Be Honest.. WINTER in the panhandle. (Post Falls, Sandpoint: ski resorts, new home, buy)

[DESERTRYDER]

My wife met a few folks from Sandpoint this past weekend while they were at a weaveing guild meeting/party in Sacramento.
I know we are moving to Idaho next summer but we just haven't found which town will be our new one. We are coming back up next month for our last search and find us a new hometown mission.
I was thinking Emmett and now my wife is all Sandpoint bound after talking with those nice people who spoke very highly of Sandpoint and CDA..
Just how do you northern folks put up with those extended winters?
What is the secret to avoiding cabin fever. I really don't want to be chaseing my family around with a hatchet yelling " Here's Jonny " on my 4th month with no sunshine... I guess I need a hobby other than motorcycles? They don't work to well in the snow.
Of course June in Sandpoint will be beautiful but it's febuary that I am worried about..
Talk to me Tell me your survival secrets...

[ShouldIMoveOrStayPut...?]

Buy snow ski's for yourself and family and frequent Schweitzer Mountain....

[Sage of Sagle]

Ski, snowboard, or get a sled and grab a handful of throttle....

This was an extremely long and hard winter...you just have to not sit around and go stir crazy. My wife and I like to walk to the mailbox with the dogs in the dark (yeah, about 4PM)...hahaha...having your boogers freeze is always fun...or having the car doors freeze shut..wheeeee!

Oh, and swimming laps in the huge heated pool at SWAC (Sandpoint West Athletic Club) when the snow is 2-3' deep outside the big glass windows helps a bunch too.

Best thing for me, since I hate mornings, is that it's dark late so I get better sleep. Having the sun wake me up at 5AM in the summer is rough.

[North Idaho Native]

Sandpoint is wonderful, and there are plenty of outdoor activities to keep you busy: we have a wonderful ski hill, a couple of fitness centers, bowling alley, you can snow shoe or cross country ski, walk, we have a nice library, there are classes and meetings around town you can attend. [MOD CUT] Happy home hunting!!

[6thgen]

Winters are very, very long. You have about 9 months of cloudy weather around here (at least it feels that way, may be more like six, but GOD there's a lot of cloudy weather) so if you LOVE sunshine, might want to consider somewhere else!
But, there's a lot you can do during the winter. There are SEVERAL ski resorts within a few hours of here, you also have hot springs which can be GREAT fun during the winter.
I can only speak for CDA, but during the winter, a lot of people head up to Schweitzer to go skiing, there aren't too many sanctioned sled hills around here anymore, but there are great sledding spots. Ummmm...there's quite a bit to do, just depends on how hard you want to look for things to do! It is *beautiful* up here in the winter though. All the snow on the mountains and trees, it's just gorgeous. With my family, we watch a lot of movies during the winter
Oh yeah, it does get dark really early, though. I don't mind it...

[mejaka]

I don't ski, snowboard, or own a snowmobile and I get by just fine! I loved this last winter...Beautiful. I like getting out and walking in the snow, taking the kids sledding...I love the long winter evenings when everyone comes home early and we can play games or watch a movie or create something together.

But if you like motorcycles, buddy, get a snow-go and keep right on going on the trail rides. There's a quirky restaurant over Fernan Saddle that you can only reach by snowmobile for several months of the year. How cool is that?

[SeaDreams]

Hi Mejaka -

What's the restaurant? We don't ride, but have friends from Bonners Ferry who do. We've lived in Post Falls for a few years and try to get out camping every summer however. Just curious about the restaurant.

[mejaka]

Will have to check with my snowmobile-owning friends--I've never been but they talk about it often in the winter! (I don't own a snow-go).

[junglemom]

OH dear.

I thought CDA/panhandle had 4 separate seasons? That's why we were thinking of moving there this Sept.

Maybe we'll have to find another area. Don't mind the cold or snow, but my girls can't live indoors for half a year (medical issues).

Hmm.

[Sage of Sagle]

There are four very distinct seasons, yes. But the joke here is that SOME years we have mostly winter...

Right now, we're having a gorgeous summer. But last winter went from December to early May here in Sandpoint. That was nearly 5 months of not seeing the ground at our house. We had puppies born in November, and by the time they went outside it was snowpack. They FREAKED OUT when our snow started to melt. Scared of dirt, they were...

Last snow on our property melted on May 14th.

But normally we have it start to get cooler after Labor Day, and by Oct 1st most of us put the boats up for the season. By Thanksgiving it's edging on winter, and by Christmas it's really cold and snowy. Jan/Feb and bitter cold and snowy, so you either stay indoors or learn to like snow sports. March can have some snow, but can also have early melt and starts mud season. April finishes mud season and is gorgeous with lots of rain showers that continue into May. June/July/Aug are straight summer. Warm and sunny, although June can still have more overcast than Jul/Aug.

If you're concerned with your girls being stuck indoors, North Idaho (in MY opinion) is just not a good place for you. I'd look at some place with much less harsh winters.