Ski area counts down to opener
Michael Smith, 4, of Polson tries on skis Wednesday with help from his father, Adam Smith, at Sportsman and Ski Haus in Kalispell. “I asked Santa to get me skis for Christmas. My dad taught me how to ski,” Michael said. Whitefish Mountain Resort opens for the season Saturday; Blacktail Mountain expects to open next week. Garrett Cheen/Daily Inter Lake
Whitefish resort opens Saturday; Blacktail delayed
The Daily Inter Lake
More than 2 feet of new snow blanketed Whitefish Mountain Resort this week, giving the ski area on Big Mountain auspicious conditions for Saturday's opening.
Blacktail Mountain, meanwhile, also received more snow but will not open Saturday as previously planned, according to Blacktail's Web site. The earliest possible opening for Blacktail would be the middle of next week.
Weather forecasters are predicting more snowy weather leading up to this weekend.
"With all the new snow, our operations team is busy getting the slopes ready," said Daniel Graves, president of Whitefish Mountain Resort. "The excitement around here is incredible right now and we feel fortunate that our guests will have such a treat for the opening of the winter season. We've had a busy summer and our guests will be greeted with an incredible array of improvements this winter."
Resort operations departments are busy working with the new snow and preparing the slopes.
Predicted lift and terrain openings include runs on Chair 3, with the possibility of some beginner and intermediate terrain park features, beginner terrain in the Chair 6 area, as well as top-to-bottom runs on both the front and back aspects of the main mountain.
"These plans could and probably will change daily as the weather turns colder," said Chester Powell, operations manager on the mountain. "We could be looking at a significant portion of our terrain being available if Mother Nature cooperates."
"As the snow continues to pile up, our ski patrol will open terrain as soon as possible," Powell added. "Recent storm systems have been tracking north, directly over our heads, and conditions are looking better every day. I would like to ask everyone to please respect closures and work with the ski patrol so that we may have a safe and fun opening weekend."
Updated information on Whitefish Mountain Resort can be found on the resort's Web site at www.skiwhitefish.com or by calling (406) 862-SNOW.
For information on Blacktail Mountain, visit www.blacktailmountain.com.