* The readers of Skiing Magazine rated Schweitzer #21 in their October 2007 Reader Resort Survey.
* Best Ski Resort in the Inland Northwest by the Pacific Northwest Inlander Reader's Poll, 13 years running.
* "Big Slopes and small-town charm at Northern Idaho's up-and-coming resort." - Sunset Magazine, Dec. 2003
* "#3 in the USA for Lifts" - SKI Magazine, October 2008
* "Best Place to Ditch the Crowds" - Skiing Magazine - October 2008"

Schweitzer Mountain Resort is a ski resort in northern Idaho, 12 miles (19 km) northwest of the city of Sandpoint in Bonner County. It overlooks Lake Pend Oreille to the southeast with views of the Bitterroot, and Selkirk and Cabinet mountain ranges. The ski area is approximately 45 miles (72 km) south of the Canadian border.

Schweitzer Mountain has a summit elevation of 6400 feet (1951 m) above sea level with a vertical drop of 2440 feet (744 m). The average annual snowfall is over 300 inches (762 cm). There are 92 named runs and open bowls on Schweitzer's skiable area of 2,900 acres (12 km2). The longest continuous groomed run is The Little Blue Ridge Run, at 1.7 miles (2.7 km). Schweitzer's uphill lift capacity is 12,502 people per hour.

Ten chairlifts (a high-speed six-pack, two high-speed quads, 1 fixed-grip triple, 3 doubles, and 3 surface lifts) serve terrain rated at 20% beginner, 40% intermediate, 35% advanced, and 5% expert. The slopes on the front side (Schweitzer Basin) face east and south, those on the back side (Colburn Basin) face mostly northeast.

The peak known as "Schweitzer Mountain" was named after an old Swiss hermit who lived at the bottom of the basin (Schweizer is German for "Swiss"). He had been in the Swiss military, and, as part of a crime investigation, his house was searched. It yielded the bodies of numerous local cats that had gone missing. According to legend, the man enjoyed cat stew. Mr. Schweitzer was soon hauled off to the asylum and forgotten. His name remains.

Skiing at Schweitzer began as early as 1933, but it was not until December 4, 1963 that it proudly opened as Schweitzer Basin, with a day lodge at 4700 feet (1432 m) and a mile long (1.6 km) double chairlift, which provided 1700 feet (518 m) of vertical drop. During the 1960s Schweitzer made a profit in only one year. Initially planned as a weekend-only ski area, it was soon operated seven days a week. Three chairlifts were added in 1967, replacing T-bars and rope tows, and the back area of Colburn Basin was developed in 1971 with two more lifts. The road to the resort was paved in 1973 and Chairlift # 7 was added in the summer of 1974 to add capacity to the front side. Summer chairlift rides were begun in 1986, and in 1988 the ski area was renamed Schweitzer Mountain Resort, and it began offering hiking trails and mountain bike rentals.

When owner (and co-founder) Jim Brown died in April 1989, his daughter, Bobbie Huguenin, took over the family business. Under her leadership, Schweitzer focused on becoming a destination resort; many additions and improvements were accomplished, including the replacement of the old lodge with the new 3-story Headquarters Day Lodge. A detachable quad chairlift was installed in 1991 and lights were installed for night skiing. Huguenin also saw the construction of the 82-room Green Gables Lodge.

Ultimately, the Brown family ran out of cash and was unable to market the resort as a destination alternative. In November 1996, the resort was put into receivership, filing for bankruptcy the following year. On December 31, 1998, Harbor Properties purchased Schweitzer Mountain Resort from U.S. Bank for the sum of $18 million. The Seattle-based company, operators of stevens Pass and Mission Ridge (sold in 2003) ski areas in Washington, made immediate improvements by providing equipment for slope management. A six-passenger chairlift (Stella) was installed in the summer of 2000, serving the Northwest Territory in Colburn Basin. The high-speed Stella six-pack replaced chairlift #5, a fixed grip double. With the addition of Stella, the resort totaled 2,500 acres (10 km2). For the 2005-06 season, Schweitzer added a T-bar to Little Blue Mountain, a favorite hike-out of locals. The expansion added 400 acres (1.6 km²) and five new runs.