Page 12 - Flathead Beacon // 4.22.15

12 | APRIL 22, 2015 NEWS FLATHEADBEACON.COM
Whitefish Mountain
Resort Falls Short of
Banner Year
Despite below-average snow year, Big Mountain still draws 300,000 visitors
By TRISTAN SCOTT of the Beacon
Despite a below-average snow year, Whitefish Mountain Resort tallied more than 300,000 skier visits, about 45,000 fewer visits than last season but only the fifth time Big Mountain has exceeded the 300,000 mark in the ski area’s history.
“So in spite of below average snow, we feel pretty good about our num- bers,” Riley Polumbus, spokesperson for Whitefish Mountain Resort, said.
The resort recorded 221 inches of snow at the summit, where the annual average is 300 inches, but still man- aged to break a single-day attendance record on Dec. 28, when 8,144 skiers and riders hit the slopes, the first time
the resort has broken the 8,000 mark. That record came on a powder day with 15 inches of fresh falling in 24
hours and 7 inches overnight.
The previous record for single-day
attendance was set Dec. 30, 2013, with 7,654 visits.
Season pass visits were down, which Polumbus also attributed to the below-average snowfall and above- averagetemperatures.
Ski and ride school participants in- creased, however, and Polumbus said the demand for kids programs has been growing annually.
Lodging numbers also took a hit on the same curve as skier visits, but visi- tors from Washington and Oregon in- creased, likely due to the lack of snow in those states, Polumbus said.
“We’ve been seeing growth in both Washington and Oregon over the past few years yet we think it’s safe to say that we received some visitors who would not have come otherwise due to the lack of snow west of here,” she said.
Skiers enjoy blue skies on new runs in the Flower Point area at Whitefish Mountain Resort. BEACON FILE PHOTO
1 team 1 BIG valley 3 experts
Whitefish Mountain Resort has plans for $1.2 million in improvements at the summit of Big Mountain this summer, including a $1 million renova- tion to the Summit House. The project, which is pending approval by the U.S. Forest Service, would add seating to the restaurant, add restrooms to the main floor and renovate the exterior of the building with a new façade.
The resort also plans to build a new ski patrol headquarters at the summit. If approved, the project would be the third consecutive summer of major construction, which previously includ-
ed the new Flower Point chairlift, new terrain and a renovation of the Base Lodge.
“I’m so pleased that our owners continue to support the improvement of our resort infrastructure consider- ing we just finished two years of rather large scale projects,” Whitefish Moun- tain Resort President Dan Graves stat- ed in a press release. “Even after the roller-coaster season we’re complet- ing, it’s very gratifying to be able to tell our guests that there are more im- provements to come.”
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