Every year after Thanksgiving, we grab our gear and get ready to hit the mountain. For anyone who lives in Sandpoint, Schweitzer Mountain is an epic part of their lifestyle during both the summer and winter months. But did you know how our favorite local ski resort got its name?
Long before the first chairlifts hit the slopes, over a century ago, local legend tells of a hermit taking shelter at the bottom of the basin. The man was believed to be Swiss, having served in the Swiss military. Soon after, locals began to refer to the mountain as Schweitzer, which means “Swiss man” in German. To this day, you can see evidence of the mountain’s Swiss legacy in the old architecture of many mountain chalets, as well as old Schweitzer signs hanging inside the mountain pub, Pucci’s.
