Sale at Silver: Is Skiing Expansion on the Horizon?

(logo property of JELD-WEN and Silver Mountain Resort.)

With the recent news that Silver Mountain Resort owner JELD-WEN is seeking to sell its only ski resort property (along with a host of other sites), reasonable questions are being asked: does this mean that we might finally see some skiing expansion at Silver? Without question, the focus must now turn back to the mountain after years of new condominiums, a new indoor waterpark, and the nine-hole, unfinished Galena Ridge golf course. I hope to outline a few ideas that, while bold, might make Silver Mountain more competitive as a destination resort.

1. Master Plan: Create a roadmap for lift expansion. Time and time again, the greatest downfall of the resort is its outdated, inefficient lift system. Frequent closures, maintenance problems, and evacuations have in the past put the resort's safety record in question. Lift replacements would form the most important aspect of the plan.

a. replace Chair 4... and rename it. The slowest lift on the mountain, Chair 4 is also the oldest. Throw in a Doppelmayr CTEC high-speed quad, and you've got one of the inland Northwest's better terrain pods. And while paying homage to your resort's roots is a pretty sick thing to do, let's face it; "Jackass" just doesn't cut it when your resort is attempting to be more family friendly.
b. lift-served access to Wardner Peak. The resort's finest expert terrain is located in a hike-to area. And not a very difficult hike, either. Let's bring in a t-bar and start offering access to the less-adventurous.
c. replace Chair 2. Arguably the most important lift on the mountain, Chair 2 accesses the terrain park and much of the resort's available intermediate terrain. Let's replace it with a Doppelmayr CTEC high-speed quad and extend it down the mountain about 500 linear feet. This will allow for a more important amenity...
d. add a secondary access point. While the idea was thrown around in the early 2000s, it never came to fruition. In order for Silver Mountain Resort to be viable as a destination alternative, it must add a secondary access point in the Alhambra Basin. This will allow for increased ski days, dramatically increased vertical drop, increased acreage, and the possibility of a second base area village. I would recommend a Doppelmayr CTEC high-speed six-pack due to the heavier chairs (allowing for operation in higher winds) and overall higher capacity that will be necessary on days when the Gondola is closed.
e. revamp the first access point. The new haul rope is a good first step. Now I want to see completely new Doppelmayr CTEC cabins and at least $2 million in refurbishing work. Let's get the gondola up to standard for the next ten to fifteen years.

2. Master Plan: On-Mountain Services. Silver is currently lacking in quality on-mountain food and beverage services and other amenities. Create a plan to manage future growth.

a. remodel/replace the Mountain Haus. It's a Silver Mountain fixture. But it's become old, outdated, and simply too small. Add a two- or three-story lodge housing skier services, food and beverage services, ski patrol, and the mountain learning center. Create a more efficient lunch experience with a wider variety of options and flavors.
b. add a mid-mountain lodge. Somewhere in the Chair 4 basin would be ideal--for example, at the base of the above-proposed Wardner Express high-speed quad.

3. Master Plan: Operations. Silver Mountain Resort needs to be open seven days per week. In addition, keep Silver Saturdays in place as they bring in a wide regional clientele.

4. Master Plan: Re-grading. The resort should explore removal of cat-tracks and old logging roads in order to create a more consistent fall line. This will keep the skier entertained instead of constantly skating on flat surfaces.

5. Marketing. So you have a resort, but you don't market it at all? No wonder you're being sold. Market, market, market! At least try to compete. Release a provocative advertisement slamming one of the other local resorts. Or focus on the genuine nature of Silver's vibe. Something. Anything.

a. Name Change? Hate to say it, but "Silver Mountain" is perhaps the most generic and oft-used moniker in the ski industry. Perhaps change it to something more local and unique. "Kellogg Peak Mountain Resort" sounds enticing.

More to come soon...

Snow Returns at Schweitzer Mountain Resort

The snow is back at Schweitzer Mountain Resort. Stay tuned to this page over then next couple days (Sunday and Monday) as Schweitzer receives what should be its first significant snowfall of the season. Think snow!

