Snow Ghost Express Chairlift on Track to Spin on Big Mountain

Once chairlifts start spinning at Whitefish Mountain Resort (WMR) on Dec. 8 for the 75th season, skiers and snowboarders will be able to grab five friends to ride the new six-pack Snow Ghost Express, where they will load the chairlift at the Base Lodge, ascend 2,200 vertical feet and unload at the top of Inspiration Ridge in seven minutes.

“We’re really excited,” WMR spokesperson Chad Sokol said. “The project is on track. Some folks have been asking if it’s really going to get done — it seems far off but the project is on track and we think it’s going to make a really big positive impact on how people get around the mountain and they can spend more time skiing.”

The new Chair 4, named the Snow Ghost Express, will lessen congestion on Big Mountain and offer more chairlift access to the front side and terrain off the East Rim and Chair 5. The addition will also alleviate skier congestion from Chair 1 and will shuttle an estimated 2,200 guests per hour.

WMR continues to see record-breaking guest numbers every season and managers tallied 464,000 skiers last season, breaking its previous record set the year before with 458,000 guests.

“There’s a ton of awesome front-side terrain that’s underutilized where the new chair will go,” Sokol said. “It will spread people across the mountain.”

On Oct. 8, a Black Hawk helicopter began carrying 25 lift towers and crossarms to the front side of Big Mountain. The bottom lift terminal and lift operator’s shack was recently installed and construction crews are working to install the upper lift terminal and complete the finishing touches before opening day.

The former Chair 4 lift, which was built in 1978 before the Base Lodge existed and was installed to the east of the new Snow Ghost Express, is currently in the process of being disassembled.

WMR donated the old chairs to DREAM Adaptive Recreation, a nonprofit organization that provides recreation opportunities for disabled individuals, to sell for fundraising. Sokol said all the chairs have already been sold.

The Snow Ghost Express will operate with new LEITNER DirectDrive technology, which is intended to be low maintenance, quieter, energy efficient and environmentally friendly. The motor will be connected directly to the chair’s bull wheel, eliminating the need for a gearbox.

“It’s pretty new technology,” Sokol said. “It’s a lot lighter and easier to maintain. The hope is when we inevitably have mechanical issues, we’ll be able to get it fixed a lot quicker.”

In recent years, WMR has upgraded several chairlifts to adapt to crowds and improve traffic flow on the mountain. Last year, crews relocated Chair 8 in the Hellroaring Basin, unloading skiers to the top of Big Ravine and allowing access to the basin and the front side of the mountain.

Mountain Operations managers said the new lift enabled a longer season in Hellroaring Basin and crews added six new trails.

The winter season at WMR will run from Dec. 8, 2022 through April 9, 2023, depending on weather conditions.

Season pass prices will rise after Nov. 15.

For more information, visit www.skiwhitefish.com.