Unfavorable conditions cause pause for uphill skiing at Whitefish Mountain Resort

Due to unfavorable snow conditions and increased pressures from holiday visitation, Whitefish Mountain Resort and the U.S. Forest Service have paused all uphill skiing traffic within the resort's boundaries.

The change went into effect on Monday, Dec. 25.  

Until further notice, no uphill hiking or skiing is not allowed in an effort to prevent collisions and other accidents that may occur due to unseasonably thin snow coverage, limited open terrain and crowds expected around the New Year's Eve weekend. This pause will be in effect at all hours — before, during and after the resort’s daily chairlift operations. 

“We know this is unwelcome news to the many members of the Whitefish community who enjoy trekking up the mountain, and we don’t take this lightly at all,” Whitefish Mountain Resort President Nick Polumbus said. “We would not take this step unless conditions on the slopes demanded it. We’re urging everyone to heed this temporary restriction and give the weather a chance to replenish our snowpack.” 

Whitefish Mountain Resort is home to two designated uphill routes — the Benny Up Route and the East Route — typically open during the resort's winter operating season. The Benny Up Route has been closed since Dec. 7 due to warmer-than-average temperatures and lower-than-average snowfall. Uphill traffic has been restricted to the East Route, which has several conflicts with the very limited terrain available for downhill traffic on the front side of the mountain. 

The new pause means uphill traffic is not permitted on any resort terrain, including the Benny Up Route and the East Route.

“As things stand, it’s just not safe to have uphill skiers mixing with downhill skiers on our very limited terrain,” resort spokesman Chad Sokol said. “Our team will continue evaluating conditions on a daily basis until we are able to permit uphill traffic again. We appreciate everyone's patience and cooperation as we eagerly wait for more snow and more skiable terrain.” 

Signage will be posted at the resort informing guests of the pause on uphill traffic. The resort's permanent uphill policy and the temporary restriction were crafted in coordination with the Forest Service. 

“We recognize the terrain conditions temporarily warrant restricting uphill traffic at this time and understand the public will want to resume this activity as soon as possible,” Tally Lake District Ranger Bill Mulholland said. 

The uphill policy can be found at skiwhitefish.com/uphill. Daily updates on terrain and weather conditions can be found at skiwhitefish.com/snowreport.