Silver Mountain -- Idaho Resort's A Gold Mine For Skiers, Town

KELLOGG, Idaho - Call snow ``white gold,'' and it's no wonder Silver Mountain is considered the mother lode of this once-prosperous northern Idaho mining town - and a glittering nugget in the eyes of Pacific Northwest skiers this season.

Not since Deer Valley, Utah, in 1981 has a major ski resort opened in the United States, and Seattle skiers haven't had a new destination resort since Blackcomb, B.C., opened a decade ago.

Enter Silver Mountain, Kellogg in the Coeur d'Alenes (its official name), which is to open Wednesday.

Said Peter Forsch, Silver's general manager, who worked at Aspen, Colo., for 17 years: ``We have . . . pretty good vertical at 2,200 feet, Rocky Mountain snow, which is a great asset and selling point, especially to people from Seattle, Portland and Vancouver who ski in the Cascades.

``I wouldn't be as brash as to say it's always light and dry like Utah's, but it's close.''

Already Silver Mountain, 70 miles east of Spokane, is being compared to Utah's Park City and Colorado's Aspen, Crested Butte and Telluride, because its fortunes are tied to a mining town gone broke.

Since the early 1980s, when the bottom fell out of the silver market, Kellogg desperately sifted through ideas, seeking a future.

Unemployment quickly exceeded 50 percent; many people left. Those who stayed looked to the Coeur d'Alene Mountains, usually snow-capped from November to May, and listened to the bold plans of resort planners.

In 1987, Congress approved a $6.4 million grant, giving the project hope. But the total had to be matched. The catalysts got the Bunker Hill Mining Co. to agree to lease 2,000 acres for $1 a year, the prospective tram builder added financial support, and in September 1988, the town approved a $2 million levy by an astounding 82 percent.

The stage was set for the Hagadone Hospitality Co., owners of the nearby five-star Coeur d'Alene Resort, to step into the business of marketing and managing a ski area. Construction began April 25, 1989, less than 18 months after the grant was approved.

The Colorado comparisons don't end with marketing techniques or mining town/alpine village motifs. The true barometer is the quality of skiing.

Early reports from ski writers who last winter sampled the area are joyous..

``The mountain's challenging slopes are in the same league as the major Rocky Mountain ski areas,'' said Ron Rudolph of Snow Country magazine. ``The terrain is major league. It was as good a ski experience as I've had.''

``Silver Mountain feels very big,'' said Claire Walters of Skiing magazine. ``It feels sort of like an Aspen or Keystone.''

Skiers familiar with Western Washington areas drooled over two powder-puffed peaks, serviced by an eight-person gondola, a four-person chair, two triples and a double.

Crystal Mountain has a higher base and summit altitude, nearly four times as many skiable acres, twice the lift capacity and a vertical drop of 3,100 feet. But Crystal also has Cascade snow - too often wet and heavy.

Silver most closely compares to Schweitzer Mountain, the Idaho resort north of Coeur d'Alene in Sandpoint. Silver fans say its snow is lighter, contending Schweitzer's may be a bit leaden because of its proximity to Lake Pend Oreille.

Silver's slopes have a northern exposure, which helps keep snow light and limits icy conditions.

Although Silver Mountain is billed as a ``new'' ski area, that's not exactly true. The $20 million in improvements has provided a complete makeover, but the slopes are not unfamiliar to longtime skiers.

First known as Jackass Ski Bowl when a single chairlift was installed in 1968, the area grabbed another name, Silverhorn, in the early 1980s, before closing two years ago.

This summer, Silver flipped the switch on its $8 million gondola, giving tourists and hikers an easy way to the top. In 16 minutes, skiers can get to the mid-mountain lodge, before fanning out to the upper portion.

All skiers must ride the gondola, then catch the quad (the last stop for those wanting easy runs) and the triple chair to reach the top of 6,300-foot Kellogg Peak.

From there, accomplished skiers have access to moderate and expert terrain, full of steeps and bumps, and plenty of alternatives to get to adjacent Wardner Peak.

That area, serviced by a double chair, provides a 1,874-foot vertical drop - and a number of chutes and mogul runs.

Although the gondola covers 3.1 miles, the area's longest run is 2.5 miles. That means that the lower portion of the mountain is not skiable - yet. The area is surrounded by 32,000 acres of private land, so the development potential is almost limitless, Forsch said.

