50 lakes near Spokane...but how long is the season?

[TallSkinnyGuy]

I recently returned home to California from up a road trip with my family. April to early November is my comfortable ski season here in the Sac area (I don't own a drysuit but do use a full wetsuit for the few weeks at the beginning and end of the season). So on this road trip my family spent a day with my uncle from Spokane fishing on a little lake in the area. We drove past a number of lakes to get to this lake and so I asked my uncle how many lakes were around there.

 

He answered that there are 50 lakes in the area, including big ones like CDA and Pend O'reille. The lake we fished on was about a mile long, near glass the whole time we were there, available to the public, but only a couple fishing boats on it from around 10am-2pm when were there. As we were leaving, a SeaDoo and a stern drive boat started zipping around, but otherwise just fishing boats.

 

I started thinking this might be a nice area to live for a waterskier. However, when I talked to various locals about water sports, they all made it seem like the season is only two or three months long and otherwise too cold or stormy. Anyone know what the real ski season is in the Spokane area for someone who doesn't want to ski in a drysuit?

[ToddF]

June thru sept. Depending on which lake some ski longer because they warm up sooner.

 

 

[Than_Bogan]

If you don't want to ski in a drysuit, stay in the south.

 

If you decide to move to Spokane, buy one. Then I think you'll find Apr through Oct is totally doable -- the climate data looks a lot like right here in MA.

[kirkbauer]

I went to high school in Spokane from 1990 to 1995. They used to say 100 lakes within 100 miles. We used to go to a different lake to ski if we saw more than one or two trailers in the parking lot. That is where I learned to ski. I did wear a shortie wetsuit most of the time and stuck to the warmer months.

[Rpc29]

Are there any permanent courses set up near Spokane?

[bigskieridaho]

A little bit colder up there than in Boise, but your season is still pretty long and yes there are multiple lakes to go to! We boat April-Oct. There are some ski lakes around that area but they are down in Moses Lake and Basin City.

[jlittle]

What everyone has said. Apr-Oct with a drysuit. With a stretch of warm weather I've barebacked it in May only to be back in a drysuit two weeks later. Rubber June- mid Sept pretty easy.

 

There's only one permanent course set up on public water I know of and it is maintained by the ski club on Lake Spokane (Long Lake). No man made lakes in the Spokane area. As bigskieridaho said, the two private sites, which hold tournaments are Moses Lake (1.5 hrs) and Basin City (2hrs). Oh, and there's only one decent skier in the area but he's an electrical engineer and apparently doesn't know how to use a tape measure. To soon?