Skier visits down, lodgers up at Big Mountain; Blacktail may open Friday

Houston resident Gail Lilly had never skied on Big Mountain before, but after her first day at the resort Wednesday, she was sold.

"The snow is great," said Lilly, as she clicked into her skis, while a fine mist from a snow gun drifted through the sunshine.

While ski areas around the Northwest languish in low-snow conditions, Big Mountain happens to be one of the bright spots in the industry. The mountain is 80 percent open, with Hellroaring Basin the largest part of the resort yet to be opened to skiers and snowboarders.

Blacktail Mountain in Lakeside is waiting for another storm before it has enough snow to open. Blacktail manager Steve Spencer anticipated opening Friday, but is not making any commitments.

"We don't need much, but want it to be a quality opening," Spencer said from a cell phone while grooming slopes Wednesday. "I'm not confident enough in the weather reports to say we're going to (open)."

The latest date that Blacktail has opened was Dec. 26, two years ago. Big Mountain, meanwhile, has relied on man-made snow to help create a solid base. The mountain also didn't lose as much base when rains came through the area three weeks ago. "The pineapple express is what really hurt us," Spencer said.

Some of Montana's ski areas are finally seeing the storms they need. Bridger Bowl in Bozeman received 30 inches of snow this week and has all seven of its lifts open. Big Sky also received a blessing of 5 inches on Tuesday, and has 87 percent of its terrain open. Montana Snowbowl in Missoula has 43 percent of its terrain open, with about 6 inches of new snow in the last week.

What was a curse for other ski areas in the Northwest has been a boost for the Whitefish resort. Tourists from nearby states are picking up that there is snow on Big Mountain and that the skiing is good, says Brian Schott, resort spokesman.

"As more skiers in the region discover that Big Mountain is doing really well, we'll see increased visits," Schott said. Schweitzer ski area in nearby Sandpoint, Idaho, lost 16 inches of base in that fateful rainstorm, while Big Mountain lost only two. "We'd like to see more snow, but we have fabulous ski conditions up here."

As soon as the "closed" signs are taken off of Hellroaring Basin, the mountain will be 100 percent open. This area, served by Chair 11, needs enough snow to get a groomer to the bottom before it can open.

Skier visits to the mountain are slightly below last year, while lodging reservations are up about 10 percent, Schott said.

The decrease in skier visits is "directly related to snow conditions," Schott said, while the increase in lodging reservations is coming from larger groups that are staying longer. Big Mountain last year had good early-season conditions, which brought the locals up.

Increases in visits from regional-destination skiers are helping boost the resort's figures, and our neighbors to the north are coming back, as well. While Canadians are not arriving in droves as they did 15 years ago, filling the resort's parking lots with 40 to 50 buses, "We're seeing major increases in the Canadian market," Schott said.

The exchange rate on the Canadian dollar is at 81 cents this week, a substantial increase from 64 cents one year ago.

Twenty years ago, crowds of Canadians were commonplace on Big Mountain. But as the exchange rate between the U.S. and Canadian dollar widened, and as Canada expanded its own ski facilities, those crowds coming down to Montana thinned out.

Now John Frandsen, Big Mountain's new marketing director, is looking to the north to help fill the 1,200 beds that Big Mountain manages.

Frandsen is beginning an ad campaign in January in Southern Alberta, inviting Canadians to come back down and experience some of the things they might have experienced 15 years ago, such as mouse races at the Palace or dollar chili and beer.

"It's becoming much more realistic for Canadians to come to Whitefish, and they are coming," Frandsen said.

Meanwhile Spencer, a 20-year veteran of Big Mountain and pioneer of 6-year-old Blacktail Mountain, seems unfazed about the prospects for snow. The resort has about 29 inches of snow at the summit and about 10 inches at the bottom. "It won't take much to get us going now," Spencer said.