Northwest Montana ski areas ramp up for winter season

Winter may be slow to arrive in the valleys, but skiers can still rejoice as the first local ski area opens some of its slopes Friday morning.

Whitefish Mountain Resort will open as scheduled on the heels of being named the “No. 3 overall” ski resort in North America by SKI Magazine.

The mountain – still referred to as “Big Mountain” by many locals – tallied a record 384,000 skier visits in the 2018-19 ski season, and the 2019-20 season is set up to be even bigger. A record 11,500 season passes have already been sold, according to Riley Polumbus, Whitefish Mountain’s public relations manager.

Polumbus said the mountain is in decent shape for opening day, with a 31-inch settled base at the summit. Though there is not much natural snow in the Village, she said the mountain is “ahead of the game” in snow-making compared to last year. The cold weather in November helped them make an ample amount of snow, especially in the beginner area around Chair 6.

When the mountain opens Friday, Chair 1 will take people to the summit and they will be able to ski on the north side of Big Mountain. But the snow is still too thin on the front side.

“We’re very fortunate we have a north side and an ability to reach it,” Polumbus said.

She said for now, having just a few runs open will help skiers and snowboarders “whet their appetite” for the upcoming season. Historically, Polumbus said they are “pretty good” at having the mountain fully open by Christmas.

“We’re expecting some help from Mother Nature,” Polumbus said, as some mountain snow is in the National Weather Service’s forecast for the upcoming week.

Local skiers might notice a few slope improvements around the resort, Polumbus said. A brief uphill segment of the “Moe-Mentum” run was smoothed out, as was an uphill segment of the “Inside Road” run that links up to “Big Creek” below Chair 11.

Back at the Village, to reduce congestion in parking lots, the mountain is instituting a campaign to get skiers and snowboarders to carpool. It will cost $5 to park in the Dogwood lot near Chair 1 from Friday to Sunday, holidays and the holiday week from Christmas through New Year’s Day, but cars with at least three people will not have to pay the fee.

If there is a “really good power day” during the holiday period, Polumbus said, “those are definitely days we’d like people to ride with friends.”

Also new this year, the restaurant Ed and Mully’s will offer breakfast from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. “That’ll be great if you want to rise up early, beat the traffic, eat breakfast” and immediately hit the slopes, Polumbus said. The restaurant is also expanding its evening hours to 8:30 p.m. during night skiing.

Single-day lift tickets are $83 for adults, $72 for ages 13-18 and 65-59, $42 for 7-12, $25 for 70 and older and free for children 6 and under.

The mountain will offer discounted prices to start the season to account for the limited terrain. Those prices are $65 for adults, $60 for seniors and teens and $36 for ages 7-12.

Blacktail Mountain, located 14 miles outside of Lakeside, has not set an opening date quite yet, but snow conditions on the mountain are typical for early December, said Arin Lever, Blacktail’s marketing director.

The summit has “a solid packed base” though the mountain still needs “quite a bit more snow” to open, she said.

“We like to open up 100%” of the terrain on opening day, she said, but added “one good snowstorm of a couple feet will be enough to get the lifts spinning.”

The mountain is typically open by mid-December; only once has it opened after Christmas.

Starting on Jan. 10, Blacktail will host its Mountain Top Apres Ski Music Series at Muley’s Bar and Restaurant in the Summit Lodge. The series will continue every Friday until March 27.

Ladies Clinics and Cocktails will also run on Fridays starting on Jan. 17. Women of all skill levels can enjoy a fun and informative skiing lesson in the afternoon, then receive a complimentary cocktail afterwards. Cost is $30 for pre-registration and $35 for day-of registration.

Tickets for a full day of skiing are $45 for adults, $32 for ages 13-17 and $22 for 8-12 and adults 70 and over. Children ages 7 and under ski for free. Skiers can also purchase a punch card for $150 for four days of skiing at the Sportsman Ski Haus in Kalispell or Whitefish.

Blacktail’s lifts run from 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Wed. – Sunday, but every day from Dec. 18 to Jan. 5.

For those seeking to escape crowds and lift lines, look no further than Turner Mountain, located about 23 miles north of Libby.

“A big day for us is 150 people,” said Bruce Zwang, director of Turner Mountain. He added there is “a little more gladed terrain” this year, which the lack of crowds will make easier to appreciate.

Zwang said mountain conditions are typical of early December, and he is still aiming for a Dec. 20 opening. The mountain will be open every day from opening day until Jan. 1, except Christmas, before going back to a Friday through Sunday schedule for the remainder of the season.

The lone exception will be Monday, Feb. 18, which is Presidents’ Day, when Turner will be open for Customer Appreciation Day.

Zwang said Turner is “holding the line on ticket prices” for the fourth year in a row. A full day of skiing is still $38 for adults, $26 for ages 13-18, $21 for 7-12 and free for 6 or younger.

Turner’s operating hours are 9:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Reporter Colin Gaiser may be reached at 758-4439 or cgaiser@dailyinterlake.com.