New ski trails pay tribute to local legends
Chester "Chet" Powell at Whitefish Mountain Resort. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake FILE)
A few of Big Mountain’s local legends have received a tip of the hat on Whitefish Mountain Resort’s new trail map.
The resort recently cut a number of new ski trails in the Hellroaring Basin area of Big Mountain as part of a multi-phased expansion project in the area.
One of the new trails is named “Chet’s Stache,” a nod to longtime mountain operations director Chester Powell.
Powell retired from his post in 2019 after working for the resort since 1976. He was instrumental in expanding the resort’s terrain into Hellroaring Basin, and the upcoming reconfiguration of the Hellroaring terrain and chair lift was one of his final projects.
“Certainly, Chet and all his time here, and all the work he’s done, and what he’s meant to the mountain — it seemed perfect to honor him,” said Nick Polumbus, marketing director at the resort.
As for the play on words with “stache,” Polumbus said, “That’s iconic. That’s his look,” referring to Powell’s thick mustache.
The black diamond “Chet’s Stache” runs skier’s right of the Teepee glades.
“Rad Jack” is another new trail in Hellroaring Basin that was named after longtime Whitefish resident Jack Marcial. Marcial, who died in 2018, was a well-known character on the slopes and around town, and his wife Doreen continues to work for the resort.
“He was a mainstay and a positive supporter [of the ski area],” Polumbus said.
The black diamond “Rad Jack” trail cuts skier’s right off the Gray’s Golf Course glades.
A new intermediate trail named “Lacy Lane” is a tribute to renowned nature photographer Marion Lacy. Lacy’s historical photos of Big Mountain from the 1940s and ’50s were used for promotional materials and “helped put the ski area on the map.”
Other new trail names in Hellroaring Basin are the black diamond “Dogleg left” in the Gray’s Golf Course area, and the blue square run “Short But Sweet” that begins from 1,000 Turns.
A run cut for the new chair lift is named “Wing and a Prayer.”
The first phase of the Hellroaring project included clearing timber for the new runs, as well as glading areas adjacent to runs, and resloping areas on the Hell Fire run.
The Hellroaring chair lift will be relocated next summer. Eventually the resort plans to install a new chair lift to the summit of Hellroaring Peak.
Managing editor Matt Baldwin can be reached at mbaldwin@dailyinterlake.com or 758-4447.