Whitefish Mountain Resort

Lifts and trails

The area currently has 11 chairlifts: 3 high-speed detachable quads and 6 fixed grip (2 quads and 4 triples). There are also three surface lifts: two T-bars and a magic carpet. Of these, 9 lifts operate regularly, including one T-bar which is normally only open on weekends.

The mountain is separated into three faces. The front side is primarily serviced by the Chair One high speed quad and has the most skiable terrain. Chair 2, which also runs on the front side was replaced with a high speed quad in 2007. The front side has 7 of the mountain's 9 chairlifts. The back side of the mountain is serviced by Chair 7, also a high speed quad. The back side has more tree skiing terrain, and additional terrain can be accessed by T-Bar 2 on weekends and during select holiday periods. The western aspect of the mountain contains the Hell Roaring basin. Serviced by Chair 8, a fixed grip triple chair, Hell Roaring basin is the most advanced skiing on the mountain with cliffs, vertical chutes, and tight tree skiing. The intermediate Hellfire trail is the longest on the mountain; it runs 3.3 miles (5.3 km) from the summit to the base of Chair 8.

The vertical drop of the ski area is 2,353 feet (717 m), with a summit elevation of 6,817 ft (2,078 m) and a base of 4,464 ft (1,361 m). The average annual snowfall is 300 inches (760 cm).

The ski area is about 19 miles (31 km) north of Glacier Park International Airport and 35 miles (56 km) south of the Canada–US border.

History

Winter Sports, Inc. (WSI) formed in 1947 as a public company of community shareholders, opened The Big Mountain on December 14, 1947, and hosted the 1949 U.S. Alpine Championships. The mountain originally had a single T-bar, which was replaced by chairlifts installed in 1960 and 1968. In June 2007, the resort was renamed "Whitefish Mountain Resort." By then the mountain had expanded to include 10 chairlifts.

Olympic champion Tommy Moe learned to ski and race at the mountain, where his father was on the ski patrol. Moe won the gold medal in the Downhill and silver in the Super-G at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway.

The mountain again hosted the U.S. Alpine Championships in 2001. That event is remembered for the failed comeback attempt, and life-altering crash, of 1984 Olympic Downhill champion Bill Johnson.

In May 2004, WSI conducted a 150-for-one reverse stock split. Its stated purpose was to lower expense by reducing the number of shareholders to below the threshold that imposed public reporting requirements. At the time the transaction was proposed, 664 shareholders, or 72% of investors in the company, each separately held less than 150 shares. In total, these investors held a 2.5% equity (and voting) stake. The board expressed concern that the transaction might be viewed as coercive, but after review and outside consultation decided the transaction was fair to the affected shareholders.

In December 2006, WSI conducted a 15-for-one reverse stock split, further reducing to about 50 remaining shareholders in order to provide a tax advantage as a Subchapter S corporation. Again, all shareholders without enough shares to exchange for a post split share were required to cash-out their stock. WSI's handling of the reverse split was criticized and resulted in animosity within the local community, where there were objections to the timing of the related announcements and the loss of a community connection to the resort by the local residents.

In 2008, an avalanche occurred in the Flathead National Forest, within hiking distance of the back side of The Big Mountain and killed two skiers on January 13, 2008. Later that year, the resort discontinued summer lift access for winter season pass holders, granting several free lift tickets instead. In September of that same year, the resort reversed the decision and announced that 2008-09 winter season passes would again convey unlimited foot-passenger lift access for summer 2009.