Schweitzer history

Over time more lifts were added and in 1971 the Colburn basin was developed.

General manager Wormington left in 1977 for Mt.

Then, in 1983, Jim Brown and Pack River Management Company bought all outstanding stock at $15 a share.

Chair 6, which once boasted “a view of the best skiing you can’t get to,” unloaded at the bottom of Siberia, before being moved in 1987-88 to access that same skiing.

Jim Brown died in 1989 but not before he had spent three years training his daughter, Bobbie Huguenin, to take over the family business.

Of seven chairs installed by Wormington, remaining are Chair 2, moved in 1990 from its original location near the South Bowl chutes to replace the beginner’s T-bar and still doing business as Musical Chairs; Chair 4, d/b/a Sunnyside; and Chair 6, also known, though not quite as well, as Snow Ghost.

In 1995, a disaster at Whistler bankrupted the company that built Yan lifts and demanded the rebuild of Schweitzer’s Great Escape Quad.

In November 1996, the resort was put into receivership, filing for bankruptcy the following year.

By 1997, Schweitzer was in Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

On December 31, 1998 Harbor Properties purchased Schweitzer Resort from United States Bank for the sum of $18 million.

On December 31, 1999, Harbor Resorts, a Seattle-based real estate company and then owner of Stevens Pass Resort, purchased Schweitzer and brought more than a quarter century of experience in ski-resort development and management.

A six-passenger chairlift (Stella) was installed in the summer of 2000, serving the Northwest Territory in Colburn Basin.

Stella, a detachable, six-person chair, opened in January 2001 with a theme-park entrance designed by former Disney “Imagineer” Geoff Puckett.

The 75,000-square-foot guest lodge, which opened in August 2002, features 50 condominium units which command spectacular views with shop and restaurant space at ground level.

The Seattle-based company, operators of Stevens Pass and Mission Ridge (sold in 2003) ski areas in Washington, made immediate improvements by providing equipment for slope management.

In July 2005, the mountain's ownership status changed again when Harbor Resorts' ownership was dissolved, leaving the resort with a sole owner—McCaw Investment Group (MIG) of Seattle.

In 2006, though, it relinquished its interest in Schweitzer to the McCaw family trust, which hired Chasse and launched the current era at Schweitzer.

In February 2007, Schweitzer announced an ambitious expansion program.

In addition to the Trapper's Creek and GreyHawk neighborhoods, Schweitzer was also looking in 2008 for outside developers to build up to five new condominium buildings in Schweitzer village with up to 50 units each, similar to the White Pine Lodge.

In late 2009, the resort began construction on Mountainside at Schweitzer—a re-envisioned Trapper's Creek.

Selkirk Powder is an independent concession founded by Ken Barrett and Chip Kamin (d 2013). Selkirk Powder Company operates on Schweitzer private property outside of the ski area boundary and the abutting Priest Lake State Forest.

July 15, 2014 at 12:18 pm It’s a pity that Schweitzer Mountain’s management is turning its back to the mountain’s most unique feature: the ghost of Phineas Schweitzer.

October 26, 2015 at 4:29 pm the resort is truly the ultimate location and area. however, the resort needs to go 100% green. set trends don’t chase old dreams. this would both help to preserve the resort, snow pack and the planet….and bring in savvy clientele and investors Reply

February 28, 2016 at 1:19 am […] took Billy and Heidi up to Schweitzer Basin today. https://sandpointmagazine.com/story/schweitzers-first-50-years/ Nancy came down and had lunch with me and then went home to finish some things she needed to […] Reply

January 28, 2017 at 5:47 pm They need to do something about that midpoint offload on the Snow ghost chair.

2019: Construction began on a 30-unit boutique hotel in Schweitzer's village.