Pine Street Hill: Memories and magic

KLT working to preserve historic propoerty

For more than half a century, the steep hill on West Pine Street has attracted winter sports enthusiasts with a penchant for adrenaline. Known by locals as the Pine Street Hill in the 1940s, it was the destination for Sandpoint area skiers before Schweitzer Mountain Resort opened in 1963. A casual operation set on privately-owned land, skiers volunteered their time to install and maintain the towrope operated by a portable ski lift motor. Calling themselves the Sandpoint Ski Club, they earned money to buy the motor and pay for gas to run it by raising and selling pigs, procuring donations from local businesses, and asking their parents for money.