Skiing Whitefish Mountain Resort
Located just West of Glacier National Park lies one of America’s best kept secrets, Whitefish Mountain Resort is home to some of the best year after year powder stashes in the West. With around 300 inches of average seasonal snowfall as well as containing over 2300 Ft of vertical drop, the vast amounts of bowls and tree skiing, Whitefish mountain holds the key to a great day of deep powder and tree skiing.
My personal recommendation for the best powder is to go on any weekday and make sure to arrive early as possible, for we all know the early bird gets the worm! Start up the Big Mountain Express (Chair 1) and cruise up and over to the Glory Hole to get your legs under you. This trail also gets tracked out pretty fast, so make sure to hit it early for optimal shredding. Once you get that out of the way, make your way over to the Picture Chutes and the Gray’s Golf Course and Back9 Area. This will keep you busy for hours as the time it takes to do a lap in the Hellroaring Basin can be quite extensive, but surely will not disappoint. The Hellroaring Basin can be a mecca of powder after a good snowfall, often times you can even venture out of bounds a bit with the ability to make it back to the lift. Just be careful and know where you are going before you journey out of bounds as the consequences can be less than ideal.
Another of my favorite things about Whitefish Mountain Resort is the infamous “Snow Ghosts.” Created by clouds, winds and Fog that are mainstays on the ridge tops of the mountain, this combination of forces creates unique suspended water droplets. When the suspended water droplets come in contact with obstacles, A.K.A. Trees, they freeze resulting in what is classified as rime ice. This whole process results in massive ghost like looking trees. They are simply amazing to look at. Although they look like powder coated trees, I would not recommend trying to ski to close as they are very hard and icy. Known as a signature element of Whitefish Mountain Resort, Skiing or Riding through a group of Snow Ghosts is an experience you will never forget.
Whitefish Mountain offers something for all types of skiers. Loads of groomed runs for beginners, steeper runs for intermediates and a mass amount of off trail access for the advanced. Whitefish Mountain also houses 5 terrain parks ranging in difficulty and size of the hits and rails. So whether you are into spread eagles and daffy’s or going big and working on that nose butter rodeo 1440, this place has you covered.
Overall, Whitefish is one of my favorite mountains in the West. It is not too overcrowded and has something for whatever you are into. So get your sticks, grab your board and head over to Whitefish Mountain for an incredible day of skiing or riding. To sweeten the pot, Whitefish Escapes has a large collection of both Ski-In/Ski-Out home and condo rentals as well as other Whitefish lodging options around town. I can guarantee it will have you coming back for more. I know I keep going back year after year.