Page 67 - Flathead Beacon // 9.9.15

WEEKEND OUTLOOK
WEEKLY ON-MOUNTAIN NEWS WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2015
LOW35oF HI73oF
It’s time to buy your pass
“These are the good old days” is the campaign we’ve been using for the past two seasons for mar- keting our resort. We chose it because we think we have a spirited history here, and our mountain’s heritage stands out from other resorts hav- ing been established in 1947. We also felt that the campaign spoke to both our out-of-town guests as well as our local customers (you) be- cause so many people who ski here have been doing so for a good portion of their lives and/
or generations in their family.
As the PR Manager at the resort it was part
of my job, and my pleasure, to learn about the company’s history, and its connection to the town of Whitefish and other communi- ties nearby. In my first month I poured over articles about our resort dating back to the beginning. I am both pleased and grateful to be a part of a mountain and town relationship seeded by a passion for skiing and mountain- centric lifestyle.
One particular article speaks to this des- tined relationship for which we (the ski area) owe our existence to: “They Bet Their Shirts on Skiing” which appeared in The Saturday Evening Post, March 4, 1950. The article, with words by Edmund Christopherson as told by Big Mountain co-founder and then CEO Ed Schenck, portrays the humble beginning of our company as a community-funded ven- ture.
In a nutshell: In the 1940s the town of Whitefish had a burgeoning population of skiers. Largely a railroad, timber and summer tourism-based economy, the skiers thought that Whitefish’s big mountain to the north was good enough to be the next Sun Valley or
the season plus receive additional on-moun- tain benefits, it allows us to continue to ex- pand and improve our facilities and services. In many ways your title of “pass holder” is the present day equivalent of “shareholder” in the 1950s.
Just as Ed & George came down the moun- tain to recruit investors, we will be in White- fish and Kalispell selling passes during the month of September. Come see us at one of these locations to purchase your pass, or if you prefer, come up to the mountain, call us at 862-2900 or buy on skiwhitefish.com.
We look forward to another season pursu- ing winter adventures on the mountain with you. Thanks for helping making us what we are today.
Photo © Brian Schott
Riley Polumbus
SELLING PASSES NEAR YOU:
Sept 15 Craggy Range 5 - 8 p.m.
Sept 17
Great Northern Brewery
5 - 8 p.m.
Sept 19 Cruncher Sale Kalispell Sportsman Ski Haus
9 – 6 p.m.
Sept 20 Sweet Peaks Kalispell
12 - 7 p.m.
Sept 21-24 The Wave 4 - 7 p.m.
Sept 25, 26 & 28 Montana Coffee Traders Whitefish
8 – 4 p.m.
Sept 27 Sweet Peaks Whitefish
12 - 7 p.m.
Sept 29 Stumptown Snowboards Downtown 10 – 5 p.m.
Sept 30 The White Room
10 – 5 p.m.
St. Moritz potentially extending its tourism trade into winter. So when Ed Schenck and George Prentice came to the area looking to build a ski area, the Whitefish Chamber and a group of skiers wooed them.
“Whitefish wanted to be a winter resort. So the citizens pooled their savings and plunged into one of the darnedest community projects Montana has ever seen,” wrote Christopher- son. The article tells the story of the struggles Schenck and Prentice encountered in the be- ginning, and how the townsfolk continuously backed their efforts. One paragraph stands out to me that speaks to why this venture oc- curred and succeeded:
There are few people in town who don’t feel personally proud of Big Mountain. You
can see it from almost anywhere in town. It stands out from the other mountains to the north because of the wide, crisscrossed pat- terns, like an enormous figure four, that the ski runs etch in its evergreen cover. Some- how it has become a concrete expression of the town’s spirit of adventure and co-oper- ation.
These words written in 1950 still resonate today. Residents as far as Polson gaze upon “our mountain” with devotion. And as the green runs turn to white, our eager anticipa- tion for the next ski season wells up inside.
Your purchase of a season pass is your way of continuing the legacy of this ongo- ing “community project.” Your pass not only grants you the opportunity to ski every day of
SUMMER ACTIVITIES ARE AVAILABLE FRIDAY- SUNDAY ONLY THROUGH SEPTEMBER 27.
Photo © Noah Clayton
SUMMER PERKS FOR PASSHOLDERS
If you had a Winter 2014/15 Season Pass you have Summer 2015 Zip Line Tour, Alpine Slide, Bike, Walk in the Treetops and Aerial Adventure Park perks still available: skiwhitefish.com/perks
SEASON PASS SALE! DEADLINE SEPT. 30
There are 4 ways to get your 2015/16 Winter Season Pass and/or register for Programs & Teams: ONLINE (estore.skiwhitefish.com), valley-wide PASS SALE EVENTS, by PHONE (406-862-2900) and at the MOUNTAIN. Visit skiwhitefish.com for pricing, payment plans and full details.
877-SKI-FISH | SKIWHITEFISH.COM
SEPTEMBER 9, 2015 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM
67