Skinning the resort needs a valid Uphill Ski Season Pass, though downhill season-pass holders may use the uphill routes without buying a separate one. Access opens at 7:15am — until 3:30pm on operating days and non-operating Tuesdays, and until dusk on non-operating Mondays — with descents held until 9:00am on operating days. Three designated routes: Teakettle (Lodge 1, Hourglass left, then the B-29 cattrack to the summit), Lodge 2 back to Lodge 1, and Northwood (right on Big Timber to Jim’s Gem, then Yellowbrick Road).
Based at Priest Lake, Idaho — about 90 miles northeast, so this is a trip rather than an evening out. Intro and advanced touring, a two-day Selkirk Traverse, snowcat skiing, and AIARE Rescue, 1 and 2. Snow-dependent.
Backcountry Skiing 101 runs as a scheduled club course through the Spokane Mountaineers, whose program also covers rock, alpine and ice instruction. Course dates are posted individually rather than on a standing cadence.