Every rider remembers their First Season at Schweitzer , and these three Schweitzerites lived to tell of it.• Bonner General Hospital • Lake Whitefish in Pend Oreille • Fleeting Moments at West Fork Cabin • Immigrants in Sandpoint • Interview: classical guitarist Leon Atkinson • Plus, Sandpoint-Africa connections, Winter Tracks photo essay, and real estate features on Sandpoint as a retirement mecca, a haven for self-sufficient types and home to new commercial spaces, and much more.
Come to Sandpoint on a summer day and you will notice “people on bikes” get the Fat Tires and Life on Two Wheels low down • David Thompson Bicentennial • Sandpoint Transition Initiative • Hiking the Selkirks with an Artist • Change in Sandpoint: Education • Plus, interview with Intermountain Community Bancorp CEO Curt Hecker, road names that bear lasting legacies, a fuel-free adventure with five friends, an ode to the Sand Creek rope swing and much more.
On the Cover this issue is a fabulous Doug Marshall photo from the Photo essay “Joy of Winter” but inside stories include: Schweitzer: Launchpad for Snow Pros • Backcountry with Selkirk Powder Company • Sandpoint-born Sarah Palin • Interview: Paul Schaller, Quest Aircraft CEO • First Ski Descent in the Monarchs • North Idaho Winter Wildlife • Sandpoint Community Theater Comeback • Escape from the Dust Bowl • Plus, daily painters, singing in the choir, then-and-now for SHS Valedictorians, the boom in thrift stores and much more.
Natural attractions, open all-year around, cost of admission is free and the views are stunning. The most popular hikes in North Idaho will have few visitors and a high “wow” factor, read Five Easy Sandpoint-Area Hikes in this issue.
Then see what this town used to be in Sandpoint Archaeology Dig • Other easy reads Bonner County’s Last Dairy Farmers • Artists Lisa VanDerKarr • Lake Pend Oreille Book • Plus, feature interview with quarterback Jake Plummer, spectacular Pack River Delta, three decades of POAC, the Forrest Bird Aviaton Museum, and much more.
Schweitzer: Taking a giant leap. As Chair One is retired, Schweitzer debuts two
high-speed lifts Plus: Bid farewell to Chair One, and meet Shep Snow, founder of the Independence Racing Team Schweitzer Mountain’s Giant Leap • Demographics of Change in Sandpoint • My Friend’s Fathers photo essay • Photographers Dann and Hazel Hall • Plus an interview with Schweitzer founders Jack and Dorothy Fowler, ice fishing, pioneer voices, Boots Reynolds, sled dogging, ice fishing, and much more.
Favorites of Sandpoint in Summer get featured this issue with everything you need to know about the The Festival at Sandpoint, The Long Bridge Swim and local lore of the Ponderettes and Pie.
25 Years of the Festival at Sandpoint – It’s a musical milestone, 25 years of music under the stars with the Festival at Sandpoint, along with stories about sold-out shows, poster artists, a festival-goer’s guide and the season calendar. Ever wonder who we are… we do all the time, maybe its time to check the pulse in Sandpoint again. Then we follow our fat tire friends as they pedal around the lake in 4 days, 5 friends on 2 fat tires around the big lake
Plus: mountain biking; rock climbing; the Long Bridge Swim; an interview with political cartoonist Bill Mitchell; and more.
Sandpoint Magazine as the keeper of the stories, marks yet another milestone in the history of Sandpoint, this time it is the big centennial milestone of Bonner County.
Tales from the Edge – Read about mayhem and magic on Schweitzer Ski Patrol in its 40-plus year history, along with an introduction to the new Schweitzer CEO Tom Chasse. Plus: snowcatting in the Selkirk Mountains; Sandpoint’s first film festival; acoustic musicians on the rise; two backcountry ski adventures, and more.
There is too much to do in such a short time when summer finally comes around…. this is the best of the best list of things to do in and around Sandpoint. Get Out There: 10 great adventures – Discover 10 outdoor adventures within an hour of Sandpoint, from paddling to flying.
Not everyone can go climb a mountain, but everyone else can read about Thadeus’s adventures in Returning to Shangri-la: A brief memoir on adventure climbing in northern Idaho, . The brave few can actually go try…The Short List: Two notable climbs in the Selkirks, Chimney Rock and Lions Head. For those that prefer a more civilised approach to outdoor adventure don’t miss the updates here in Going under the blade: Hidden Lakes closes to get a Jack Nicklaus redesign and a new name
Opportunity ripe to explore other area courses
Plus: three painters who paint on different canvases; a rock climbing memoir; Patrick McManus and his first novel, “The Blight Way”; Quest Aircraft and the Kodiak airplane; Extreme Makeover: Home Edition; and more.
Seductive Little Blue
Schweitzer reveals hallowed snow in 400 acres of new terrain, plus the telemark scene and a profile of General Manager Ron Nova
Stories include: Hang Time at Schweitzer: Seductive Little Blue Take a Flying Leap into New Terrain – The mountain opens up 400 acres of new terrain at Little Blue, along with a story on the telemark scene and a profile of General Manager Ron Nova. Literary Leanings Influenced by power of place, locals are writing and publishing more books than ever. Plus: Bookstores galore. Plus: the spa scene; KPND after 25 years; and more.
In a place that abounds with wild rivers, wild places and a lot of literal wilderness – plus a cadre of residents who hike, bike, ski, paddle, climb and more in those places – opportunities abound for photographers to capture the outdoor lifestyle. In this issue, meet three of the local action photographers who have made careers of adventure photography here and around the globe.
Speaking of adventure, in this issue writer Thaddeus Laird tells of a backcountry ski excursion in the Cabinet Mountains. Also inside: an exclusive interview with part-time resident and full-time actor Viggo Mortensen; the story behind the storied names of Schweitzer ski runs; a “year of discovery” as Sandpoint is featured in a deluge of national media; and more.
The same folks that publish Sandpoint Magazine also produce our town's remarkable community website, Sandpoint Online. Find comprehensive event calendars, recreation guides, community info, news, free classified ads and much more.
Want to know what's going on in Sandpoint? Go to Sandpoint Online.
Keokee Co. Publishing, Inc. in Sandpoint, Idaho produces Sandpoint Magazine, as well as a variety of books under the imprint Keokee Books. Keokee is also a full service marketing company, providing branding, marketing and website development services.