northwest rather than national destination traffic. School holiday periods bring increased family visitation given the resort's substantial beginner and intermediate terrain. The mountain's setting within Washington's largest state park adds a distinct four-season recreational dimension beyond winter skiing alone.

    Specific event programming beyond standard operations and night skiing is not confirmed in available resort information. The historic Vista House, built in 1933, remains a fixture at the summit throughout the season, connecting today's skiers to the mountain's Depression-era development. Mt Spokane's century-long history as a community-built ski area continues to shape its accessible, locally focused character each winter.

    Season 2025 - 2026
    6 Dec 2025
    Opens
    5 Apr 2026
    Closes
    120
    Days open
    19 ft
    Annual snow
    Getting there

    Getting to Mt Spokane, and where to stay

    Mt Spokane sits within Mount Spokane State Park in eastern Washington, with a base elevation of 4,199 feet and a summit at 5,889 feet across a 1,690-foot vertical drop over 1,704 acres of skiable terrain within the park's much larger overall footprint. This makes the resort one of relatively few US ski areas operating inside a state park rather than on Forest Service or private land.

    Spokane, Washington's second-largest city, lies a short drive from the mountain and provides the resort's primary lodging, dining and visitor base, with the ski area functioning as the city's genuine local mountain. The broader Selkirk Mountains region offers additional recreation within the state park beyond winter sports, including extensive summer hiking and mountain biking.

    Local roads connect Spokane directly to Mount Spokane State Park, with the drive typically taking under an hour depending on the starting point within the metropolitan area. Winter driving conditions on the approach can include snow and ice, though the well-travelled route reflects the mountain's role as Spokane's primary local ski destination. There is no direct public transport service to the resort.

    Spokane International Airport is the nearest airport with substantial commercial service, making Mt Spokane one of the more accessible ski areas covered here for fly-in visitors. Most visitors, however, are Spokane-area locals driving up for day trips or evening night-skiing sessions rather than fly-in destination travellers.

    Where to stay

    Search all stays →

    Hotels and lodges near Mt Spokane, powered by Stay22.

    Latest News

    From the SnowStash desk

    View all news →
    Aerial Tram Collides With Crane at Alpe d'Huez: 23 Injured

    Aerial Tram Collides With Crane at Alpe d'Huez: 23 Injured

    An aerial tram carrying around fifty passengers struck the boom of a construction crane on the route to Pic Blanc at Alpe d'Huez on Wednesday morning, injuring 23 people, three seriously. The cabin tipped on impact before the operator reversed it to right the car. Most of the injured were treated on site, with five taken to hospital in Grenoble, including a pregnant woman assessed as a precaution.

    28 Aug 2026
    Why Glaciers Are Collapsing - And What Happens When They Do

    Why Glaciers Are Collapsing - And What Happens When They Do

    A deadly flood on the Nepal-China border, a decade-old tragedy on Italy's Marmolada, and an unstable glacier right now above a village near Zermatt - three very different mountain ranges, the same underlying story. Warming ice is destabilising terrain that was considered settled for generations, and the results range from catastrophic floods to slow-motion monitoring situations that could go either way.

    27 Aug 2026
    Pitztal Glacier Set to Reopen for the 2026/27 Ski Season on 26 September

    Pitztal Glacier Set to Reopen for the 2026/27 Ski Season on 26 September

    Tyrol's highest ski area is gearing up to open a full month ahead of most of the Alps. The Pitztal Glacier is scheduled to start its 2026/27 season on Saturday 26 September, running through to 2 May 2027, with the lower-altitude Rifflsee area following in December. High-altitude terrain up to 3,440 metres gives the glacier a head start on snow, though as always, the actual opening extent will depend on how September's weather plays out. Early online ski pass bookings can save up to 30%.

    26 Aug 2026
    Unstable Glacier Above Randa Puts Zermatt-Area Village on Alert

    Unstable Glacier Above Randa Puts Zermatt-Area Village on Alert

    A hanging glacier above the Swiss village of Randa, just south of Zermatt, has been shedding large chunks of ice for weeks, with authorities warning more break-offs are likely. A danger zone has been closed off since June, though officials say the village's 479 residents aren't at risk. It's a familiar pattern for this glacier - it's done this before, in 1819, 1972 and 1973 - but a reminder of how closely Alpine authorities now watch terrain once considered stable.