UPDATE x2: Construction Back Underway at Schweitzer Mountain Resort?

(photo courtesy of Schweitzer Mountain Resort)

Is construction back underway at Schweitzer Mountain Resort? This photo, released today, makes it clear that something is going on at the resort. With the economy beginning to recover, is it really time for Schweitzer to ramp up construction in anticipation of an upswing in sales? Our guess is, second home sales will continue to decline through the end of this year and well into next. Why then, is so much going on up on the mountain? Perhaps the caption will draw some attention: "the future home of Mountainside at Schweitzer." Ah, that's it.

What is this "Mountainside at Schweitzer?" We'll be honest; we have no idea -- our only guess is some sort of destination club/members-only lodge. Perhaps it's the "added amenity" for buyers at Trapper's Creek -- we don't know. Of course, this is purely speculation. Perhaps SMR could be a little more open and transparent about all of this so that we don't have to guess what this means?

UPDATE: Schweitzer has clarified what's going on in their re-written caption for the picture, "construction continues at Trapper's Creek." It seems we're just seeing the development (possibly) finally come to fruition. Still, it seems foolish to keep building in this economy.

UPDATE x2: Fractional Life has this story for us, which clarifies what exactly is going on at the resort:

Developer Schweitzer Mountain has begun construction on four luxury residences at Trappers Creek, the ski-in/ski-out neighborhood located above the Schweitzer Village in North Idaho. Three of the properties will be the first to be sold on a fractional basis in the area.

The design of the units has been described as "rustic contemporary" or "modern mountain", with a balance of wood and stone, large balconies to enjoy the summer, and orientations that will maximize views of Lake Pend Oreille. The full ownership home will be approximately 3,400 square feet, while the three fractional ownership units will each have three bedrooms and a footprint of around 2,400 square feet.

Buyers will be offered 1/8 shares in the units, and will benefit from as yet unspecified club amenities. Michael Burns, an experienced fractional ownership consultant has been working with Schweitzer's ownership to develop the concept.

Schweitzer aims to begin sales around Christmas 2009, with the first unit fast-tracked and ready for occupancy as soon as February 15, 2010. The other units would then be completed near the end of the upcoming ski season and ready to close by late Spring 2010.

The Case for a Larger Regional Snow Show in Spokane

Spokane's "Ski the Northwest Rockies" Snow Show is a great event. It brings together legions of local skiers and acts as a great kickoff to the ski season. If offers a great place to go pick up your season pass or just wander around looking for free swag. But that's not to say it cannot be improved.

The one-day event only showcases a small portion of the vast skiing and snowboarding industry. Significantly, it never completely fills up with exhibitors. And it takes place in one of the smaller Spokane Convention Center ballrooms -- the smallest venue it has ever been located in. It may be a great local show, but by no means does it compare to the SIA Snow Show in Las Vegas (next year in Denver). But it will never be that size. But it is a reasonable goal to shoot for a ski show the size of Seattle's SkiFever Snow Show.

It's time to improve the Spokane Snow Show for the greater Spokane region. We've got five great ski resorts, including one world-class one -- Schweitzer, two regional-class ones -- Silver and 49, and two smaller local ones -- Mt. Spokane and Lookout. The Spokane region has roughly 80,000-120,000 unique skiers. However, a good ski show would draw skiers from as far away as Seattle, Missoula and Boise -- but only if it promised to be good enough.

In order to increase the amount of exhibitors, we'll need to move the Snow Show into a new location. The ideal choice would be the Spokane Convention Center downtown -- the old one. This way it is close to the INB Performing Arts Center for movie premieres. Plenty of space and room for growth.

The second thing on the list would be to actually add exhibitors. In order to reach the most potential skiers, you would have to include a wide variety of exhibitors. For best results, INSA should focus on reaching the following exhibitors:

• LINE Skis
• K2 Skis/Snowboard/Telemark
• Armada Skis
• 4FRNT Skis
• 686
• Atomic
• Billabong USA
• Bern Helmets
• Bolle
• Smith Optics
• Bonfire Snowboarding
• Burton
• Marker
• Salomon
• Patagonia
• O'Neill
• Quiksilver
• Ride Snowboards
• Scott USA
• Sessions
• Skullcandy
• Spy Optic
• The North Face

While not all of these manufacturers will sign on, many will if the Snow Show is correctly marketed.

