A Family Legacy at Blacktail Mountain Ski Area

When Blacktail Mountain Ski Area opened 25 years ago, it was the first ski area that had been granted a new special-use permit by the U.S. Forest Service since Beaver Creek Resort in Colorado opened in 1978.

A few years after the founders applied for the permit, the mom-and-pop ski area was born in December of 1998, offering a smaller and more affordable 1,000-acre ski hill for Lakeside and the greater Flathead Valley compared to the 3,000-acre Big Mountain, 50 miles to the north in Whitefish.

“It was a pretty special thing to execute,” General Manager Jessi Wood said. “It was a long process. It took a few years to get the permit, but the lodge and ski area was done in 11 months. There are some photos of the original owners flagging runs on horseback. It was definitely a passion project.”

Wood has been at Blacktail since day one when her father Steve Spencer, who had managed Big Mountain for many years, and three other cofounders launched the project.

This year also marks Wood’s 25th year with Blacktail, which is scheduled to open on Saturday, Dec. 10, the earliest opening date in the past decade for the ski area that lacks snowmaking and is completely reliant on natural snow.

The original owners, Spencer, Tom Sands, Dennis Carver and Jeff Sorg, sold Blacktail last year to Mission Ridge Ski & Board Resort, which operates a 2,000-acre ski area outside Wenatchee, Washington.

“It’s a new marriage but the honeymoon is going well,” Wood said. “It really is a good fit, and the collaboration has been pretty fantastic. The new owners are just ready to invest in the ski area again – the former owners were all in their 70s and they were done footing the bill.”

With the new ownership, Wood says the ski area has seen several upgrades, including new grooming equipment and a growth of some programs. Last year, staff built a small terrain park, and they are hoping to continue cutting more gladed runs within the boundary while hoping to potentially expand to the east, which their permit already allows. Summer operation expansion on the Foys to Blacktail trail is also in the works, Wood said.

New this year, Blacktail has added employee housing on Blacktail Road with six cabins that will house 14 fulltime staff.

For the 2022-2023 season, Wood says the mountain has sold a record number of season passes and all of their programs are booked.

As the Flathead Valley grows, Wood says Mission Ridge is helping Blacktail keep pace while also maintaining the local culture.

“It’s all really positive and it’s in line with the culture we already have,” Wood said. “I consider Blacktail my family’s legacy, and they are really honoring it.”

Tamarack Brewing Company in Lakeside is hosting a Wake Up Old Man Winter party on Dec. 10 to celebrate Blacktail’s 25th anniversary with the release of the Blacktail Black Ale, a bonfire, a DJ, a photo booth and more.

Blacktail will be closed Dec. 12-15 and will reopen Friday, Dec. 16 through Dec. 18. The mountain will be open seven days a week from Dec. 21 through Jan. 2 and will then return to regular days of operation for the remainder of the season from Wednesday to Sunday.

For more information, visit www.blacktailmountain.com.