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Schweitzer Mountain Resort Reviews

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Visitor reviews for Schweitzer Mountain Ski Resort

Schweitzer Mountain Ratings

Overall: 3.7. Based on 12 votes and 9 reviews. Vote

Snowsure: 3.8

(1) Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing, (2) is often closed due to a lack of snow, (3) occasionally suffers from a lack of snow, (4) rarely suffers from a lack of snow, (5) Schweitzer Mountain is snowsure even in the poorest seasons.

Variety of pistes: 4.4

(1) The ski runs are featureless and unvaried, (3) the ski runs are varied but not extensive enough for a week, (5) Schweitzer Mountain has diverse and interesting pistes including forests and high alpine terrain.

Off-piste: 3.7

(1) No off-piste worth mentioning, (2) off piste is out-of-bounds, (3) some varied offpiste that stays fresh for one or two days, (5) a vast array of off-piste routes that can stay untracked for several days.

Scenery: 4.1

(1) An ugly resort in a bland setting, (3) average mountain views and resort, (5) a spectacular setting and a beautiful / historic resort town.

Access: 3.5

(1) At least one overnight stop, (2) requires a whole day, (3) requires more than half a day – you may have time for a few turns (4) arrive by lunchtime and ski all afternoon, (5) there is a main airport within an hour of Schweitzer Mountain.

Public Transport: 3.4

(1) There are no buses or taxis to Schweitzer Mountain, (3) there are slow or infrequent buses / trains available, (5) getting to the resort is easy with frequent bus / train connections.

Accommodation: 3.8

(1) No places to stay in/near Schweitzer Mountain, (3) a few places to stay in the resort, (5) a wide variety of accommodation suitable to suit all budgets.

Cheap Rooms: 3.0

(1) No budget accommodation available, (3) just one or two hostels so book ahead, (5) several cheap hostels and pensions available.

Luxury Hotels: 3.7

(1) No luxury accommodation available, (3) just one or two luxury hotels so book ahead, (5) several up-market hotels in Schweitzer Mountain.

Ski in/Ski out: 4.2

(1) The ski area is located far from any accommodation, (3) a free ski bus takes you to the ski area in a short trip, (5) Ski-in ski-out accommodation is available.

Childcare: 3.7

(1) There are no child care facilities at Schweitzer Mountain, (5) the resort has excellent child-care facilities including at least one reasonably priced creche.

Snowmaking: 2.9

(1) Schweitzer Mountain relies entirely on natural snow, (3) there are just a few snow cannons, (5) there are snowmaking facilities on all pistes.

Snow Grooming: 4.2

(1) There are no snow groomers at Schweitzer Mountain, (3) occasionally some pistes are left ungroomed and in a poor state, (5) all the runs at Schweitzer Mountain are groomed daily.

Shelter: 3.4

(1) there is nowhere to ski when it is windy or visibility is bad and lifts often shut, (3) there are some trees for poor visibility but main lifts sometimes close, (5) Schweitzer Mountain is mostly in forest where you can ski in flat-light and windy days, lifts rarely close.

Nearby options: 3.4

(1) If snow conditions are poor at Schweitzer Mountain, it will be poor everywhere nearby, (3) there are good alternatives within an hours drive, (5) other locations on the same lift pass provide a rich variety of snowsure ski conditions.

Regional rating: 4.0

(1) Schweitzer Mountain usually has poor snow conditions compared to other resorts in region, (3) has average conditions for the region, (5) usually has the best snow conditions in the region.

Lift Staff: 4.2

(1) The staff at Schweitzer Mountain are rude or unhelpful, (5) lift staff at Schweitzer Mountain are pleasant, cheerful and eager to help.

Crowds/Queues: 4.0

(1) the resort is always busy and there are usually long lift queues, (3) it is quiet apart from occasional weekends and school holidays, (5) it is uncrowded and lift queues are very rare.

Ski Schools: 3.9

(1) No ski schools available, (2) one or two ski schools but local language only, (3) a few ski schools but book early for multi-lingual instructors, (4) plenty of ski schools and multi-lingual instructors available, (5) excellent ski schools with friendly multi-lingual ski instructors.

Hire and Repairs: 4.2

(1) Nothing can be sourced, not even ski-wax or ptex. (3) there are some ski shops but rentals need to be booked in advance, (5) good quality ski equipment can be purchased or hired and overnight repairs are possible.

Beginners: 4.0

(1) Beginners can only watch others ski and snowboard, (3) a few gentle slopes but beginners will get bored in less than a week, (3) Vast areas of gentle terrain.

Intermediates: 4.5

(1) No intermediate terrain at Schweitzer Mountain, (3) intermediate skiers will get bored after a few days, (5) vast areas of cruising runs.

Advanced: 4.3

(1) Nothing for advanced skiers and snowboarders, (3) enough steep terrain for a few days with some good offpiste, (5) Enough steep terrain and offpiste areas to entertain advanced skiers for at least a week.

Snow Park: 3.7

(1) Not even a kicker at Schweitzer Mountain, (3) average sized park quite well looked after, (5) huge park area and expertly crafted pipes, jumps and boardercross trails.

Cross-country: 4.5

(1) There is nowhere to go for cross-country skiing around Schweitzer Mountain, (3) there are some cross country trails available, (5) the area features many spectacular and well maintained cross-country trails.

Luge/Toboggan: 1.7

(1) No designated luge or toboggan runs, (3) there are toboggan runs that open quite often, (5) Schweitzer Mountain has long and well maintained luge / toboggan facilities suitable for all ages.

