Ski resorts report banner year
Ample snowfall early in the season and throughout the winter is getting much of the credit for a banner ski season at both Flathead Valley ski resorts.
Whitefish Mountain Resort set a new record for total skier visits and had an upswing in activity that beat the previous record in 2005-06 by 5 percent, resort spokeswoman Riley Polumbus said.
At Blacktail Mountain Ski Area, General Manager Steve Spencer estimated skier visits are up at least 16 to 20 percent over last year.
Compared to last ski season, Whitefish Mountain Resort skier visits increased by 12 percent. Season-pass visits were up 15 percent, while window ticket visits jumped 10 percent.
The upswing in skier numbers translated into revenue for Winter Sports Inc., the company that operates the resort. Total winter revenue was 8 percent above last year while lodging revenue was up 8.5 percent.
“We really saw strong growth in all segments,” Polumbus said. “Canadian participation was particularly strong over last year.”
With 355 inches of snow for the season and a 151-inch settled base at the summit when the runs closed on April 10, there were plenty of pleased skiers and snowboarders.
“Everyone knew we had great snow,” she said. “The resort also has had continued great value.”
Polumbus noted the resort’s popular Learn to Ride program that offered two days of lessons, lower mountain lift tickets and rentals for $69 as a very successful tool in getting novice skiers on the slopes.
Whitefish Mountain last week announced its 2011-12 season pass prices that are discounted until Sept. 30. The pass price will increase by $10 over 2010-11.
Blacktail had “a very good year,” Spencer said, despite a cold snap during the Christmas holiday week that nipped skier numbers a bit in late December.
“We had over 100 inches by mid-January,” he said. “We’ve been 100 percent open since the day we opened for the season. We’ve had powder most days.”
And the season isn’t done yet on Blacktail Mountain.
The resort is open this weekend and may be open for another weekend or two if the weather holds.
“We’ll see what it brings,” he said. “If people want to keep skiing they need to show up. It’s all north slopes here. It’s a shame to let it go to waste.”
An improved terrain park on Blacktail Mountain was a big hit this season, Spencer said.
Last year the resort thinned out trees between runs to enhance skiing conditions, and will work with the U.S. Forest Service on more thinning either this summer or next. The Forest Service also has approved a new beginner area at Blacktail and work on that may start this summer, Spencer said.
Whitefish Mountain also has summer projects on tap, including a new lift that will connect the Base Lodge with the Upper Village, with dirt work extending Russ’ Street through the trees that separate the Toni Matt and Big Ravine slopes.
As it is now, the only way to get from the Base Lodge to the Upper Village, other than by foot, is by shuttle bus.
Dirt work also is planned to improve skier access to Chairs 1, 2 and 3 from the site of the proposed Snow Ghost Lodge that would be built where Ed & Mully’s restaurant now stands.
Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by email at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.