Over the Hill: Curing the winter blues with snow sports

SANDPOINT — Since moving to North Idaho, I’ve been given all sorts of advice by locals. A lot of this advice has centered around getting through winter.

As someone who hadn’t seen real snow until I was 20 years old, I was equal parts excited and weary as I heeded the warnings of winter — the (very) early sunsets, below-freezing daytime highs and the scarcity of sunny days lingered in the back of my mind as I looked forward to seeing some real snowfall.

But I’ve found that the best way to get through winter is the same way I’m able to enjoy any other time of year, even the hottest days of summer — by getting outside.

North Idaho has more opportunities for outdoor winter activities than many other places, especially considering we have three ski resorts (four, counting Mt. Spokane) within driving distance of Coeur d’Alene.

Feeling I’d be a fool to not take advantage of this, I went skiing for the first time since 2021 this past weekend at Schweitzer. The scenic beauty of the mountain was more than enough to make up for the frustrations that come with being a beginner skier, and the best part? I saw the sun and blue skies for the first time in ... who knows how long.

Unfortunately, skiing can be an expensive hobby — and even though I’m already looking forward to my next trip up the mountain, it’s not feasible for me to go every weekend quite yet. Even so, my day on Schweitzer reminded me how good it feels to get some fresh air and feel the sun on your face.

Of course, there’s other ways to achieve this — snowshoeing or hiking provides the same level of quality time in the outdoors and requires far less equipment.

The winter blues affect everyone differently, and to varying degrees. But it doesn’t hurt to try getting outside — even as we sit under a blanket of overcast skies, the sun isn’t as far away as we think.