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Whitefish Mountain Resort Falls Short of Banner Year

Despite below-average snow year, Big Mountain still draws 300,000 visitors for just fifth time in its history

By Tristan Scott

Despite a below-average snow year, Whitefish Mountain Resort tallied more than 300,000 skier visits, about 45,000 fewer visits than last season but only the fifth time Big Mountain has exceeded the 300,000 mark in the ski area’s history.

“So in spite of below average snow, we feel pretty good about our numbers,” Riley Polumbus, spokesperson for Whitefish Mountain Resort, said.

The resort recorded 221 inches of snow at the summit, where the annual average is 300 inches, but still managed to break a single-day attendance record on Dec. 28, when 8,144 skiers and riders hit the slopes, the first time the resort has broken the 8,000 mark.

That record came on a powder day with 15 inches of fresh falling in 24 hours and 7 inches overnight.

The previous record for single-day attendance was set Dec. 30, 2013, with 7,654 visits.

Season pass visits were also down, which Polumbus also attributed to the below-average snowfall and above-average temperatures.

Ski and ride school participants increased, however, and Polumbus said the demand for kids programs has been growing annually.

Lodging numbers also took a hit on the same downward curve as skier visits, but the number of visitors from Washington and Oregon increased, likely due to the lack of snow in those states, Polumbus said.

“We’ve been seeing growth in both Washington and Oregon over the past few years yet we think it’s safe to say that we received some visitors who would not have come otherwise due to the lack of snow west of here,” she said.

Whitefish Mountain Resort also has plans for $1.2 million in improvements at the summit of Big Mountain this summer, including a $1 million renovation to the Summit House. The project, which is pending approval by the U.S. Forest Service, would add seating to the restaurant, add restrooms to the main floor and renovate the exterior of the building with a new façade.

The resort also plans to build a new ski patrol headquarters at the summit.

If approved, the project would be the third consecutive summer of major construction, which previously included the new Flower Point chairlift, new terrain and a renovation of the Base Lodge.

“I’m so pleased that our owners continue to support the improvement of our resort infrastructure considering we just finished two years of rather large scale projects,” Whitefish Mountain Resort President Dan Graves stated in a press release. “Even after the roller-coaster season we’re completing, it’s very gratifying to be able to tell our guests that there are more improvements to come.”