In addition to ski/board manufacturers, INSA should also look at attracting new resorts to the Snow Show. Resorts should be within the immediate area -- Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, etc.

• Whitefish Mountain Resort
• Crystal Mountain Resort
• Stevens Pass
• Mt. Bachelor
• White Pass Mountain Resort
• Willamette Pass Mountain Resort
• Tamarack Resort*
• Big Sky
• etc.

Now, the final step will be to move the dates for the show back slightly. For 2009, my recommendation would be to hold the show November 13-15.

Finally, what do we charge people to get into the show? Considering factors such as the venue, the potential exhibitors, etc., a cost of $20 would not be unreasonable. Sponsorships (including title sponsorships) could defray much of the cost and bring it down to roughly $10.

Of course, that's if it happens; this is simply a wishlist for an improved Spokane Snow Show.

Where is the Freestyle Instruction? How to Introduce Schweitzer to the Freeskiing Environment -- Open Letter #2 to Schweitzer CEO Tom Chasse

Whatever happened to freestyle instruction at Schweitzer Mountain
Resort? The Open Session -- a weekly, "open" series of instruction
sessions geared toward teen riders -- is gone. The Freeride Institute
-- a three day series of freestyle instruction sessions featuring pro
and sponsored coaches -- is gone. Meanwhile the realm of freestyle
skiing and snowboarding continues to progress at rates hitherto unseen
in the entire ski industry. The park at Schweitzer remains, largely
unchanged, but where has all the freestyle instruction gone? This is
an open letter to Schweitzer President and CEO Tom Chasse outlining a
possible new program (or set of programs) that would place Schweitzer
as an innovator within the ski industry and the action sports industry
as a whole.

STEP ONE: Create a resort account on Newschoolers (newschoolers.com).
This would help to reach potential new freeskier customers. And as
much as I hate to say it, Schweitzer's park has a very bad reputation
on NS. It couldn't hurt to clear that up.

STEP TWO: Reopen the ref•uge. It shouldn't be too hard -- you should
still have signs and everything. My advice?Use the Bark Beetle Room.
Sure, it may not have gone too well the first time. But this time, try
to actually market it. You know, get the people in there. The ref•uge
is really important to the next step: the actual instruction.

STEP THREE: Schweitzer Freestyle Camp would be an ten week, fully
immersive freestyle instruction on Saturdays and Sundays from Januray
to March. The final week, the rider would compete in the Stomp Games
alongside members of his/her own group.

In addition to being supported by Schweitzer, sponsors could offset
part of the cost both to the resort and to the rider. Such
sponsorships should include rider-favorite companies, such as:

*K2 Factory Team Skis
*Line Skis
*Full Tilt Boots
*Salomon
*Saga Outerwear
*Sessions
*EC Headwear
*Smith Optics
*Oakley
*Spy Optics
*Skullcandy
*Bonfire
*Voleurz
*Freeskier Magazine
*Newschoolers
*Burton

And, what would a ski camp be without a headlining sponsor? In comes
the Schweitzer Freestyle Camp sponsored by the Sports Creel.

So, how would this supposed freeskiing/snowboarding camp be organized?
The concept would be similar to Windells in Oregon and Momentum in
Whistler. That is, you are divided into groups according to age and
ability level: beginner, intermediate, and advanced. Note that these
are not skier ability level descriptions; they are unique to park
skiing. That means that a skier could be an expert skier but an
intermediate at park skiing.

In order to make sure the riders get a quality coaching experience,
Schweitzer would bring in pros and top freestyle skiers from around
the area (and beyond) to coach the riders. To further ensure the best
coaching possible, video review would be employed.

