Industry News
Schweitzer, the largest ski resort in Washington and Idaho, is set to bring a little more “ahhh” to the ski season this year with the opening of a new spa in the village. Cambium, the new spa, headlines more than $5 million in improvements at Schweitzer for the 22/23 season from enhancements to the resort’s chairlifts and snowmaking to an increase in webcams and daycare capacity. This will also mark the second year Schweitzer is part of the Ikon Pass.
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Cambium is located in a newly constructed building adjacent to Humbird, a 31-room boutique hotel that was recently named the No. 3 Best New Hotel in 2022 by readers of USA Today’s 10Best. The 3,600-square-foot spa is set to include five treatment rooms, men’s and women’s changing rooms as well as a relaxation and recovery room with outstanding views of the mountain. The spa will provide treatments designed to help guests shorten recovery time and get back on the mountain faster and more comfortably such as reflexology stations, sound loungers, and HaloIR saunas. A full spa menu and additional details are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
On-Mountain Improvements
Schweitzer also invested in on-mountain improvements for the 22/23 season, designed to get skiers on the mountain faster, with more snow and better information so they can have more fun. Skiers will have even better access to the tree skiing and long groomers in The Outback Bowl thanks to 14 new chairs on Stella, the only six-person chairlift in Idaho. The improvements will increase the total uphill capacity on Stella by 25 percent allowing the lift to carry approximately 600 additional skiers per hour.
Schweitzer will also add four new snowmaking guns allowing them to provide more consistent snow cover early in the season. Snowmaking has also been expanded this year to include Schweitzer’s 100-yard tubing hill at Hermit’s Hollow. Two new snowcats were added to Schweitzer’s fleet to ensure continued tiptop grooming conditions.
Parents will find it easier than ever to get on the hill this year, thanks to an expansion to Schweitzer’s Children’s Center. The additional space will accommodate a 15 percent increase in participation in the resort’s children’s programs. Schweitzer’s Children’s Center is a fully licensed childcare facility that serves guests ages four months to six years old with age-appropriate indoor and outdoor programming.
Other capital improvements include the addition of five new webcams, new wayfinding signage, updated restroom facilities, and a new Ski Patrol Shack.
Employee Housing
Construction continues on Schweitzer’s new $22 million employee housing project in Ponderay. The first phase of the project, which includes 84 apartments, broke ground this summer. The project includes one-, two- and three-bedroom units all with full kitchens, washers and dryers, and access to ski and bike storage. Construction on the project is expected to continue, as possible, throughout the winter with an anticipated summer 2023 opening for phase one. Future plans for the development include additional housing units, covered picnic areas, outdoor play areas, walking paths, workout facilities, and a full-service daycare facility aimed at serving Schweitzer employees with young children in need of quality, affordable childcare.
New Base Area Construction Underway
This summer, work began on a new base area at Schweitzer that is set to provide more efficient access to the mountain with additional parking for day skiers and expanded beginner terrain. The first phase of the project includes a new chairlift, a 1,400-space parking lot, and a new road that will connect to Schweitzer Mountain Road from the existing roundabout. Construction on phase one is currently underway and expected to be completed for the 23/24 season. Future developments in the area will include enhanced skier services and expanded beginner terrain that will increase Schweitzer’s overall skiable acres from 2,900 acres to approximately 3,050 acres.
Schweitzer’s Master Plan
The improvements at Schweitzer are part of the resort’s multi-year master plan that was launched in 2017. The master plan aims to secure Schweitzer’s position as the top four-season resort in the Northwest by enhancing the customer experience while adhering to the resort’s fiercely independent spirit. The master plan took a major leap forward in 2022 with the opening of Humbird and the start of construction on 5-Needles at White Pine, a 26-unit expansion to an existing base-area condominium complex that is expected to open this winter.
