With an annual snowfall averaging 300 inches blanketing the backcountry around Sandpoint, recreationists answer the call to ski, snowboard, cross-country ski, snowmobile and more. They've all discovered our winter Shangri-la amidst the Selkirk and Cabinet mountains surrounding the sparkling waters of Lake Pend Oreille. Even ice fishermen find plenty of prey under the frozen waters that hug the lakeshore.