2026 Kayak Season Underway

After a dismal ski season, the kayak season is now underway. I will have accrued 4 kayak day trips before we leave on May 4 for Austria. The photo shows my Ellesmere, ready for its first day of the season. It's a bit further back on the rack than it should be and there is no tail rope for the short and low speed drive to City Beach where I launch.

At this point the lake water level is still about 7' below summer's full pool level. This means I need to launch at City Beach until the water level comes up another foot, maybe a week away. But by then we'll be in Austria.

The water is currently in the 45 to 49 degree range. I no longer have a dry suit so when it the water is this cold, I wear a wet suit and paddle close to shore.

This is a great time of year on Lake Pend Oreille. Because the water is not yet at full pool level, most of the boat launch ramps are not yet usable except by the smaller fishing boats. Those are typically very quiet, sometimes just drifting. I am often the only boat in sight and enjoy seeing the various waterfowl migrating through.
 

Der Winterschlaf ist vorbei

Es ist fast Zeit, mein Kajak aus dem Winterschlaf zu wecken. Der Wasserspiegel des Sees steigt schneller als erwartet und könnte innerhalb einer Woche bis zu 2056 Fuß erreichen. Dies ermöglicht das Starten von vielen Orten, darunter auch vom 3rd Avenue Pier. Ich muss unseren Mieter benachrichtigen, damit er seinen Parkplatz unter dem Carport abgeben kann. Ich werde das brauchen, weil der Kajakträger unser Auto zu hoch für die Garage macht. Vielleicht mache ich in der ersten Aprilwoche meinen ersten Kajak-Tagesausflug. Wir werden im Mai für drei Wochen in Österreich sein, was während dieser Zeit jegliches Kajakfahren ausschließt.

Katastrophe

Schweitzer schleppt sich auf das Schließungsdatum zu, das nun auf den 5. April angesetzt ist – eine Woche vor der ursprünglich erwarteten Situation. Nordski wurde bereits eingestellt. Auch die untere Ebene des Colburn Bowl wurde viel früher geschlossen. In einem normalen Skijahr ist die Sperrung nicht viel später als die Schneetiefe des Gipfels. In diesem Jahr traten jedoch Ende März kahle Stellen auf.  Das ist eine Katastrophe für viele der Mitarbeiter, die für Winterarbeit auf Schweitzer angewiesen sind.

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.

Ski Update: I am not sure when the Schweitzer Nordic Trails closed, but they are closed now (March 23, 2026). I would guess they will not reopen this season. Ski runs with a similar exposure are no longer usable, albeit ready for planting spring crops. 

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