Camp Orientation would take place the Saturday before the start of
Camp in the Caribou Room at the Lakeview. This would include the
basics of the camp session, meeting with coaches, as well as an on-
snow element that assesses a rider's ability level. According to that
level, riders would be put in groups. After a meet-your-group/meet-
your-coach session, orientation would close.

A typical Camp Saturday would look like this:

8:00-8:45 - Breakfast on the mountain. In the Lakeview, featuring the
classics that are already offered.

8:30 - Why not? Give riders first chair to get ready for the day. By
the way, on powder days, riders wouldn't necessarily be in the park
right away. Powder mornings/Park afternoons will be a virtue unless it
is dumping.

8:30-2:30 - Coaching.

11:00-1:00 - Lunch. It would be the group's discretion on when to eat.
Many options would be available for lunches. The best option would
probably to have the Alpenglow Deli (or Schweitzer) set up a camp tent
in the park for self-serve sandwiches and snacks. The other options
would include Thor's Pizza or an employee discount on food at the
Lakeview.

2:30-4 - Open Skiing. You're free to go anywhere on the mountain.

4:15-5:30 - Video review with coaches. This would take place in the
ref•uge or other spots around Schweitzer Village.

5:30-8 - Open skiing. This time, though, you're back in the park under
the lights with the coaches. No filmers would be available during the
night session.

5:30-?? - Open activities from Xbox in the ref•uge to tubing,
snowskating, airboarding, etc. As well as free weekly only-for-campers
activities put on by sponsors with prizes, swag, etc.

Dinner would not be provided, though breakfast and lunch would. This
is to accomodate for families staying on the mountain.

Here are some additional tips that would make the program even more
sick:

*Invite Will & Andy from Line's Traveling Circus out for a weekend to
ski and film an episode. This would be valuable to campers and to
others in that the series has a huge following online and you'd get
quite a bit of prime exposure.

*Keep the environment super chill. It needs to be laid-back and
relatively calm in order for riders to progress.

*Comps are great ways for riders to compete, but they are also a way
for riders to meet other riders. Embrace both aspects of them.

So, what do we price this at? You get 20 days total of coaching with
video review and free entry into the Stomp Gamps. You get breakfasts
and lunches, as well as activities like snowskating, tubing, and
sponsor activities. Considering the prices of various other summer ski
camps that provide more activities and lodging, but last only a week,
it is not unreasonable to price the Schweitzer Freestyle Camp at about
$1199. This would include a junior season pass valid for the entire
winter season.

In conclusion, I have laid before you an interesting program idea that
needs to be discussed at Schweitzer. In the absence of other quality
freestyle instruction programs in the area, this could be a boon for
Schweitzer. It would draw in money not just from the local area, but
also as far away as Seattle, Missoula and Boise. And it might just put
Idaho skiing on the map once and for all.

The Saga Continues: What's Going on at Tamarack Resort?

(logo is the exclusive property of Tamarack Resort, Inc.)

To those of you who don't know, Tamarack Resort is a ski resort in central Idaho, about 90 miles north of Boise. This is not a small mom-and-pop ski area either -- the resort has seven chairlifts, including two high-speed detachable quads. They have 1,100 acres of terrain -- which is comparable in size to Aspen, Colorado. And that wasn't all; the resort also has an 18-hole Trent Jones golf course and literally an entire village that's nearly complete, wrapped in Tyvek. You may recall that when Tamarack opened in 2004 in was described as "the new destination resort in North America in twenty years." Unfortunately things have only gone downhill. The resort closed last March when receivers ran out of money to operate the resort. It's now in $300 million worth of debt. Now it's just sitting there, empty (aside for a small maintenance staff), waiting for a "white knight" to come in and save the day.

Today lenders pushed back a hearing (which, in part, is about the need for cash from lenders to flow to the resort) until tomorrow. Lenders, led by Credit Suisse (the Swiss bank that is attributed with Yellowstone Club's bankruptcy), will have to decide whether to allow $195,000 worth of insurance payments to be paid. If an agreement to fund the resort cannot be reach, the court will begin to transfer control of the resort back to the owners, including Jean-Pierre Boespflug.

