5:00am alarm.

Hurried, excited rush to get dressed in the dark and out the door.

Hoping to be the first in line.

No, this wasn’t for Black Friday, the most popular shopping day of the year, when hoards of people line up in the dark to score deals on, well, pretty much everything (I heard there were tons of amazing deals on toasters??).

Hoards of people lined up, not for TVs and toys for the kids, but to snag the first chairlift ride of the 2009/2010 winter season, first tracks, and all of the bragging rights that go along with it.

This was White Friday, opening day of ski season, 2009/2010.  And, a White Friday it was indeed.  A blanket of fresh white that continued falling into the wee hours of the morning greeted guests all over the mountain.

The white addiction that we all know and love so well brought over a thousand stoked skiers and riders up to the mountain on opening day.

Several people also took the first opportunity the season offered to become brand-new converts to the sports of skiing and snowboarding.  I think they’ve already become addicted!

A sincere thanks to everybody - employees and guests alike - who made opening day fly without a hitch!  Welcome to the 2009/2010 winter season at Mount Spokane!

Although it wasn’t actually the first snowfall of the season on Mt. Spokane, we received a healthy 2.5″ of snow yesterday and through the night, blanketing the mountain in a beautiful coat of white.  Everything is looking just as it should on the mountain again - white, that is.

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Ever since the chairs stopped turning at the end of last season, the boys have been hard at work getting the lifts ready for another great season.  It’s a little-known fact that summer maintenance of the lifts takes many thousands of man-hours and over a million dollars each season to ensure optimum safety and prime operation during the coming season.

We got to have some fun yesterday splicing the Chair 3 haul rope!  “Haul rope” is the name of the main cable structure that the chairs are attached to.  It’s a 1 1/4″ thick steel cable wrapped around a nylon core.  The haul rope was installed brand new three summers ago, and now, after two full seasons of use, has stretched out and is hanging low.  This is all perfectly normal and part of the process.  To remove some of the slack, the rope is spliced and a section is removed to shorten the rope.

A typical haul rope. Image courtesy skilifts.org

Splicing cable is really a fascinating process.  Instead of cutting the rope off clean, as in the image above, single strands at a time are cut and unraveled at different distances from the center of the splice.  This eventually unravels the rope itself and it comes apart at the center.  It is then weaved back together, at a closer distance than before.  A total of 18″ feet of rope was removed from Chair 3, all before lunchtime!

Easier said than done, right?  Well, I’ll let the pictures tell the story.

Big Steve making the first cut

And another cut. You can see one strand has already been unraveled

Unraveling

More unraveling

Coming apart at the center. You can see the nylon cord in the middle

A jumble of cords. RJ, in the middle, knows exactly where each one goes.

You can see how the ends will be spliced back together

Butt ends spliced together, and RJ is marking the center.

Raveling the strands back in.

Pounding the strands back in for a secure, snug fit

Jason straightening out the pigtails to slide back inside the core.

The pigtails are wrapped in string for a better fit inside the core.

Opening up the cable to slide the pigtail inside

Once he got the pigtail inside the core, RJ rotated these spikes down the length of the rope to hide it inside.

As you probably know, Mt. Spokane State Park road is under construction at the State Park entrance.  The road is closed to the public Mondays through Thursdays until mid-October.

The Park is still open for non-motorized public access.  Free parking is available in a designated area for park visitors at Bear Creek Lodge.

Mt. Spokane State Park is still open on Fridays and weekends, all the way up to the summit.  The bike trails are hot and the huckleberries are ripe, so avoid that scorching heat this weekend and come on up to the mountain.  If you haven’t been before, you MUST see the Vista House in summer.  And with a road all the way to the top, you have no excuse!

The best places to work in Washington State have been announced, and we are very proud to be affiliated with three of the winners!

Congratulations to our Adopt-A-Run sponsors Coffman Engineers, Foster Pepper PLLC, and Washington Trust Bank!

For more information about Washington’s Best Workplaces, visit www.wabestworkplaces.com/

Summer is finally here, as the first of June brings hot weather and beautiful sunny skies to Mt. Spokane.  Although there are still a few patches of snow up high on the mountain (and I’m sure dedicated hardcores can still get a turn or two in), summer is here in force!

There was a moose about halfway up Two-Face this morning, no doubt enjoying the fresh greenery popping up all over the mountain.  It’s really beautiful up here in the spring and early summer, as the bright green new growth contrasts with the dark green alpine firs and rocky ground.

There are so many hiking trails available up here, and fun day hikes for all ability levels, which you will see more posts about as we get further into the summer.  Not only can you hike the mountain trails and ski area terrain, there are tons of trails within Mt. Spokane State Park accessible from several easy locations.  There’s old CCC cabins all over the mountain, a fire lookout on top of Quartz Peak, and the remains of the grand, historic original lodge that burnt down in 1952.  And of course, don’t forget the historic Vista House at the top of the mountain - did you know that you can drive to the top of the mountain in the summer?  Although the road doesn’t usually open until the end of June or July - parts of it are still covered in snow.

