Big Mountain's Hellroaring Basin opens

The Daily Inter Lake

Blacktail still closed due to lack of snow

Big Mountain Resort has opened 550 acres of terrain in Hellroaring Basin, as well as the Hellroaring lift and the 3.5-mile Hellfire Ski Run, bringing the resort to 99 percent open.

Only two small inbound areas remain closed.

Big Mountain on Monday reported a 58-inch settled base with 9 inches of new snow in the past week. Valley inversions have provided sunshine and spectacular conditions above the clouds, resort spokesman Brian Schott said.

The resort has new lift hours this winter. Previously the Glacier Chaser (Chair 1) completed its last ride of the day at 4:20 p.m.; the last ride is now 4 p.m. through January. Beginning Feb. 1, the last ride begins at 4:30 p.m.

Winter Sports Inc. president Fred Jones said he decided to shorten the day to better handle situations that require getting a skier or snowboarder off the mountain in the late afternoon.

"Situations arise when we find that skiers or boarders end up in areas that they need assistance in getting out of, sometimes on the backside of the mountain, other times in areas that are difficult for them to manage," Jones said in a prepared statement. "Other situations arise when a skier or boarder may be injured late in the day and we want to be sure that we can handle their situation without the hindrance of darkness."

Blacktail Mountain Ski Area at Lakeside is still waiting for enough snow to open.

The resort has no snow-making capability and has 26 inches at midmountain. The delay means a record late opener for Blacktail. Two years ago a lack of snow cover delayed the opening until Dec. 26.