Spring has finally sprung here on the mountain as bluebird skies, goggle tans, and mushy groomers are out in force today!  You also know it’s spring on Mt. Spokane when you see neon powder suits, funky-colored aviator shades & rear entry boots invade the mountain on Retro Day - coming up this Saturday.  Hit up the discount stores for the funniest, quirkiest, & perhaps weirdest outfit you can find and have a ball on Retro Day watching people try to figure out if that’s a costume or your normal ski attire!  Plus, with the forecast of fresh snow on the way, those one-pieces really are good for keeping the snow out!

We’re continuing the rites of spring celebration this weekend with an infamously new legend, our second annual Slush Cup pond skimming contest, also on Saturday.  You don’t need a retro getup to participate, but because it is Retro Day, there will be prizes for best retro costume, best splash, & best crash.  $5 to participate, register by 12:30pm in Snow Sports.

Now to combine the best of both worlds, I’d love to see the sumo outfit participate in the slush cup.  I’ve also seen a human-sized penguin running around the mountain recently - hey, penguins were made for the water!

Bring up three cans of food to donate to the Mead Food Bank and your lift ticket for Saturday is just $20 bucks!

That’s more than half off normal pricing and the food donated stays in Mead, supporting local families.

Saturday is Family Fun Day & Hawaiian Day! There are events and fun activities for the kiddos and families all day long.

Sign up early for the Kids Obstacle Course, where your little guys can slalom around race gates, cruise through hoops and over rollers, around banks, and more.  Takes place on the Bunny Hill at 1pm.  Free entry, parents must sign a release in the Snow Sports Center and helmets are required.  Everyone wins a prize!

Keep an eye out for Spokane’s favorite mascots, including our very own Mt. Spokane Yeti!  He’s always got candy on hand & is always willing to share.

Story times in daycare will take place at 10am, 12pm, and 2pm for the littler ones.  Your favorite children’s stories will be read by Mt. Spokane staff.

For the big boys-at-heart Mt. Spokane’s newest groomer, “Baby Blue #11″ will be on display just above the bar deck.

Don’t forget that it’s also Hawaiian Day so wear your favorite Hawaiian shirts & coconut bras!

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WA
515 AM PDT SAT MAR 14 2009

...LATE SEASON SNOW FOR THE VALLEYS AND MOUNTAINS
OF EASTERN WASHINGTON AND THE IDAHO PANHANDLE...

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT
SIGNIFICANT MOUNTAIN SNOW ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE
POSSIBLE THIS WEEKEND AS A SERIES OF MOIST COLD
FRONTS IMPACT THE REGION. 

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY
STORM NUMBER TWO...A MUCH MORE MOIST SYSTEM...WILL
ARRIVE SUNDAY.  HEAVY SNOW ACCUMULATIONS WILL LIKELY
CONTINUE IN THE MOUNTAINS THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT.

THE MOST SIGNIFICANT ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE IN THE
MOUNTAINS ABOVE 3500 TO 4000 FEET WHERE
7 TO 14 INCHES WILL BE COMMON.

Pics from the Buddy Werner race course this morning around 10.
Great hat for Fun Hat Day (I especially like the white!)

This Saturday, March 14th is Fun Hat Day at Mt. Spokane - this is your chance to see employees and guests alike break out the most unique, crazy & fun hats and let loose.  Wear those neon green afro wigs I see everywhere, the joker hats, cowboy hats, paper pirate hats, mullet wigs, and my personal favorite, be on the lookout for the “crab hat.”  Check out the pics from previous years!

Although we are now closed on Mondays & Tuesdays, Powder Wednesdays will be back in style as Old Man Winter returns with just about a foot of fresh wonderful powder today, March 9th!

A winter storm warning remains in effect, so stay tuned and sign up for our text message Powder Alerts to be alerted when we receive 6″ of fresh snow or more.

Have you heard the rumors & rumblings about the possibility of building a new lodge at Mt. Spokane to replace the outdated & outgrown Lodge 2?

Well, the rumors are indeed true - plans are in the works to build a new four-season day-use facility at Mt. Spokane.  The proposed lodge would be sized to accomodate our current needs, and would be available for year-round recreation, including skiing & snowboarding in the winter, and concerts, weddings, conference & meeting facilities, a State Park interpretive center, hiking, biking, and more in the spring, summer, and fall months.

However, we need your help to make the new lodge a reality in the coming years.  We are asking the WA State legislature for financial assistance with this project.  There are indeed stimulus funds for projects just like this - which show an immediate need, can get started right away, and bring income and expanded economic benefit to the surrounding community.  Besides the increased State Park concession rent and income tax brought in, the new facility would generate increased revenue and provide many new local jobs.

Please help us get the word out to our legislators that we need a new lodge at Mt. Spokane.  You can sign up for the new lodge email newsletter on our website to stay informed of progress and receive letters to send to legislators, or copy & paste the emails below to a new email.  Our legislators are working for us - let’s tell them what we want!

Please address your emails to:

brown.lisa@leg.wa.gov
wood.alex@leg.wa.gov
ormsby.timm@leg.wa.gov
marr.chris@leg.wa.gov
mccaslin.bob@leg.wa.gov
crouse.larry@leg.wa.gov
shea.matt@leg.wa.gov
driscoll.john@leg.wa.gov
parker.kevin@leg.wa.gov
morton.bob@leg.wa.gov
kretz.joel@leg.wa.gov
schoesler.mark@leg.wa.gov
cox.don@leg.wa.gov
schmick.joe@leg.wa.gov

And please contact Governor Gregiore at:

Christine Gregoire
Washington State Governor
P.O. Box 40002
Olympia, WA 98504-0002
360-902-4111

Thank-you in advance for your emails, as well as your continued support.

Let me let you in on a little hint if you’ve never bought a season pass before: experienced passholders know that the spring pass sale is the time to buy your pass, because prices are at the lowest they will be all year (at over half off), and you even get free skiing & riding in for the rest of this year!

Think about this - if you come 7 or more times a season, your adult pass has paid for itself.  And youths (ages 7-17) need only come 5 times to have the pass pay for itself.

On top of that, Mt. Spokane offers the best value for local skiers & riders.  At just 28 miles from Spokane, you can jet up for a long lunch to get a few runs in, or take a “sick” day off (we call them pow days up here) and spend the day skiing instead of driving.  We also have 40 nights of night skiing next season, more than any other local resort.  Because of our proximity to Spokane, nights can be even more popular than weekdays - come on up after you get out of school and get at least 5 hours of skiing or riding in.  On top of that, you can bring the little ones up to play on the tubing hill on most weekends and holidays.

Our season pass prices were not raised at all this season.  In fact, we lowered the price of the midweek pass!  Families can save even more - buy two adult or youth passes at regular price and each pass for tax-dependent family members will be discounted $50.

Don’t let yourself wait until the fall again to purchase your season pass (and possibly lose hundreds of dollars)!  Our new website makes purchasing a breeze, and you can come in and pick up your pass and head straight to the lifts.

BUY NOW!

New Purchasers: Ski or Ride Free the rest of this season!
Pass Plus Adult $299
Pass Plus Youth $199

Renewing Purchasers: Buy now at the lowest prices of the season!
Adult $269
Youth (7-17) $169 - price unchanged since 2000!
Child (6 & under) $25
Senior (70+) $89
Midweek $149

http://www.mtspokane.com or call (509) 238-2220 x204