Whitefish Mountain Resort ushered in its fourth consecutive year of record preseason winter pass sales, selling more than 11,500 passes prior to Oct. 1 and marking a 7 percent jump over last winter — the previous banner year that saw pass sales surge by 11 percent.
“Skiing is awesome and the fact that more and more people want to ski with us every year is also awesome,” Nick Polumbus, Whitefish Mountain Resort’s director of sales and marketing, said. “We’re extremely proud of the experience we are able to provide our community of pass holders and we’re equally proud that ‘community’ is the best word to describe what we have here. Whitefish skiers are the best and most fun skiers to be around because they understand it’s a way of life and they value the relationships and all that goes into a winter on this incredible mountain. We’re excited and humbled to be a part of another season of building connections with our fellow skiers and just thrilled to watch our family grow.”
Even with skier visits up consistently in past seasons, Whitefish Mountain Resort management emphasized its continued focus on improving the guest experience, noting how additions and remodels such as that at Ed & Mully’s played a role. This year, the restaurant will extend its hours, adding breakfast service five days a week (Thursday-Monday starting Dec. 20) as well as serving food until 8:30 p.m. during night skiing.
Last year, the resort also set a new record in the number of adult “Learn to Ski/Ride” lessons sold and saw an enrollment increase in its season-long kids programs. Whitefish Mountain Resort’s Ski and Ride School continues to break records in enrollment for seasonal programs and teams. For the first time in its history, the Freestyle Team sold out before the Sept. 30 deadline, and Kids Custom groups were up. Additionally, in the adult programs, Ladies Day saw a large increase.
“It’s been another strong early season sale with growth in new and exciting areas. The explosion in popularity of the Freestyle Team is a credit to our coaches as well as showing the popularity in this segment of skiing and snowboarding,” Mike Davies, snow sports director for Whitefish Mountain Resort, said. “We are thrilled to welcome more skiers and snowboarders at all levels and ages. Our goal is to create a safe and fun environment to learn and develop lifelong skills for everyone.”
Season pass holders skied more than ever before in the 2018-19 season, surpassing the prior year’s total by 39,266,557 feet, setting a new record of 2,138,100,034 feet.
The ski area closed out its 2018-19 season with a new record for skier visits with 384,000, besting its previous record during the 2017-18 season by 3,000.
Last year marked the third time reaching the milestone of 2 billion vertical feet, underscoring the diehard commitment of Whitefish Mountain Resort’s winter faithful. Season pass holders make up roughly half of the skiing population at Whitefish Mountain Resort.