Our Ski Season is Dying an Ugly Death

Despite a semi-recent snow dump over several days, the Schweitzer ski area has remained unattractive due to unseasonably warm temperatures. Today's early report gave a temperature in the low 40's and rain. Dirt is already showing here and there at 4700' in elevation. Nor is the forecast encouraging. The area may make it to the scheduled closing date of April 12, but maybe not. This has been a disastrous year for so many Schweitzer employees.

My wife and I have been doing more hiking than typical for this time of year - in lieu of Nordic skiing. Further, it is likely that I will awaken my kayak from hibernation earlier in April than usual.

Schnee Dürre

I now declare this to be Schweitzer's worst snow drought in my ~50 years skiing here. It adversely affects both the Nordic and the alpine skiing. We are now in early February and the weather forecast for the next week or so brings no signs of relief. In particular, my latest informant tells me that dirt and rocks are plaguing the Nordic trails. Until conditions improve, I am not desperate enough to venture up to our ski area.

Some of the alpine runs have persevered and Schweitzer was able to make snow for a few days in a few places, but now warmer weather has precluded that option. This really harms the Schweitzer employees, with the area surely running with a skeleton crew. Some work at Schweitzer in the cold months and at the US Forest Service in the warmer season. With Schweitzer just scraping by and Trump assailing federal jobs, it must be dire for those in that situation.

Late Start for Nordic Skiing

January 9, 2026 was the start of my Nordic season at Schweitzer, much later than typical. Although there was sufficient snow for most of the route, it was marginal here and there. Warm conditions could easily destroy what is currently there - and looks like a possibility from the weather forecast. The temperature for my outing was excellent and the grooming was splendid, especially for this marginal snow pack.

These newer skis have an aggressive fish scale pattern underfoot, which I prefer to the mohair on my other classic skis. The preferred skis have metal edges, which still fit in the classic track just fine. I was able to ski up all the little climbs without resorting to herring bone style. This is mostly due to the snow texture on the track, which can become too slippery for me to avoid herring bone on all the wee climbs.

As expected, I was not yet in great shape for the season's start. I ended up quite tired, yet short of exhausted. Before heading back to town, I had a burger at Pucci's. For my tastes, they have the best burgers available in the county. 

On the next outing two days later, Eli and I tried the Nordic trails at Hanna Flats just north of Priest Lake. As you might guess, Hanna Flats is a flat trail system, certainly compared to what is familiar to us at Schweitzer. This was quite perfect for Eli, as she recovers from recent spinal surgery to relieve a pinched nerve. We came away encouraged. After the skiing, we had lunch at Priest Lake's Chimney Rock Cafe.

The 2025-2026 Nordic Skiing Season Is Imminent

The Nordic season at Schweitzer might be underway in another month, depending on the snowfall between now and then. This photo of me lurking on Schweitzer's web site is from several years ago.

I would be surprised if Schweitzer made money on their Nordic trail offerings. Nevertheless, the grooming is just splendid - suggesting that the ski area may be losing money on the Nordic part of the operation. Grooming is expensive. Of course, alpine skiing is much more likely to make money.

At my age, the Nordic day ticket is free. Oddly, in past years there has been no price break for the over-80 Nordic season pass - unlike the price break for alpine skiers. It appears that this discrepancy will be rectified this coming season.

Nowadays, I only use classic skis; my skate skiing days are over. I struggled as a skate skier on Schweitzer's hilly Nordic trails. I never had the graceful style exhibited by the better skate skiers (like my wife) 

End of 2025 Kayak season

 

I call this photo "Lakehenge". Note that there are no boats on the water, now late October. In the Sandpoint area, the marinas are empty because the water level is drawn down by ~11 feet as winter approaches. People either store their boats on land or take them to a marina elsewhere on the lake where there is enough water to keep boats afloat during the cold months.

My final day trip was in the Clark Fork Delta, launching from the drift yard. My companions were Pam D. and Diane B. We saw herons, bald eagles, cormorants, Canada geese etc. There were no winds and the water was therefore unusually flat. We stopped at Old Icehouse Pizza in Hope on the way back to the Sandpoint Metroplex.

I had a variety of goals during the 2025 season. I don't believe I achieved any

My Favorite Kayak

 

 

 

I started kayaking about 18 years ago. Over those years I have had a fun hobby of buying used kayaks, refurbishing them as necessary, paddling them for some time, and then selling to try the next boat. I have paddled many different sea kayaks from manufacturers such as North Shore (before the Valley takeover), Mariner, Sterling, NDK/SKUK, Valley, Necky, P&H, Seaward, Current Designs, Boreal Design, etc.

No kayak is perfect for any user nor for every purpose. For example, a very nimble and maneuverable kayak could be perfect for rock gardening, but will likely be a poor choice for an expedition. Personally, I prefer a skeg to a rudder, but if I were into expedition journeys and camping along the way, I would opt for a rudder. The paddler’s skill level is also a crucial factor. For my skill level and choice of paddling location, I have a favorite – yet other kayaks I have owned (e.g. NDK Explorer) would come close.

I am not a highly skilled paddler, nor adventuresome. I am a small person, ~140 pounds and 5’ 5” in height ... continuing to shrink as appropriate for a person born in 1940. Nowadays I only take day trips and accrue merely 200 nautical miles each season. I have a favorite kayak from the long list of kayaks I have tried, not an overwhelming favorite, but nonetheless a favorite. It is the Boreal Design Ellesmere (red deck rather than that in the picture above). I have owned 2 of these over the years and currently have the Kevlar version. Its specifications:

• Bow, stern, and day hatch

• Skeg

• 17’ x 22”

• Depth 12”

• Weight 47 pounds

• Keyhole cockpit 16” x 30”

This kayak is similar to several of the kayaks I have owned. I am a bit small for this kayak, but have padded it with minicell foam to fit well.

The Ellesmere is reasonably fast and, since I am a slow paddler, it provides a nice compromise. The semi-useful and crude Sound Rowers Classification for the Ellesmere is 9.0. It seems to want at least a bit of skeg, which is deployed via a dial – which I rather like. Even with rolling practice, this kayak doesn’t seem to have leaks via the hatches nor the skeg box. My first Ellesmere had a rather intrusive skeg box, but this later version has a smaller skeg box which doesn’t take up nearly as much space in the stern hatch.

Among my least favorite kayaks, two stand out – a Sterling Ice Kap and a Boreal Design Pakesso. To be fair, the Sterling was a demo model perhaps prior to further development and ultimate release, but it was incredibly eager to weathercock. The Pakesso was the rudder version, and tracked very poorly – poor even for a short kayak.

Rolling Practice

I've tried rolling practice on 2 occasions this last week. Last year, I had zero luck reestablishing a decent roll. However, on today's practice I had modest luck and am inordinately encouraged. I had a decent roll, maybe 10 years ago for a season, but lost it. At age 84+, will I find it again? Maybe.

The kayak I have been using is the new-to-me Boreal Design Ellesmere, a model I used to roll consistently during that long ago season.  So far (including the occasional wet exit) the hatches do not leak water. I think I'll keep this kayak until I'm done with the sport. Note that it's difficult to find a nursing home that provides kayak storage.