Skiing at 49° North Mountain Resort, located about 65 miles from Spokane, is a crucial winter activity for outdoor enthusiasts in the region. The resort boasts diverse terrain and breathtaking views of the Selkirk Mountains, making it a favorite destination for both novice and experienced skiers. Offering a unique blend of skiing experiences, 49° North is essential to understanding Spokane's winter culture.
Adventure Guide to Ski at 49° North Mountain Resort
Ski Terrain: The resort features over 2,000 acres of skiable terrain. With something for everyone, it includes extensive groomed runs, tree skiing, and challenging backcountry options. The resort's elevation of 5,774 feet provides excellent snow conditions, enhancing the skiing experience throughout the winter season.
Facilities and Amenities: 49° North offers modern facilities, including a spacious base lodge with dining options. The Ski School at the resort caters to all skill levels, providing lessons for children and adults. Equipment rentals, including skis, snowboards, and helmets, are readily available, ensuring visitors have what they need for a safe day on the slopes.
Events and Community: Throughout the season, 49° North hosts various events, from fun family ski days to competitive races. These events foster a sense of community among skiers and snowboarders, making visits even more memorable.
Local Insights
49° North Mountain Resort is locally transformed into a winter wonderland in the snowy months, enhancing Spokane’s winter landscape. The area’s unique geology ensures a consistent snowfall, allowing for reliable skiing conditions. Additionally, the resort's commitment to sustainability impacts local wildlife positively.
Visitor Tips
Best times to visit: Mid-January to late March often offers the best snow conditions.
What to bring: Pack essentials like warm clothing, goggles, sunscreen, and snacks for the day.
Driving directions: From Spokane, take US-395 N, then WA-231 N, approximately a 1-hour and 30-minute journey to the resort.
This comprehensive guide appraises 49° North Mountain Resort as a significant winter sports hub near Spokane, showcasing its impressive attributes and local essence.
Adventure Map
Reviews
Kristen Abt8 months ago
No lift lines! The Inland Northwest’s best kept secret! This is one of my favorite ski areas in the northwest. It doesn’t have big mountain steeps and it’s not always deep. It is however consistent and gets light dry snow. The gladed tree skiing is on point and some of the best I’ve been able to find. It has three basins to ski from and a little something for everyone. This mountain is fun, nostalgic, has great bar food, fun and friendly lift ops, and has some sort of event or band playing every weekend. The Bartender Justin has fun sarcasm and will pour you the beer you’re looking for. The Rueben is top notch! We typically split it since it’s such large portions. And the Nachos! GET THE NACHOS! The high speed quad gets you up 1800 ft of vert in 7 min! You could do top to bottom laps in 10 if you’re a skilled rider. They have been putting more effort into snowmaking to keep the Season going when Mother Nature doesn’t deliver. They have three terrain parks if that’s more your style. The mountain will seriously make you feel at home. It brings back memories of riding a double fixed grip lift as a kid and just enjoying the days before high speed quads and bougie resorts became the norm. I love the mom and pop vibes. The lift tickets are seriously some of the cheapest you will find for a full day of skiing. 49-79$ an adult for a day depending if it’s a weekday or weekend. They have mountain hosts to show you where the secret stashes and good lines are waiting if you want to take some runs to explore the area. There’s a main day lodge on the main base area and a new sprung structure for families who bring sack lunches-still something this place allows unlike a lot of other mountains. They have a yurt that offers drinks, beer, snacks, and a place to warm up on the backside. If I could wish for one thing, it would be an upper mountain lodge to warm up in and grab a beverage. I’m sure someday it will happen. Seriously, it is a true gem and I’m so glad it’s been my home mountain since moving to the Inland Northwest!
Horace Greeley3 weeks ago
Good trip. Pretty laid back. Solid mid sized mountain with good usable vert. Not many dead spots where a boarder needs to hump. Will return this year (Indy Pass).
Kellan Hogan2 months ago
Great selection of runs for the area, it's my favorite resort! The food is good, the hot chocolate is even better, and it hasn't ever been too busy for my visits. The snow is usually ok to amazing quality as well. I've also never had any driving troubles on the road leading up to it. Parking can get iffy sometimes, but they always organize the lots well and run shuttles from the lower lots too.
Paigea week ago
This was my first time at the resort, I thought it was super beginner friendly and the magic carpet was very easy to use. What wasn’t super fun was listening to the bartenders in the bar scream at each other on how to pronounce “caramel” correctly, specifically the guy. Literally screaming at each other and at patrons on how to pronounce this word. Like I understand this isn’t a fine dining establishment but have at least SOME level of professionalism.
Flose LaPierre10 months ago
I went as a first-time skier. Purchased an hour & a half learn2 and an all-day pass.
+Check-in: the ladies who checked us in were super nice & we completed this step in about 5 mins.
+Rental: the rental team did not have our information & the young man at the counter had no idea how to find our info, so we had to go back to check-in for printing. I recommend printing off an “if this happens, then go here” training sheet. Once that happened, it was easy to get our rentals.
+Learn2: the ski school instructors had what felt like a hands-off approach, but when I asked for support they were great! Ray was particularly helpful. Once we conquered the bunny hill, i went to the easiest mountain & it was very scary - i felt unprepared. The intro lesson also did not prepare me for getting on a ski lift. Kyle was not my instructor, but his smiley face and positive energy were infectious.
+Lodge: the lodge was comfortable & had great post ski food options, though I’d recommend going easy on the salt.
Overall a good experience, though I wouldn’t consider it first-timer friendly for people who have no experience with snow or board sports.