    26 Aug 2026
    Thredbo Is 'On the Table' as EVT Reviews Its Whole Business

    Thredbo Is 'On the Table' as EVT Reviews Its Whole Business

    Thredbo is officially 'on the table.' EVT Limited, owner of Australia's most decorated ski resort, has hired Rothschild & Co to review its entire corporate structure - and confirmed Thredbo isn't off limits, even as it books a stronger year of earnings. The resort's own valuation has nearly halved after a brutal 2026 season, and speculation is already running toward Vail Resorts, Alterra, or a New Zealand operator picking it up. Here's what EVT actually said, and who could buy it.

    25 Aug 2026
    Ski-E-O! Is the Ski Resort Tycoon Game We Didn't Know We Needed

    Ski-E-O! Is the Ski Resort Tycoon Game We Didn't Know We Needed

    I'm not a gamer. I'm a skier and snowboarder who happens to have a laptop. So when a ski resort management game called Ski-E-O! landed on Steam, I wasn't expecting to lose an afternoon to it - but here we are. Real mountain terrain, a full weather system, storms that roll in and wreck your snow base, avalanche danger, and enough depth to make RollerCoaster Tycoon feel simple by comparison. Early access lands in November. Here's what a few hours in the free demo actually looks like.

    23 Aug 2026
    Sugar Bowl, California, Rebuilds Its Historic Village Gondola

    Sugar Bowl, California, Rebuilds Its Historic Village Gondola

    The rumours are true: Sugar Bowl is tearing out its Emerald gondola, in place since 1983, and replacing it with a new 8-person Doppelmayr system - nearly doubling uphill capacity to 1,800 people an hour. It's the fourth generation of a gondola line that dates back to 1953, when Sugar Bowl became the first resort on the West Coast to run one at all, and it's just one piece of a $100 million overhaul touching lodges, parking and snowmaking. Here's what's changing, and what's staying the same.

    23 Aug 2026
    Two Confirmed Dead as Search Continues After Swiss Alps Fire

    Two Confirmed Dead as Search Continues After Swiss Alps Fire

    The death toll from Thursday night's fire at Restaurant Beverin in Thusis, Switzerland, has begun to firm up. One Swiss outlet, citing Graubünden Cantonal Police, reports that two of the five people initially reported missing have now been confirmed dead, leaving three unaccounted for. The building's collapsed stairwell and structural instability have slowed recovery efforts throughout. Here's what's changed since the fire broke out, and what's still unconfirmed.

    22 Aug 2026

    Lift system

    Mt Spokane runs seven lifts: five double chairs and one quad chair, serving 55 runs across 1,704 acres, alongside one surface lift. This lift network carries genuine historical weight: a 1946 installation by the Riblet Tramway Company, using a converted mining ore tramway, is cited as the world's first double chairlift.

    The lift network has grown substantially since the Spokane Ski Club's original rope tows installed in the early 1930s, through the Civilian Conservation Corps-era infrastructure built in the mid-1930s, and into the current mix of five double chairs and a quad chair operating today. This nearly century-long development reflects continuous community investment in the mountain since its earliest organised skiing.

    The five double chairs and single quad chair distribute skiers across the mountain's five distinct terrain areas, while the surface lift supports beginner and learning zones near the base. Extensive lighting across much of this network supports the resort's substantial night-skiing operation, a defining feature for Spokane-area visitors.

    Specific recent lift replacement or expansion projects beyond the current seven-lift network are not confirmed in available resort information. As a ski area operating within Washington's largest state park, lift investment decisions occur within the framework of state park management alongside standard ski area operations. The mountain's status as home to a world-first double chairlift installation remains a notable point of pride in its lift history.

    7lifts across 3 types
    1
    Quad Chair
    5
    Double Chairs
    1
    Surface Lift

    Mt Spokane lift system

    Mt Spokane is served by 7 lifts, listed here by type. Check which lifts are turning against the live conditions before you plan your first laps - early lifts and high-speed chairs get you to the best snow fastest.

    More Mt Spokane intelligence: trail map, snow report, webcams, resort overview.