What's interesting, however, is the fact that two primary potential bidders have now emerged as candidates to buy the place out of bankruptcy. Starwood Capital bought the majority stake in Mammoth Mountain, CA in 2005 for $365 million. Apollo Investments owns AMC Entertainment, Harrah's, Norwegian Cruise Line, and Coldwell Banker/Century 21 Realty. Apollo also owned/invested in Vail Resorts in the 1990s. Their ownership really molded Vail Associates into the company that it is today.

So while the saga continues, it looks like there might be a light at the end of the tunnel for Tamarack Resort. We'll keep you posted on this developing story.

UPDATE #1: The judge has approved funding for Tamarack Resort's receivers through June 21 -- this Sunday. A $35,000 liability insurance bill was paid, but a $160,000 property tax bill was not.

UPDATE #2: Tamarack Resort's owner, Jean-Pierre Boespflug was quoted in an interview yesterday as saying that three serious buyout offers are on the table for the resort. A deal is, according to KTVB-TV, "imminent."

The Best Resort in the State of Michigan...

(image Copyright 2009 - Mt. Bohemia Ski Area)

...has a 900 foot vertical drop and two chairlifts. But to take that information at first glance would be an insult. Mt. Bohemia, located in the Keweenaw of Michigan, gets 273 inches per year. They have 71 runs of inbounds backcountry terrain. And its terrain is easily comparable to that of larger, Western resorts. BACKCOUNTRY TERRAIN. IN MICHIGAN.

Mt. Bohemia is not for beginners. They even have a clear and obvious "WARNING" on their website. They do not groom their runs. But what they have chosen to do, they excel at. Just take a look at reviews of Mt. Bohemia and you get the idea. Watch the video and for more information, check out mtbohemia.com.

Latest Updates via Twitter

Check out Twitter.com for the latest in the digital revolution. If you didn't know already, skiSchweitzer has joined the club and started an very active Twitter account. We're already at almost 100 followers. Help us reach that goal by following us at twitter.com/skischweitzer.

Help with the 2010 stoked4snow Resort Awards

It's that time again. Please take the time to fill out this form to state your top picks for "best ski resort in North America." Try to keep it objective and unbiased, but have fun with it. It's time. Your picks are waiting.

Skiing, Golfing, Boating, Oh My! skiSchweitzer's Got You Covered This Memorial Day Weekend - Day One

There's a lot of things you could be doing this Memorial Day Weekend. But if you're like most people in the Inland Northwest, you're probably planning on golfing, barbecuing, and/or spending a day out on Lake Coeur d'Alene. If you want to do something really fun, however, why not try doing all this and more in one weekend?

Saturday, May 23, 2009

6:30 AM: You're going to get an early start, or you're going to be out of luck. Spokanites and Sandpoint-residents will want to get up early and be out the door no later than 6:30. Coeur d'Alene residents can probably sleep in until about 7. You're starting your weekend off right with Silver Mountain -- just make sure you pack shorts and a t-shirt. Silver (silvermt.com) will open 17 runs and two chairlifts at 7:30, so you want to be prompt. Once you arrive, grab your gear and pick up a breakfast burrito in the Gondola Village.

7:30 AM: Get in the Gondola. Now. WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? pie Skiing awaits, and it's twenty minutes up the mountain.

2:30 PM: Stop skiing. No, it's not that you want to, but the mountain will close at 2:30 to preserve snow for skiers on Sunday. Go down the gondola, get in your car and start driving toward Coeur d'Alene.

3:25 PM: Hopefully you skipped lunch, because you're going to the best hamburgers in the Inland Northwest at Hudson's (207 E Sherman, CDA). Grab a bite and walk around the town as you wait for your tee time at Trailhead in Liberty Lake. You'll be back soon enough.

4:30 PM: Arrive at Trailhead (located here and actually near the site of a lost ski resort, by the way) with your clubs ready. Play nine holes, then drive home to Spokane, or wherever (sorry people of Idaho and elsewhere, but most readers live here).

8:00 PM: Barbecue at your home in Spokane, or wherever. Mmm, burgers, fries, and potato salad. What's not to love?