Blacktail skiing opens on Saturday

The Blacktail Mountain Ski Area west of Lakeside opens for the season on Saturday with all lifts running.

The ski area is reporting an ample 30 inches of settled snow at mid-mountain, largely thanks to heavy snowfall over the weekend.

The area will be open every day on its holiday schedule through Jan. 1. After that, the resort operates Wednesdays through Sundays.

Standard full-day lift ticket prices are $36 for adults, $25 for teens 13-17 or $16 for children. Children under 7 ski for free and there are specials for seniors, college students and active military members.

Whitefish Mountain Resort, meanwhile, has been progressively opening terrain as the snow piles up. There are now 36 runs open, with a 41-inch settled base of snow at the summit and a 21-inch settled base in the village area.