Snow Ghost Express Opens on Big Mountain
After a 'perfect storm' of lift malfunctions and an emergency evacuation, Whitefish Mountain Resort unveiled its first six-person, express lift on Friday
By Denali Sagner
Whitefish Mountain Resort’s (WMR) Snow Ghost Express, or Chair 4, shuttled its first group of skiers up the mountain on Friday, marking the beginning of a new era at the resort, which experienced an array of weather and mechanical challenges over the busy tourism days following Christmas.
Chair 4 is the mountain’s only six-person lift, and brings skiers from the Base Lodge to the top of Inspiration Ridge, a 2,200 feet ascent, in seven minutes. The lift operates through new LEITNER DirectDrive technology, a more environmentally friendly and lower maintenance system than some of the resort’s older lifts.
WMR spokesperson Chad Sokol told the Beacon in October that by moving approximately 2,200 guests per hour, WMR hopes the Snow Ghost Express will alleviate congestion on the mountain and improve the skiing experience for locals and tourists alike.
The opening of Chair 4 is a particularly welcome development for mountain goers, who faced long lines and limited skiing after two lifts broke down in the busy days following Christmas.
On Wednesday, Chairs 1 and 2, two of the mountain’s most critical lifts, malfunctioned due to electrical and mechanical issues, making it virtually impossible for skiers to reach the majority of trails. The failure of Chair 1 led to an emergency evacuation, during which ski patrol teams spent more than four hours getting riders safely down from the lift.
“Yesterday was admittedly not our best day,” officials from WMR said in a statement on Thursday. “We know we fell short of our guests’ expectations, and frankly, our own too. We’re not proud of that. But what we are proud of is the resilience and heroic efforts of our patrol and our lift maintenance teams. We are proud that we were able to safely evacuate every guest without injury or incident.”
Service on Chair 8, Hellroaring, was also impacted for the first half of the day by unusual avalanche conditions. After record-breaking cold temperatures gave way to unseasonable warmth and rain, the Flathead Avalanche Center this week has issued continued avalanche warnings for the Whitefish Range.