Grattan resigns from Winter Sports Inc. board

Longtime Winter Sports Inc. board member Tim Grattan stepped down this week.

Grattan's resignation is effective immediately, but he will continue as a director for Big Mountain Development Corp.

He has served on the board of Winter Sports, parent company of Big Mountain, since 1980.

In a press release, Grattan said he has been spending time outside the Flathead Valley while visiting his grandchildren and has been more removed from the mountain than he feels is necessary for him to do a good job as a board member.

Grattan, a Kalispell native, moved to Whitefish in 1971 after serving in the Army and working in Seattle in the real estate development industry.

His first Whitefish real estate development project was Lion Mountain, which he continues to develop today. In 1974, he began to acquire parts of the Grouse Mountain project and added the third nine holes to the Whitefish Lake Golf Club in 1976.

Grattan built Grouse Mountain Lodge in 1983 and opened the doors in summer 1984.

"The mountain is the steam that drives the engine," Grattan said. "I wanted to be a part of how the mountain grew and prospered and thrived, and my real estate background was an asset."

Board members will choose a replacement for Grattan.