Local mountain bikers know that Mt. Spokane is somewhat of a mecca for biking trails.  Don’t forget the views!  I’m not much of a biker myself so I can’t report on that scene much, but I see bikers up here all the time, blowin past me on the numerous single track trails all over the mountain.

Stay tuned throughout the summer for more posts about day hikes, trail routes, wildlife, and the summer happenings at Mt. Spokane.  There will be road construction just inside the State Park entrance, starting later in June, so access will be somewhat limited for a period of the summer, but recreational trails will still be accessible from the Park entrance.  Also, if you do come up to the mountain during the week and the gate to Lodge 2 is open, be aware that it can close any time, and usually is done so by 4pm.

Are you one of those people that wait around until the fall to purchase your season pass at the “cheaper rate”?  Or forget to buy now and end up buying in the fall, possibly losing hundreds of dollars?  We hear those stories all the time.  Those in the know, know that spring is the time to buy, because pass prices are the lowest they go.

So, save some bucks by purchasing today.  Passes jump up to the next price point over the summer, and a final sale in the fall, before jumping to full price in November.  Today, your adult season pass is only $269, vs $469 in the fall.  That’s a savings of $200 bucks!

Here’s your reminder that TODAY, Sunday, is the absolute last day to purchase your Mt. Spokane season pass for next year.  Prices right now are the lowest they will be all season.  You can call (509) 238-2220 x204 and talk to Myris or Rachel today, or, since you’re already online, click here to purchase online.

We’ve added even more value to your season pass for 2009/2010.  Besides already being so close to Spokane (just 28 miles from downtown), having the most night skiing, and offering the best family atmosphere, we’ve added bonus days and times to our operating schedule for next season.  Check the previous blog posting for more details!

Thanks in part to all of you here in our online community, and all the feedback we have received up on the mountain, we’ve added multiple bonus days and hours to our operating schedule for next season!  Check it out -

- EXTENDED NIGHT SKIING
You all know that nights are the time to be up at the mountain - great snow, no crowds, and skiing or riding under the lights until late.  It’s so easy to run up after school or work to get your snow fix, grab a burger for dinner & catch a few more runs before heading back home.  Freestylers know that the park is always hoppin at night.

So, we added 8 nights of bonus night skiing for next season!  That’s right, night skiing will extend into March.  March 13th, to be exact.  So every Wed, Thur, Fri, & Saturday night from December 18 thru March 13 (except for Christmas Eve & Christmas) we’ll have the lights on and lifts turning!  48 nights total.

- DAYLIGHT SAVINGS HOURS
After our bonus night skiing schedule ends, we added even more skiable hours!  Now on Fri/Sat/Sun the last two weeks in March you can ski or ride until 6pm, instead of the usual 4pm.  I don’t know how many times I’ve been enjoying a beautiful bluebird day up here and, before you know it, it’s closing time.  Now you’ve got a couple extra hours to enjoy the spring snow.

And if that’s not enough…

- OPEN FOR SPRING BREAK
Yep!  We listened!  We’ll be open for Spring Break 2010, as long as we still have the snow!  Not gonna release any details yet, but we’ve got a bunch of fun activities in store.  Stay tuned for more info on that… and any ideas feel free to throw at us.

There ya go!  Don’t forget the season pass sales ends this Sunday, May 31. Cheapest prices of the season that you won’t be able to get again after May 31.  Made even more valuable by the addition of our BONUS schedule!

Hope you guys dig it.  Comments always welcome!

Bet you didn’t know you could help save lives with Mt. Spokane!  Short of joining our Ski Patrol, you can help in our local community by donating blood.

As a locally-owned non-profit organization, Mt. Spokane is very proud to be involved in the local community, and has once again partnered with the Inland Northwest Blood Center as a summer t-shirt sponsor.

The new summer shirt will be unveiled at INBC Regional Headquarters downtown this Friday, and Mt. Spokane staff will be there to celebrate the occasion by donating blood.  Come on down and support Mt. Spokane and the INBC by giving blood with us!

The annual INBC Blood Donor Awareness Summer T-shirt Campaign runs from Memorial Day through Labor Day weekend, with a goal of reminding donors that the need for blood and platelets
doesn’t take a holiday during the summer months.

Friday, May 22nd at 11:00am

INBC Regional Headquarters
210 W. Cataldo Ave.
Spokane, WA 99217

KREM’s “Z Best Of Spokane” poll has come out and seems to be gaining popularity among the community - and we’re up for nomination!

Head over and vote for your mountain as the best place to ski & ride in the Inland Northwest!

While you’re at it, check out some of the other categories & vote.  We are very lucky here in Spokane to have a diverse business and cultural climate, along with tremendous community support.  Our votes have been cast!