This winter marks the end of an era at Schweitzer Mountain Resort. President and COO Tom Chasse announced in September that the 2026-27 season will be his final one leading the mountain, closing out roughly two decades at the helm of Idaho's largest ski resort.
Twenty years is a long run in the ski business, and Chasse's tenure reshaped the mountain. Under his leadership, Schweitzer added five new lifts, built the Sky House summit lodge, and modernized mountain infrastructure across the resort. Those are not cosmetic upgrades; they are the bones of the modern Schweitzer, the chairlift network and the summit gathering place that define a day on the mountain today.
Chasse also guided Schweitzer through its biggest ownership transition. When Alterra Mountain Company closed its purchase of the resort in August 2023, Chasse stayed on as President and COO, overseeing daily operations while leading the resort's capital improvement plans. He kept the mountain's character intact through the change, no small feat when a beloved regional resort joins one of the industry's largest portfolios.
What made the era work was a steady hand on growth. Schweitzer expanded from a regional favorite into a genuine destination without losing the qualities that made locals love it: the tree skiing, the village atmosphere, the view of Lake Pend Oreille from the summit. Regulars know how rare that balance is, and how quickly it can be lost.
His final season arrives with the mountain in motion. A tentative November 27 opening kicks off 2026-27, the new guest experiences are rolling out, and the Schweitzer Creek Village base area is rising below the slopes. Guests who ride the lifts this winter are, in a sense, riding through the closing chapter of a tenure that built the Schweitzer they know.
Leadership changes are part of every resort's story, but two decades of consistent stewardship leave a mark you can feel on the snow. If you have a favorite Schweitzer memory from the last twenty years, there is a good chance Tom Chasse had a hand in making it possible. This season is a fitting time to appreciate that.