Chase the Spring Snow Festivals, Races and Pond Skims Across the Region 

By Amy McCaffree 

Cover photo courtesy of Silver Mountain

Sunny spring conditions and frequent March and April storms often deliver some of the best days of the season, so don’t put your gear in storage just yet. End your season in celebratory fashion with a fun spring event or two and plenty of good mountain vibes. Find details and operation schedule updates online. 

49° North Mountain Resort (Chewelah, Wash.) 

• March 6: One complimentary lift ticket for each Toyota vehicle driver for Toyota Free Ski Friday plus party on the deck.  

• March 8: Chewelah Peak Challenge Fat Tire Bike Race, in partnership with North Division Bicycle, includes demo bike (with registration fee) and 7 k race, conditions permitting. 

• March 14: Seafood Boil family-style lunch.  

• March 21: Annual Hawaiian Daze features a full day of competitions including snow golf, scavenger hunt, poker run, costume contest, Slush Cup and more. Proceeds benefit 49’s volunteer ski patrol and mountain host programs. 
  
  

Mt. Spokane Ski & Snowboard Park (Spokane, Wash.) 

• March 7: Getting Down to Vizziness, a terrain park two-hour jam session with host and judge Pro Rider Austin Visintainer.  

• March 14: Final night ski includes Wild Mike’s Rail Jam event—a collaboration with Wild Mike’s Pizza, providing $10 off night-ski pizza-box coupons—and Après After Dark Party. 

• March 20: Toyota Free Ski Friday—one complimentary lift ticket for each Toyota vehicle driver; must arrive before 1 p.m. to receive lift ticket from Toyota reps in parking lot of Lodge 2.  

• April 8-12: Youth ages 17 and younger ski free during spring break.  

Schweitzer Mountain Resort (Sandpoint, Idaho) 

• March 21: Celebrate the first-ever Pride On the Mountain event, in partnership with Sandpoint Alliance for Equality (SAFE). Schedule includes Rainbow Ridge Ski Parade and evening drag show. 

• March 27: Discounted lift tickets for annual Community Day. 

• March 28-29: Snow Ghost Banked Slalom competition, in collab with 7B Boardshop. Fundraiser for Bonner County Skatepark Association. 

• April 4: Hillside Hustle rider-choice grassroots events.  

• April 12: Closing day—details TBA online. 
  
  

Silver Mountain Resort (Kellogg, Idaho) 

• March 7: Doug E. Fresh Banked Slalom for snowboarders—11^th annual fundraiser for the Doug Johnson Memorial Fund. Stick around for Ski Bum Prom (costumes encouraged) with night skiing til 6 p.m. and party at Moguls. 

• March 13: Toyota Free Ski Friday.  

• March 14 and April 18: Hang out with Silver Mountain ski patrollers and their avy dogs during Jackass Apres Club nights, 6:30-9:30 p.m., at The Beanery (446 Railroad Ave), less than a mile from base village. 

• March 21: Marchi Gras (not a typo) is like Mardi Gras but at Silver Mountain—bead necklaces provided at the gondola base and New Orleans-inspired food atop the mountain.  

• March 28-29: Silver Cup Ski Race—register online. 

• April 4: Jackass Rain Jam with free day-of registration at Chair 2 Terrain Park (starting at 11:45 a.m.).  

• April 11: Who doesn’t love a Pond Skim?! Silver’s first and only previous event was in 2019, so this is kinda a big deal. No fee to participate. 

• April 18: Leadman Triathlon, presented by Dave Smith GMC, is the annual charity fundraiser adventure tri—ski, bike, run—for teams and individual racers.  

Lookout Pass Ski Area (Mullan, Idaho) 

• March 7: Season Pass Holder Appreciation Day with a parking lot party, 4-6 p.m. 

• March 27: Toyota drivers ski or ride free for Toyota Free Ski Friday. 

• March 29: Lookout’s annual freestyle Rail Jam (11 a.m.-3 p.m.) includes divisions for all ages and skill levels plus prizes. Great spectator event! 

• April 4: Bring your own club to play nine holes on America’s only snow golf course! Free to play for all ages; course open noon-3 p.m. 

• April 5: Easter Egg Hunt while you ride the slopes—all ages with one-egg limit per person. All eggs include candy and prize-winning number opportunity. 

• April 10: Ski/ride free at Lookout Pass for Parker Subaru Experience the Outdoors Day with a free voucher provided in person at Parker Subaru in Coeur d’Alene (limited availability). Bring voucher to the mountain ticket booth to redeem for a free lift ticket valid only for April 10.  

• April 12: Dress festive for Lookout’s annual Hawaiian Luau day, which includes a Cardboard Box Derby where participants use sleds made entirely of cardboard and duct tape.  
  
  

Whitefish Mountain Resort (Whitefish, Mont.) 

• March 14-15: Two-day event and one of the longest-running of its kind in North America, the 27^th annual Nate Chute Banked Slalom & Boardercross Competition raises funds for the Nate Chute Foundation dedicated to youth suicide prevention. 

• March 21: DREAM Adaptive Shred Fest for all abilities includes vertical or adventure challenge event and fundraiser to support adaptive recreation opportunities in Flathead Valley. 

• March 28: Corn Cup Slopestyle—skier and snowboarder freestyle competition.  

• March 28: Sample regional brews at Spring Brewfest and enjoy music and food trucks in the resort village. 

• March 29: Women-only event for all skill levels (includes trans women and non-binary riders) for the Lady Power Park Hour, noncompetitive slopestyle event to build terrain park confidence and community.  

• April 4: Classic Pond Skim competition with cash prize.  

Big White Ski Resort (Kelowna, BC) 

• Tuesdays through March 17: Ski BINGO—Pick up a bingo card from the village and mark off while hitting the slopes, noon-3:30 p.m.  

• Thursdays through March 19: Twinkling Trail in Happy Valley—group walk after paper lantern craft activity.  

• March 21-22: Loose Moose Challenge inspires terrain coverage to find hidden letters to reveal a mystery word for a prize.  

• Fridays through March 27: Tube & Groove at the snow-tubing park and dance party with resort mascot Loose Moose.  

• Saturday nights: Carnivals at Village Centre through March 28 and weekly fireworks shows through April 4. 

• April 5: Easter Egg Hunt throughout the Village on Easter Sunday, 9-10 a.m., with a designated area for kids age 5 and younger. Bigger kids can search for hidden “chicks” to claim for treats.  
  
  

RED Mountain Resort (Rossland, BC) 

• March 14-15: Rattlecat Cup is a two-day banked slalom race, all ages and skill levels. 

• March 22: Park Project Rail Jam is a low-pressure session for all abilities (ages 7+) with a supportive community to promote skill progression. Open to skiers, snowboarders and snowskaters.  

• March 28: Bring your dog to the slopes for the 5^th annual Wiener Take All, a canine race event with prizes. 

• April 4: Slush Cup to go big and win prizes. 

Whitewater Mountain Resort (Nelson, BC) 

• March (every weekend): Spring Music Series—live music performances at the resort village throughout March.  

• March 21-22: Blast Beerfest—celebrate local breweries and cideries with samples in Whitewater’s on-the-snow beer garden; enjoy live music and scenic views of Ymir Peak.  

Former junior high Ski Club member Amy McCaffree now stays on the groomers but still downhill skis with her husband and their two kids, now teenagers, who ski much faster than she ever will again—and she’s okay with that.