Whitefish Mountain Resort Prepares for Opening Day as Snowy Forecast Continues
A storm is expected to bring more than a foot of snow to high elevations through Friday while snowmaking crews continue blowing snow on Big Mountain
By Maggie Dresser
As snow piles up in the peaks surrounding the Flathead Valley, staff at Whitefish Mountain Resort (WMR) are gearing up for opening day on Thursday, Dec. 5, with sights set on a La Niña forecast that is predicted to bring a cold, snowy season on Big Mountain.
With a settled snow depth of 26 inches at the summit as of Nov. 19, snowmakers have been busy blowing artificial snow around the base and village areas and on the ant hill, a route that brings skiers and snowboarders to the backside of the mountain.
Due to last year’s lack of early-season snow, terrain was limited to the backside at the start of the season, forcing recreationists to download Chair 1 at the end of the day. On Christmas Day, thin snow coverage prompted WMR and Flathead National Forest officials to halt uphill traffic during the resort’s busiest time of year.
“Last year was a challenge in terms of getting terrain open,” WMR spokesperson Chad Sokol said. “We feel much more confident this year with over 2 feet of settled snow already. As always, there will be terrain closures, but I think well before Christmas we’ll be looking at lots of open terrain.”
Over the summer, the mountain underwent several routine maintenance upgrades, including a new motor installation on Chair 1 and staff with Austrian chairlift manufacturer Doppelmayr traveled to WMR to update the hardware on Chair 2, which was frequently down last season.
“It’s an older chairlift and it needed an overhaul,” Sokol said.
Other summer projects included vegetation thinning on two-thirds of Good Medicine, a portion of Haskill Slide, an area between Toni Matt and Bench Run, and the runouts of Picture Chutes and lower Glory Hole in Hellroaring Basin.
Starting on Thursday, Nov. 21, the 14-day preseason policy will be in effect for uphill skiers, with travelers restricted to the East Route for uphill and downhill traffic from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Benny Up Route will be closed during those hours while crews prepare the mountain for the season. Route restrictions are lifted before 8 a.m. and after 4 p.m.
Despite a La Niña forecast that’s expected to bring a cold and snowy winter, WMR President Nick Polumbus said last month that season pass sales are down 1.2% compared to the 2023-2024 season, which marked the first drop after eight consecutive record-breaking pass sales.
Polumbus attributed the drop to the previous season’s low snowpack while Sokol speculates skier traffic trends are returning to the pre-pandemic era.
While Flathead Valley’s surrounding mountain ranges saw a thin snowpack last winter, with snow water equivalent (SWE) levels in the Flathead Basin at 76% of normal by April, forecasters predict wetter-than-average conditions in Montana. As of Nov. 19, the Flathead River Basin’s SWE levels were at 126% while the Kootenai River Basin was at 137%.
In the Swan Range’s Noisy Basin, the snow depth was 39 inches while the Tunnel Ridge weather station reported 31 inches. Meanwhile, at Stahl Peak in the northern Whitefish Range, the snow depth was at 29 inches.
According to the National Weather Service, an atmospheric river is on tap to bring moisture and warmer temperatures to central Idaho and northwest Montana from Wednesday to Friday. Snow levels will rise to 4,000 feet in northwest Montana with a foot of snow forecast at WMR and Marias Pass along the Continental Divide by Friday.
