After 70 years, volunteer ski group still innovating

From the February 5, 2009 issue of The Spokesman-Review
Cindy Hval, Correspondent
Colin Mulvany, Photograph

For over 70 years the Mt. Spokane Ski Patrol has been the eyes and ears of the mountain.

It’s an organization rich in leadership and history. The patrol was the fourth to register with the National Ski Patrol system, which began in 1938. Clad in bright red jackets, the 131 members, who range in age from 16 to 73, ensure guests experience a safe and enjoyable visit. “Whenever the mountain is open, our patrollers are there,” said director Dan Edwards.

Working in teams of two, the patrollers’ day starts before the first skiers and snowboarders arrive. “We make sure our gear is in place and that all the ribbons are up and the boundaries clearly marked,” Edwards said.

Throughout the day the ski patrol provides assistance to those in need. “We’re essentially EMTs,” said Edwards, referring to the advanced Outdoor Emergency Care training the members are required to take. “We can typically respond within five minutes.”

But they do much more than help injured skiers. They conduct search-and-rescue operations when needed, ensure guests are skiing safely and answer questions about the mountain.

Brad McQuarrie, general manager of Mt. Spokane Ski and Snowboard Park, said the expertise and experience of the ski patrol are of tremendous value to the nonprofit ski area. “Mount Spokane is fortunate to have a ski patrol that has maintained its training and consistency.” McQuarrie went on to point out a unique feature of this particular unit. “It’s one of the last remaining all-volunteer patrols.”

The group funds its operation through the annual Mt. Spokane Ski Patrol Ski Swap, one of the largest winter sports equipment and clothing events in the state. The funds raised at the October event provide the patrol’s toboggans and medical supplies.

From the February 13, 2009 issue of The Spokane Journal of Business
Written by Mike McClean
Rendering by BSA Architects

Mount Spokane State Park proposes to develop a $20 million lodge that would serve year-round activities at its ski resort and wants to open the facility in 2013, during the state park system's 100th anniversary.

The state park is seeking $4 million from the Legislature this year to conduct a formal design study and to construct infrastructure for the project, says Brad McQuarrie, general manager of Mount Spokane Ski & Snowboard Park. If lawmakers approve the money, the infrastructure phase of the project, which would include installing water and sewer service at the proposed lodge site, would occur this year and next. The park would seek full construction funding for the 2011-2013 biennium. Last year, the Legislature approved $300,000 for a preliminary design for the project, which has been completed by a team led by Bellevue, Wash.-based SE Group.

The lodge would be located just east of the ski area's current main lodge and would be at the parking-lot level of the ski resort, McQuarrie says, so skiers and other visitors wouldn't have to climb a hill to get to it. "The current lodge is upslope from the parking lot," he says. "You have to hike to it."

Because the proposed lodge would be built at a different site, the ski resort could remain open at its current service level during construction, which, under the proposed schedule, would take two years, beginning in 2011. McQuarrie says SE Group estimates the lodge would need 37,000 square feet of floor space to handle current skier visits adequately and significantly more space to handle anticipated growth in visits to the recreation area.

"We would like to build it to meet current capacity and phase in additions as they are needed over time," McQuarrie says. Currently, the main lodge and ancillary buildings take up 22,000 square feet of floor space. "This lodge was built in the 1950s," McQuarrie says. "It's been added onto over time, but it's well past its useful lifespan. It's falling apart, and it's undersized, too." The proposed lodge would have larger areas for food and beverage services, a day-care center, ski school offices, a rental shop, and administrative offices. It also would include a year-round interpretive center, he says. " We would like a place for people to celebrate the history of the mountain," he says. The ski area dates back to the early 1930s and was one of the first in the West. It also was the first ski area to install double-chairlifts.

In the off-season, "People come up here, but we don't have anything for them to do," McQuarrie says. The proposed lodge would be used to cater events, including weddings, during the non-skiing season, he says.