Mountain Dining: 3.5

(1) Nowhere to buy food by the pistes, (3) some places to eat up on the mountain but they are often busy and expensive, (5) there is a variety of excellent mountain eateries right next to the slopes to suit all budgets.

Eating: 3.7

(1) Bring your own food, there isn't even a shop. (5) A wide variety of places to eat and drink in the resort, from fast food to fancy restaurants.

Apres-Ski: 3.2

(1) Nothing to do, not even a bar, (3) there are a few bars in the resort but nothing special, (5) clubs and bars stay open until very late and have a friendly atmosphere.

Other Sports: 2.5

(1) No sports facilities at all apart from ski lifts, (3) resort has just a small public swimming pool, (5) resort has all kinds of sports facilities, including a full-size swimming pool.

Entertainment: 2.9

(1) Besides the snow and walking there is nothing to do here, (3) the non-skier will find things to do for few days but may become bored after a week, (5) the resort area is a fascinating place to visit, regardless of winter sports.

Winter Walks: 3.6

(1) Very limited walking and no snowshoe trails, (3) a couple of designated scenic walking/snowshoe trails, (5) extensive and diverse winter walking trails for all abilities.

Ski Pass Value: 3.5

(1) A 1 week ski pass is overpriced compared to the number of lifts available, (3) the ski pass is averagely priced and covers a reasonable number of lifts, (5) ski passes are excellent value for money and cover a lot of lifts spanning a big area.

Value (National): 3.8

(1) Overall, Schweitzer Mountain is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the country and not worth the money, (3) overall represents average value for money, (5) overall offers the best value resort in the country.

Value (Global): 3.9

(1) Overall, Schweitzer Mountain is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the world, (3) overall it offers pretty average value for money compared to resorts from other countries, (5) internationally the resort offers excellent value for money.

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February 14, 2013
Scott H from Ski United States United States
I love the skiing here but the customer service is horrible. We go to Schweitzer every year and usually have a great time. Last year we went and got fogged out so we received 4 snow-check tickets. We can back this year same weekend and they were expired by 1 day. Asked for a graced period and talked to the customer service manager, Tamiera. She would not give us an extension. Will not be going back.
March 15, 2013
Johnny reality from Ski United States United States
Fun ski hill but the management is largely clueless. They took down their outside deck and instead have a really lame patio that is one story below the bar. I agree, customer service is not their forte and the rooms are incredibly overpriced for what you get which is motel 6 quality for 5 x the price. Staying in town is a much better option.
January 16, 2015
Richard from Ski United States United States
The snow reports do not reflect the reality. They are always trying to sell the resort; not honest at all!
March 19, 2015
Donald from Ski United States United States
I agree with another reviewer. The snow reports are more of a sales pitch than a snow report. I drive 75 minutes, each way, to get to the mountain so it can be kind of irritating when the report doesn't match reality. Having ridden at this resort for several years I have learned to look for clues in the report. The quality of the snow is usually overstated. If it says anything about groomers being the choice for the day it means everything else is poor. "Variable" means about the same thing; it's pretty poor off the groomers. If visibility is described as "fair" then it actually is foggy and you have about 30 feet of visibility. "Limited" means you can't see at all and will be feeling your way down the mountain. Wish it were better, but it's been going on for years. In terms of just riding, this is an excellent mountain when the conditions are good. You will like the wide variety of terrain options.
November 06, 2015
Callie H from Ski United States United States
Excellent resort; a hidden gem in North Idaho. There is rarely ever a wait line, unless it's xmas/new years of course, and the lifty department is possibly the best in the nation. The staff could not be more friendly! Wide variety of terrain, tree skiing, off-piste and groomers. The town of Sandpoint is also an authentic and fun place to go out!
February 15, 2016
Jackson from Ski United States United States
Schweitzer is the most over-rated, under-performing area I've ever skied. Please don't waste your money. There are other nearby ski areas with equal quality snow, minus the outrageous over-pricing and imminent foggy conditions.
December 26, 2016
7BSkiBunny from Ski United States United States
I really love this resort despite the continuing removal of all the charming flavor. Like taking out the perfect ski patio :( It still is always fun and challenging skiing (if you have the attitude for the vastly differing terrain and conditions), plus I love fun Sandpoint. And I love that it is mostly still undiscovered. My beefs? Yes, the once perfect bar deck is gone, to be replaced with a "lame patio." The new Sky Lodge is cool-ish, just ok food but I would have put the money into the lower lodge and Outback and replaced the deck! :) Please!! And taking the beer shack at the top was wrong too. Hope they put out spring skiing outdoor chairs up there anyway. And then there isn't really any local appreciation or loyal season pass holder incentives. And the high prices. Still my fave in the region!
September 03, 2020
Steek from Ski United States United States
I grew up skiing this resort, but have lived in Seattle for years. Always missed my hometown so returned a couple years ago. I bought a pass up a Schweitzer last year and the season was plagued by warmer weather and moderate snow. Still, had a decent season and skied at least 2 days every week. The problem was how they handled the pandemic. They closed the mountain a month early in March with no notice. I take this virus very seriously, but they could have simply closed the lodge facilities and still required masks. Sadly, March was one of the best snow months! I called the resort this August expecting them to honour discounts for returning pass holders. Instead, I found they actually raised the price by 50 bucks! My friends told me they had become notoriously bad in customer service. Now I see what they mean. Great for a visit or 2 per season, but don't buy a pass here, they don't value return business. Plenty of great resorts to choose from in the area
December 28, 2021
Pusbag from Ski United States United States
Not a good resort for the disabled. Parking is far away from the lifts. If you're disabled go elsewhere.

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