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Sam's Alley

Black diamond Schweitzer, ID

Steepest pitch34°
Vertical432 ft
Length1,163 ft
Average pitch22°
FacesSE
Top6,204 ft

Sam's Alley drops 432 vertical feet over 1,163 feet of skiing, with a steepest pitch of 34° about 510 feet below the top. That's steeper than 81% of the 4,740 black diamond runs we've measured in North America, and the 27th steepest of 98 named runs at Schweitzer. It faces southeast.

How well Sam's Alley holds snow

Snow preservationPoor

Facing southeast at an average 22°, Sam's Alley gets about 134% of the winter sun that flat ground at Schweitzer does, December through March. That's sunnier than 94% of the runs we've measured, and the 14th sunniest named run at Schweitzer. Its top sits at 6,200 feet.

Angled toward the low winter sun, it bakes: powder turns heavy soon after a storm, and in spring it softens early in the day and refreezes hard overnight. Shading from ridges and trees isn't counted yet.

Sam's Alley profile

under 25°25–35°35–45°45°+ Hover to follow the line on the map.

Where it is on the mountain

Runs like Sam's Alley elsewhere

Nearby at Schweitzer

Measured by ZRankings from 1-meter USGS lidar. Steepest pitch is the steepest stretch of about 50 vertical feet along the skiable line. Run lines come from OpenStreetMap and can sit a little off the skied path.