After nearly three feet of snowfall in November, Whitefish Mountain Resort is ready to open for its 68th winter season on Saturday, Dec. 5.
The resort will operate five lifts and seven trails. There will be no front-side access from the summit, and guests will download on Chair 1 with the final chair at 3:45 p.m. The resort is reporting a settled base of 25 inches at the summit.
Additional terrain and lifts may become available during the day or through the weekend and will be determined by ski patrol.
The price of a daily ticket will be reduced to $55 for adults ages 19-64, $50 for teens 13-18 and seniors 65-69 and $27 for ages 7-12. Super seniors 70 and over and children 6 & under are free.
“Another winter is upon us and we are extremely pleased to offer our guests an improved experience this season with several upgrades around the resort most notably at the summit,” Whitefish Mountain Resort CEO Dan Graves said. “In addition to getting those first turns of the season, our guests can enjoy the expanded amenities at the Summit House and visit the new Ski Patrol Headquarter building.”
Blacktail Mountain and Turner Mountain have not announced opening dates yet but typically open in mid-December.
This weekend the resort will open with Chair 6 and the Big Easy Carpet at 9 a.m., which will provide access to beginner terrain including the runs Chipmunk and the Big Easy carpet area near the Base Lodge. In the village area, Chair 3 will be open providing access to Hope Slope and Depot Park, including a few terrain features.
Chair 1 will open at 9:30 a.m. and Chair 7 will open at 10 a.m. The north side of the mountain will be partially open and include the runs: Caribou, Goat Haunt and Whitetail.
Visitors to the top of Big Mountain will see a newly renovated Summit House. Over $1.5 million in improvements were made to the resort in the past year.
“We’d like to remind everyone to ski and ride with care, within their ability levels, and remember early season conditions exist, unmarked obstacles and other natural terrain features may be encountered at any time,” said David Stephens, Whitefish Mountain Resort ski patrol manager. “Skiers and riders need to respect all closures and safety signage. It’s a long season and we want you to enjoy every day, please do not enter closed trails. Season pass holders who enter inbounds closures risk losing their pass privileges and persons leaving the resort boundary are reminded that you are on your own.”
Food and beverage services will be 100 percent open this weekend including the newly remodeled Summit House with food service from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and the brand new Village Coffee 8:15 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Additionally the Base Lodge Café, Base Lodge Coffee Bar, Base Lodge Bar and Ed & Mully’s will also be open with their regular hours.
The Kids Center & Daycare will be open as well as beginner and intermediate lessons at the Ski & Ride School. Additional services available include the Base Lodge Rentals, Village Rentals as well as Base Lodge Traders, Snow Ghost Outfitters and Summit House Gifts.