Trail profiles: 49 Degrees North

At the base of the resort there are four chairlifts and a rope tow providing access to the area. The chairlift circuit is in good working condition, but there aren't any high-speed quads on the mountain. Despite the chairs being a little slow, the good news is that there usually aren't any lift lines.

All 42 trails are almost completely below the treeline, which allows for consistently good visibility, relatively gentle weather conditions, and high-quality snow. With just over 300 inches of snowfall a year, it's no wonder Powder Magazine's readers voted 49 Degrees North the best-kept powder secret in the Northwest.

Snowriders of all abilities often start with a ride up Chair One, which transports them to the top of Chewelah Peak and provides access to every type of terrain the resort has to offer. Novice skiers and boarders enjoy Silver Ridge - the area's signature run. Silver's wide cut through the trees and easy grade provide hundreds of confidence-building turns. The length of the run is a welcome contrast to the typical bottom-of-the-mountain turf beginners get at other resorts. The combination of the finely groomed slope and serpentine twist near the end keep things interesting without putting novices in over their heads. More experienced snowriders find Silver Ridge to be a great warm-up run.

Terribly timid beginners can spend their time on Payday, the resort's third chair. There are six trails to choose from in this quiet, isolated tract. Each lies near the base and offers just a touch of pitch to allow for a comfortable learning experience.

Adventuring intermediates should include Mahres Gold - accessed from Chair One - on their list of runs. Named after the Washington Mahre Brothers, who captured Olympic Gold and Silver medals in the mid 1980s, this challenging run is fast at the top and gentle as it winds toward the base of the resort. To reach Mahres Gold, unload from Chair One, hang a left, then cut back underneath the chair near the top. Blue-run skiers might also try Lost Dutchman on the mountain's far side. One of the longest runs on the hill, Lost Dutchman is off-camber from top to bottom. Skiers treasure the wide-open cruising, but for snowboarders, the trail is tough on the calves.

Experienced skiers and boarders won't be able to resist the trees of Powder Keg or the burly terrain on Klondike. Klondike follows the Chair One towers with a rock n' roll mogul field down its right-hand side. Farther to the right, Powder Keg is a fairly steep gladed tree area. The run earned its name from the explosive nature of the bone-dry snow found in the trees. We're talking face shots all day long. More unreal tree skiing can be found in Cy's Glades, named for Cy Levine, who introduced skiing here in the late 1920s. These glades offer the mountain's steepest skiing, and as such, they see little traffic.

49 Degrees North regulars spend tons of time in the Sluice Box and in the treeline along Last Chance. Both are rated black-diamond and are accessible from Chair Four. They offer up 1,200 feet of perfect fall-line snowriding, with no cat track disturbances or funny angles. It's just straight up and down through fabulous wind-shielded snow. Because there's almost never a line on Chair Four, skiers and boarders can churn and burn laps on these runs all day long.

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