Winter made a grand entrance in the Flathead this year, a debut that calls for waxing up skis and dreaming of making tracks in the fresh snow. Whitefish Mountain Resort is excited and preparing to open a significant chunk of terrain on Dec. 4, according to spokesman Donnie Clapp.
“We are feeling very good about the 2010-2011 season,” Clapp wrote to the Beacon. “The long-term forecast looks good with a strong La Niña in the mix, and snowfall plays a bigger part in getting people motivated to call and book trips than anything we can control.”
Season ski pass sales up to Sept. 30, which came in at about 7,500, are about 15 off from the record set in the 2008-2009 season, Clapp said. That record was set with the help of a huge snow year the previous year, he said.
This year’s sales are significant, he said, because last season saw below-average snow levels. The resort usually sees fewer season pass sales after a low snow year, Clapp said, and it is bucking that trend this year.
Clapp noted that the average season pass holder skis 15 days during the season, and can be accounted for in the resort’s season pass holder skier visit stats. The resort also tracks paid skier visits, which account for non-season pass holders. A skier visit equals one person skiing one day.