Big Mountain opening this weekend
Skiers and snowboarders hitting the slopes on opening day at Whitefish Mountain Resort this Saturday will have access to nearly 100 percent of the terrain on Big Mountain, including Hellroaring Basin. It’s the first time in its 17 year existence that Hellroaring Basin will be accessible for skiing on opening day.
With a settle base of 53 inches at the summit and 21 inches in the village, the resort will open with top-to-bottom skiing.
“The snow coverage this year is amazing, and crews have gone above and beyond working additional hours to prepare for what will be remembered as one of our biggest opening days in resort history,” said Whitefish Mountain Resort president Dan Graves.
Chairs 2, 3, 6 and the Big Easy Carpet will open at 9 a.m. and Chair 1 will open at 9:30 a.m. Chairs 7 and 8 will open at 10 a.m.
The only factor keeping the resort from opening 100 percent is downed timber left from cutting new runs on north side near Flower Point. Due to piles of cut timber, T-bar 2 will not run on Saturday.
“We are one storm away from seeing those covered in snow,” Graves added.
The FishBowl terrain park will have a few features set up in the Chair 3 area.
Employees at the resort went through orientation this week and will be ready when the lifts fire up Saturday morning, resort spokeswoman Riley Polumbus said.
Snowmaking crews have been busy all week taking advantage of the cold snap. They are focusing efforts on lower Toni Matt, the lift plaza area and the Base Lodge area.
The forecast is calling for continued colder than normal temperatures this weekend. The high on Saturday is project to be minus 3 at the summit. Temperatures in the morning could be as low as minus 16 with wind chill values of minus 39.
“We’d like to remind everyone to keep an eye on each other this weekend, with all the snow guests need to be especially aware of tree wells and stay with a buddy and keep them in sight,” said Tary King, patrol director. “With the cold temperatures watch for signs of frostbite and take breaks to warm up inside. We remind our guests to ski and ride with care, within their ability levels, and remember early season conditions exist, unmarked obstacles and other natural terrain features may be encountered at any time.”
Food and beverage services on the mountain will be 100 percent open, including the Summit House and Base Lodge.
The Kids Center and Daycare will be open as well as a full line-up of lessons at the Ski and Ride School. Additional services available include the Base Lodge Rental Shop, Village Equipment Rentals as well as Base Lodge Traders, Snow Ghost Outfitters and Summit House Gifts.