Schweitzer Mountain Ski Resort – Mountain Architects

A new residential development, Mountainside at Schweitzer, is starting to take shape at Schweitzer Mountain Ski Resort, just in time for the start of the ski season in Sandpoint, Idaho. Mountainside at Schweitzer is located just above the base of the Basin Express Quad and the Selkirk Lodge, close enough to the slopes that calling it ski-in/ski-out is almost redundant. Four homes are currently being built by Baker Construction in this new development, one of them will be a private residence and the other three are being offered for fractional ownership.

A unique feature of the fractional ownership will be a concierge type service where someone will completely customize the home to each owner’s preferences prior to their arrival so that everything will be ready for them when they arrive. This service will include filling the refrigerator with food as ordered and getting gear out of storage so owners are ready for action as soon as they arrive.

The new homes that are being built at Mountainside at Schweitzer are employing some green building technologies, and plans call for them to attain some level of LEED certification. Some of the green strategies they will be using include:

Geothermal hydronic heating and snowmelt
Structural insulated panels on the Roof
Reclaimed wood interior finishes
High Efficiency windows
Walking distance to the Schweitzer Village and all resort amenities
Increased development density to maximize open space

The homes in Mountainside at Schweitzer will have excellent views of Lake Pend Oreille and the Cabinet Mountains beyond. They also look out on Schweitzer’s South Bowl, the Sunnyside lift area, and have exterior decks that look down to the village. The design style of the homes being built at mountainside currently is Modern Mountain Rustic, a subdivision of Mountain Architecture. Some of the features include large rough sawn timbers, stone veneer, predominantly shed or flat roofs, and lots of windows. All of the homes have garages and indoor gear storage, virtual necessities given the amount of snow that Schweitzer gets.

There are more ski-in/ski-out building lots available at Mountainside at Schweitzer, and also at other desirable subdivisions around Schweitzer, including The Ridge at Schweitzer and The Spires.

John Hendricks, AIA Architect and Tom Russell, LEED AP

Hendricks Architecture, mountain architects in Sandpoint, Idaho. For other photos, please see previous mountain architecture projects.

Subscribe to Hendricks Architecture Blog.

Previous Post: The Importance of an Interior Designer

Mountain Biking in and around Sandpoint, Idaho, as described by Tom Russell, project architect at Hendricks Architecture.

I love summers in Sandpoint. The weather is great, the lakes are warm, and the local events calendar is jam packed with enough festivities to keep everybody busy and active. One of my favorite activities in the summer is mountain biking, and I feel lucky to live in a place that has so much great riding. There is a great variety of mountain bike trails here, and a healthy population of mountain bike enthusiasts to enjoy them. A local cycling club/ advocacy group called the Pend Oreille Pedalers is actively building new trails, so the opportunities for great riding keep expanding. There are lots of trail guides and they are always looking for new members or people to help with trail building.

Lake Pend Oreille with Mineral Point in middle of photo

Lake Pend Oreille from the Monarchs, with Mineral Point in center background

When I go out riding I am always surprised at how uncrowded and well maintained the trails are. If you have ever ridden in places like Moab or Colorado’s front range, you’ll appreciate the quality conditions and solitude that can be found here, even on the most popular rides. I was in Bend , Oregon a few weeks ago and did a ride that was loose, dusty and rutted from overuse. It was a great trail, but I kept thinking how much more enjoyable it would have been if it was in North Idaho.

From the town of Sandpoint, there are several great rides you can do without ever getting in your car. There is a network of high quality single track trails just west of town in the hills between Pine Street and the town of Dover. Known as Syringa Ridge or Sherwood Forest, the trails there are not well documented, and it is a bit of a local’s secret. Efforts are being made to map it, but I haven’t seen anything public yet. When I first moved here , I enjoyed the adventure of finding my way around there without a map and checking out trails I had never been on. I won’t deprive anyone of the same opportunity by giving away too much about it. If you do go exploring in that area, be aware that there is a lot of private land and access is an issue, so please read the signs and obey parking restrictions.

Gold Hill Trail #3

Gold Hill trail #3 is my favorite. It is a thrilling ride with a sustained 3 mile climb, spectacular views, and a smooth, fast descent on the return trip. There is an expanding complex of trails above the gravel quarry on Bottle Bay Road (another local’s secret area) that connects to the Gold Hill trail #3 and offers a variety of alternatives to explore.

Mineral point has some great trails not unlike Gold Hill in quality and scenery, but noticeably easier on the legs and lungs. My favorite ride there is a 10 mile loop that starts and ends at the fabulous Green Bay beach.

One of the views from Mineral Point

Schweitzer Mountain Ski Resort also has some great biking, both lift served and self-serve. Ambitious pedalers can get to the resort trails by climbing the 9 +/- miles to the ski area on a fun single track trail that is accessed from several of the even numbered switchbacks on the Schweitzer road. My favorite rides at Schweitzer are cross country ski trails in the winter. For those who like to compete, Schweitzer has a mountain bike race series every Wednesday evening in August.

New Schweitzer Mountain Resort Trail

Priest Lake is about an hour from Sandpoint, and has some great trials on both the upper and lower lake. Spectacular views, lots of berries, and nice beaches with crystal clear water are all highlights of mountain biking around Priest Lake and Upper Priest Lake.

Upper Priest Lake

Faragut State Park between Sandpoint and Coeur d’Alene has a lot of mostly moderate mountain bike trails, and it is also a nice place to camp on the lake. It is a good spot for a family outing, especially if cycling is not the only activity you have in mind. One ambitious ride here worth checking out is Bernard Peak. I think you will agree – the views are well worth the effort. On Wednesdays in July local bike shops organize a mountain bike race series at Faragut.

Partial View of the Southern End of Lake Pend Oreille

There a many more great rides in the Sandpoint area, including some big, epic rides in the Cabinet and Selkirk Mountain Ranges. Information on many of these can be found with a quick internet search. There is currently a Falcon guide to mountain biking in the Spokane Coeur d’Alene area that covers some of the Sandpoint area rides. While there is no formal guide to Sandpoint yet, rumor has it a comprehensive guide is in the works.

Tom Russell, LEED AP, Project Architect

Hendricks Architecture, mountain architects located in Sandpoint, Idaho.

Subscribe to Hendricks Architecture Blog.

Previous Post: Surviving Architecture School