Cabin Fever Days to Return This Weekend Despite Warm Temperatures and Lack of Snow

Despite recent warm, dry weather, Cabin Fever Days — the annual multi-day winter festival and fundraiser for Bad Rock Canyon first responders — will continue, although the fate of the beloved barstool ski races remains up in the air.

Sam Haverstock, the vice president of the Bad Rock Council, which organizes the event, said the council on Wednesday will discuss a final decision on whether the barstool ski races will take place on Saturday — a decision hinged on how much forecasted snow comes to fruition this week.

“If we get a foot of snow, we might be game, so who knows,” Haverstock said. “We’re holding out hope, but regardless of what the weather does, we’re still gonna hold the event.

“We’re still providing the shuttle bus between all of the venues and all of the bars for safe transportation between the events. We really just want the outside community to come in and support the local businesses and the volunteer fire departments because that’s what this event is really all about.”

For years, people from all over have flocked to Martin City, Hungry Horse and Coram for a weekend of eclectic competitions, flowing drinks and community support, with spectators waiting for the marquee event: barstool ski racing, which involves a rider getting atop a barstool fixed to skis, and then trying for the fastest time down Sugar Hill in Martin City. 

The 47th edition of the fundraising weekend will run from Feb. 13 to Feb. 15, with a bulk of the event schedule — ranging from snowshoe softball to an arm wrestling tournament — taking place on Saturday. 

A streak of warm and dry days, however, have presented the event’s organizers with some challenges not yet seen in its almost five-decade history, which included a total cancellation of the event at the start of the Covid pandemic, Haverstock said.

Statewide, January’s precipitation was 50% to 75% of the median and temperatures were well-above normal as drought conditions resulted in a loss of soil moisture, according to a Feb. 5 press release from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

Most of the state experienced temperatures 3 to 9 degrees Fahrenheit above normal with several regions experiencing record high temperatures last month. Kalispell on Feb. 5 reached 51 degrees Fahrenheit, breaking its 1995 record of 50 degrees while Butte reached 59 degrees, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

Other annual community staples in the Flathead Valley have also been forced to deal with the warm, dry conditions, with Whitefish Skijoring — a timed competition featuring skiers being pulled by horseback riders through a course — announcing its event cancellation last week. This is the second time in three years the event, which would’ve celebrated its 20th anniversary this weekend, has been cancelled.

“Over the past several weeks, we pursued every viable option available to us, including: partnering with the Flathead County Fairgrounds for a last-minute venue change; preparing to haul in over 100 truckloads of snow from Blacktail Mountain; planning for approximately 4,000 yards of manufactured snow to be produced on site,” the organizers said in a Feb. 5 social media post. “Unfortunately, continued warm temperatures have completely prevented snowmaking operations.”

Cabin Fever Days is no stranger to hauling in snow for past barstool ski races, but this year, spare snow has been hard to come by, Haverstock said. 

“The county does a really good job for us on a low snow year when they plow Hungry Horse and Martin City, then collect all the snow that they plow and they transport it to a field right below the hill,” Haverstock said. “All of our dump truck companies and equipment operators that help build the hill are all volunteering their time for this event, so they were all willing to spend a little bit more time this year to try and find snow, but unfortunately, there’s just no snow.”

The council discussed a range of alternative racing surfaces — from astroturf to pivoting to more of a go kart-style race — but ultimately decided holding out hope for snow in the forecast this week was the only possible way forward, Haverstock said. A backup plan will be shared with community members on Thursday in the event that the barstool races are canceled. 

“We’ve got our fingers crossed,” Haverstock said. “Pray for snow. There’s always a chance. I always say Montana provides one way or another.”

Even if Sugar Hill’s slopes are closed on Saturday, all other weekend events will continue, along with the plethora of vendors and a first-ever silent auction. 

Haverstock encouraged community members to still participate even if the races are cancelled, saying the ultimate goal of the weekend is to support the community. Last year, Cabin Fever Days fundraised $10,500, with most of the donations going to the Martin City and Hungry Horse volunteer fire departments and the Canyon Quick Response Unit.

“We love the races,” Haverstock said. “The races are the heart and soul of Cabin Fever Days, but at the end of the day, it’s all about supporting our local businesses and our volunteer fire departments. That’s what the event really is about, so we’re gonna really do everything we can to make that happen and we’re gonna go on.”

Visit this link for more information about Cabin Fever Days 2026, and stay up-to-date on barstool ski races here. 

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