Thirty miles northeast of town on Highway 206 at Mt. Spokane State Park, Mt. Spokane Ski & Snowboard Park (tickets 509/238-2220, snow report 509/443-1397, www.mtspokane.com, $42 adult, $36 college and military, $33 youth) offers alpine skiing and snowboarding, including five chairlifts, and a 2,000-foot vertical drop. It’s uncrowded and friendly, with a small-town atmosphere.

Night skiing draws the crowds here, as does the dry snow and 360-degree view of the Cascade, Selkirk, and Rocky Mountains. Other features include ski and snowboard school and rentals, restaurant, and bar, but no child care. Bus transportation from Spokane is available on weekends.

Some 24 kilometers of groomed cross-country ski trails are adjacent to the downhill area; get Sno-Park permits at local sporting goods stores before heading up to ski. The 10-kilometer Langlauf Cross-Country Ski Race takes place here in early February; it’s the biggest such race in the Northwest. Other nearby places with cross-country ski trails are Downriver Golf Course (509/327-5259), Indian Canyon Golf Course (509/747-5353), and Hills Resort (208/443-2551) in Priest Lake, Idaho.

Other nearby ski areas include 49° North (509/935-6649, www.ski49n.com) near Chewelah, along with two Idaho resorts: Schweitzer Mountain Resort (800/831-8810, www.schweitzer.com) and Silver Mountain (800/204-6428, www.silvermt.com).