Page 67 - Flathead Beacon // 1.27.16

WEEKLY ON-MOUNTAIN NEWS WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2016
LOW16oF HI24oF
RANDOM THOUGHTS & OBSERVATIONS
Riley Polumbus
The halfway point of the ski season quickly ap- proaches. Please don’t
panic, there’s plenty of win- ter le ! e White sh Winter Carnival which is February 5-7 historically marks the halfway point for winter (February 6th is halfway for the ski season) which means it’s a good time to self-evaluate so we can
Almost Halfway rough the Season
Random thoughts and observations clockwise from the top left: There was talk that the snow would be scarce and yet we have plenty! We forgot to tell you... we re-named a run! The snow buried my skis! New uniforms are wildly popular.
homeowners in the Elk Highlands neighbor- hood only, and located on Home Again be- tween skier bridges. You may know it from the chair sale we had a few years back, and maybe you have one in your backyard. Speaking of chairs...
Top 10 3 reasons to Ride Chair 10:
3. Easy access to Chair 4
2. Only way to access the Upper Village from the Base Lodge
1. Skip the line at Chair 6
We asked nicely. Ouch! ere I go face-plant- ing a er stepping on someone’s skis le on the ground at the Summit House again. Did you know there are 29 ski racks at the Summit House and yet somehow there are always skis le on the ground? In contrast, there are 18 ski racks at the Base Lodge and people seem to be able to pick up their skis and snowboards and nd a rack down there. What is it? e altitude? Please pick them up, the calories burned will cancel out the fries.
Excuse me, where did you get that hat? If I had a dollar for every time I’ve been asked that question, or overheard that question... Yes, this year’s employee hat is a hot commodity (pun fully intended). Rumor has it employees have been o ered up to $50 for their hat! Tempting I know, but it is part of the uniform and since we are counting on winter sticking around for a few more months we need them for work.
Good news! Due to overwhelming compliments we will be o ering the same hat in a di erent color at a White sh Mountain Resort retailer soon! (Remember, 2015/16 Winter Season Pass Holders receive 10% o all retail!) e hats are being made and should arrive in a couple weeks. Have a nice day!
make the most of our time le playing in the snow up here on the Big.
What to say to your buddy who didn’t buy a pass this year. ank you for making the sac- ri ce to Ullr for the rest of us. e skiing’s been goooooood! Way back in September talk of El Nino had snow lovers ustered with worry about whether this winter would be warm and dry. Well I know we are only halfway there, however when I compare the snow stats at this time of the year to the past 10 years, we are more on track to above average years than we are to below average years. Take that El Nino!
Moral of this story: avoid believing long-term forecasts that tell a sob story about winter, and embrace the ones that are good. at way you keep the faith and the stoke, and protect your- self from bad skiing karma.
ere once was a run called, “Nice Day.” Per- haps you’ve noticed, or overheard, that the run we called “Slalom” is now named “Nice Day.” First I must geek out on Big Mountain history for a minute and tell you that before it was Sla- lom it was called “Hellroaring Slalom” and be- fore that it was called “New Hellroaring.” Next I will geek out with more history about how the run is named in honor of Martin Hale who was in the rst class of inductees into the Flathead
Valley Ski Heritage Center’s Hall of Fame back in fall of 2013.
When Martin was asked about getting a run named a er him, he modestly shied away from the idea of having his name for a run. A er he le the room the group looked at each other and asked, “Well, what are we going to name it then?”
Martin Hale grew up skiing on the slopes of Big Mountain and became a ski racer. He won the national junior championship in 1955. He had Olympic aspirations until he broke his back in a training run at Sun Valley. He returned home
and ran the ski school and ski shop at Big Moun- tain from 1953-56. From racer to race coach to race parent, the best run choice to honor Martin Hale is the one used for competitions today.
Martin was also known for his unique way of greeting people. Instead of saying, “Hi, how are you?” He’d say, “Nice Day!” and so the name of our run. Like any name change it may take some time to sink in, but I personally relish the oppor- tunity to use it in a sentence that incorporates skiing that run. “Hey, let’s make it a Nice Day!”
Where’s Chair 12? Yes there is a Chair 12, also known as the Elk Highlands Chair. It’s open to
WHITEFISH BANKED SLALOM - JAN. 30
-4pm on Saturday. There are skier and snowboarder divisions with 2 timed runs per competitor. Best run wins! Want to compete?
Come watch skiers and snowboarders compete for glory 9am
Pre-register online for $15 before midnight, January 29. Register day-of the event for $20.
Get full details and pre-register at SKIWHITEFISH.COM
NIGHT SKIING & LIVE MUSIC
Night Skiing is Friday & Saturday from 4–8:30pm on Chairs 2, 3 and 6. Tickets are $21. No charge for season pass holders. Stop in to Ed & Mully's for an après concert January 30 with Moonshine Mountain from 4-7pm.
877-SKI-FISH | SKIWHITEFISH.COM
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JANUARY 27, 2016 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM
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WEEKEND OUTLOOK
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