The gondola, however, is a symbol of the niche the area hopes to fill. People can grab a cup of espresso and a whole-grain muffin for the ride up. For lunch they can choose between five eateries.

Lodging may be the most significant way Silver does not rate with Colorado resorts. Until development plans proceed, no lodging is available at the mountain base. There are several motels in downtown Kellogg, a few blocks away.

With Interstate 90 only a quarter-mile away, there is quick access to hotels in Coeur d'Alene to the west and Wallace to the east.

Though the region sports a number of lodges, inns, motels, B&Bs, and campgrounds, Hagadone Hospitality hopes folks will stay at its $60 million resort in Coeur d'Alene, opened four years ago.

They will offer weary skiers their plush bus for the the 30-minute freeway journey to Coeur d'Alene.

The Coeur d'Alene Resort offers two-day midweek packages for $225 a person (double occupancy). That includes airfare from Seattle, lodging, lift tickets and transportation from the Spokane airport and the mountain. (Similarly a two-day package on Horizon Air to Mount Bachelor costs $255, $199 to Sun Valley. Flying to Vancouver and staying at Whistler costs $208.)

For those who drive to Silver, a straight shot on I-90, the two-day deal is $110. Add about $40 per person for a weekend stay. A five-day vacation would be $290, or $400 with airfare.

Lodging reportedly is avialable in the area for most of the winter, except for President's Weekend in February.

Several airlines fly from Seattle to Spokane. Horizon, for example, offers a 6:30 a.m. Saturday shuttle from Seattle. Link an hour's plane ride, the 40-minute bus trip to the hotel and a half-hour journey to the mountain, skiers could be on the slopes by mid-morning.

Adult day-lift tickets cost $26; an afternoon-night ticket, good from 12:30 to 10 p.m., costs $19. Seven runs are lighted.

Forsch said his biggest concern for the season is the unknown - whether the kinks are worked out.

``My other is knowing we're going to have so much business and interest to start with. The level of excitement and curiosity is tremendous,'' he said. ``My biggest fear is we will have 10,000 people show up on the first Saturday.''

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SILVER MOUNTAIN: THE FACTS

-- LOCATION: Coeur d'Alene Mountains, 70 miles east of Spokane, 35 miles east of Coeur d'Alene off of Interstate 90, in Kellogg, Idaho.

-- SEASON: Usually Thanksgiving week through mid-April.

-- LIFTS: 3.1-mile, eight-person gondola (world's longest of its kind), four-person chair, two triple chairs, double chair.

-- LIFT CAPACITY: Chair lifts, 7,200 an hour; gondola, 15,000 an hour.

-- TERRAIN: 2,000 acres; 15 percent beginner, 45 percent intermediate, 40 percent advanced.

-- RUNS: 43 runs for total of 15 miles. Longest is 2.5 miles.

-- VERTICAL: 2,200 feet.

-- ELEVATION: Kellogg Peak, 6,300 feet; Wardner Peak, 6,200.

-- HOURS: Monday-Tuesday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Wednesday-Sunday 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Gondola opens at 7:30 a.m.

-- TICKETS: Adult (all day/all night) $26, late arrival (12:30-10 p.m.) $19; juniors/seniors/college students $19 and $15; children 6 and under free. Night skiing (4-10 p.m.) adult $12, juniors/seniors/collegians $10; gondola ride only $8. Multi-day tickets also available for two, three four and five days.

-- NIGHT SKIING: Seven runs, Wednesdays through Sundays.

-- SNOWMAKING: On 15 runs.

-- SNOWBOARDS: Allowed.

-- DAY CARE: At mid-mountain; day-care package includes gondola price.

-- EATERIES: At mid-mountain, Mountain Haus restaurant (with cafeteria, outdoor barbecue and sit-down dining; and Moguls lounge; at base, Timbers Restaurant & Bar and Gondola Cafe.

-- INFORMATION: Snow line - Phone 1-800-678-8633. Administration: 1-208-783-1111.

-- LODGING: Greater Kellogg Area Chamber of Commerce, 1-208-784-0821; Wallace Chamber of Commerce, 1-208-753-7151; Greater Coeur d'Alene Convention and Visitors Bureau, 1-800-CDA-4YOU (ask for a visitor's guide); Coeur d'Alene Resort 1-800-688-5253.