Paradise in the Clouds: Schweitzer Mountain

Hi Steemians! Aside from making things, one of my other favorite past times is snowboarding! I started snowboarding when I lived in Germany. I miss the Kitzsteinhorn, and Kaprun in Austria, but I thought I would give you a short tour of our home mountain. Schweitzer Mountain is in Northern Idaho, about an hour and a half from Spokane, WA, plus the additional 20-30 minute drive up the mountain road. According to legend, Schweitzer was named after an old hermit who, after retiring from the Swiss military, took up residence at the base of the mountain. The mountain has about 2900 acres of terrain, according to the resorts website. The village has views of the entire front side of the mountain, but the back side is my favorite place to play.

In the morning, the trail I take leads directly to the bunny hill. Their bunny hill is actually quite long, so newbies have plenty of room to learn and play without worrying about experts flying by them.

This photo is taken from about the half way point, and you can't even see the end of the run! It's probably the longest bunny hill I have been on.

Except for the week of Christmas vacation and Presidents Day, there are almost never lines for the lifts.

This lift Musical Chairs takes you to the Village.

There is a hotel, condos for rent, and some people even live on the mountain year round.

In the Village there are plenty of places to grab food or a drink.

And here is your favorite Steemian on a chair lift to the top!

The Sky House is a recent addition. As beautiful as the view is, this is not my favorite place on the mountain. The food prices are astronomical and the bar area is almost always too crowded to even sit down. I will save my hard earned money for a $5 burger at the Outback (on Wednesdays) or some delicious chili-mac!

The view is worth the trip to the top:

A quick run down the ridge, through Vagabond, past Snow Ghost, and the Cedar Grove, you reach The Outback.

Snow Ghost is being replaced by a high-speed quad in the next year or two. It's a very slow chair lift, but I hate taking the cat track, so it's my preferred method to get back to the front side. The heights can be intimidating, and there is no safety bar. Pretty much just an open seat with almost no side rail.

I had to edit this picture so it can be seen better. Someone wrote HI MOM in the snow! From where I was it looked like WOW! Haha! That flat spot is actually a lake.... I know from first hand experience.

After a long day of boarding, back in the Village it's time for a beer!

I hope you enjoyed this mini tour of my favorite mountain. I know I had a blast taking all of the pictures. I hope to see some of you soon, just look for the powder blue helmet and pink lifty sticker! Don't forget to stop in to Powder Hound Pizza and get a Thor's Hammer, it's the best pizza!

Tips are appreciated!
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