There is something to skiing that makes winter so special. An unknown author once reiterated that when it comes to skiing, there's a difference between what you think it's going to be like, what it's really like, and what you tell your friends it was like.

Across Spokane, Washington State, such feeling is always truthful. Skiing in this Lilac City is likened to a dance in which the mountain ranges always lead in unison to the winter experience.

Nothing is as fascinating as a ski resort. It is where a ski area is equipped with a recreational facility that is situated on a mountain or a large hill. Naturally, the facility contains ski trails and a myriad of support services. Being a ski resort, various services and amenities are added to an existing ski area, making it a destination resort. Accommodations and lodging options are offered next to other amenities adjacent to the ski area.

Spokane Ski Resorts offer these exciting activities:

• Snowmobiling, dog-sled riding, ice-skating, horse-drawn sleds
  
• Indoor or outdoor swimming, and relaxing in a hot tub or at the spa
  
• Game rooms and local forms of entertainment (clubs, cinema, theater)
  
• Surfing at Silver's indoor water park
  
• Shopping in the villages and dining at a variety of restaurants
  
• Snow tubing, cross country skiing, cat skiing, geocaching and snowboarding
  

The ski resorts proliferating in Spokane are governed by the Inland Northwest Ski Association (INSA), a non-profit trade association which represents the Inland Northwest Snowsport Industry. This industry includes the five Inland Northwest ski areas:

• 49° North
  
• Lookout Pass
  
• Schweitzer
  
• Silver Mountain Resort
  
• Mt. Spokane
  

All of these wonderful INSA resorts are 2-hour drive from Spokane International Airport. For tourists, the Spokane region has available non-stop flights from Seattle, Portland, Oakland, Los Angeles, Minneapolis and Chicago to name a few. Thus, there is access to the region insofar as transportation is concerned. Ski lovers are afforded an easy ride in getting to world-class ski resorts in the Northwest Rockies.

In the Northwest Rockies, you will find that skiing can never be this good. Since all points of the compass lead primarily to higher altitude, a stimulation of your senses and elevation of spirit is guaranteed. As a snow rider in this area, you develop an attitude that really stands out. The deep snow scattered across the mountains makes your life so contagious.

With the vastness of the mountains, a natural skyline is extended where the peaks of the Northwest Rockies meet the Continental Divide. Surrounded by alpine resorts, Spokane and Coeur d'Alene receive on the average 300 inches of snowfall a season.

Spokane Ski Resorts found in every unique hill offer variety of skiing and riding activities, combined with old-fashioned, down-to-earth hospitality.

Within the two-hour driving radius from Spokane and Coeur d'Alene, you will find the following:

• Summit elevations (5,650 - 6,400 feet)
  
• An amazing view of 9,000 acres of terrain
  
• Uphill capacity (3,000 - 8,000 per hour)
  
• Untracked snow powder and groomed boulevards
  
• Enchanted glades, open bowls and punishing bumps
  

Skiing at the Northwest Rockies is a truly a winter experience of a lifetime - ultimate, uplifting and exhilarating. Come and ride the snow in the Northwest Rockies! What you'll discover might be your lifetime passion.

Though skiing is a sometimes risky, ski resorts in Spokane follow the necessary safety procedures with basic first-aid facility and ski patrol service to rescue injured skiers.

Let us then enjoy skiing at Spokane Ski Resorts!