All in the Name of Fun

Big Mountain and I go way back. I no longer make it up to the now Whitefish Mountain Resort but we do share a vivid history compiled of embarrassments and confessions. Paging through the Stumptown Historical Society's latest publication, the memories come flooding back.

In 1974 I acquired my first set of skis. I was far from the cutting edge in ski technology, donning me wood skis and poles and psychedelic flower print parka, which may have been bright enough to be identified through the pea soup of the mountain's fog. I never did ski on Little Mountain, which the Stumptown Paper described as a sort of initiation slope for beginning skiers located by the old roller rink on the south edge of town. I can recollect thinking I was better than that. Until I twisted a chunk of my long hair into the rope of the rope tow, was dragged up the slope twenty feet and dropped to the ground without the chunk of hair attached to my scalp. After that I stayed away from the rope tow. Five year olds are at least ready for the T-bar, even if they are too chicken to ski off the top of the mountain in a virtual white out.

By first grade, my parents enrolled me in my first season of professional lessons. At the end of the season we raced, showing off all our fresh talent to relatives, friends and instructors. I was sure that I had made it down the course the quickest. If it weren’t for the fact that I missed four gates, I am sure my time would have been near the top. That was the beginning and the end of my racing career. Free skiing was more fun anyways. By the time I was in junior high school, I was launching myself off of chair one. At the top of what is now called bad medicine, I was busy being bad: the chair lift lulled along with an average sixteen minute ride to the top. Sometimes me and my buddies would just jump off. When it was real cold, we would go into the Alpin-snack and start fires with the flammable non-dairy creamer: open and throw contents of pack into mid air while buddy throws match.

By high school, I was skiing out of bounds. Those days saw the longest run of my life, from the top of the mountain down to the head of Whitefish Lake where the road meets Hell Roaring Creek. It would be inaccurate to say it hadn’t been done before and it would be inaccurate to say it was planned. I ended up leaving my skis a mile or two up the creek in different locations. Thankfully a co-worker of my mom’s offered to search the area the next day and thankfully they were retrieved before the next snowfall.

Whitefish has grown up and so have I. The both of us have seen some folly associated with our growth. Some of the folly has been admitted and other folly is still in the making or gets swept under the rug. And thank goodness historical sites like the Hell Roaring lodge still stand: the dozing a tragedy narrowly averted. If it weren’t for the lodge I would get vertigo even on a sunny day: everything looks so much different up there! Other buildings have structural difficulties. I find it odd that after all these years that the Alpinglow’s precarious design would get called on. And I remember working in the old Mogul’s restaurant one unwelcome Christmas break of storms, wind and of course fog. The roof collapsed near happy hour. Luckily nobody was hurt. The same vacation, the road was closed due to vehicle pile ups. With the road now much improved and the architecture becoming smarter, the mountain is really growing up. I just wish the Kalispell Cost-Co would offer the same ticket prices as the Canadian Cost-Co. I don’t consider this very smart marketing, unless the dollar does take the plunge this winter, making it obvious that locals can’t afford a day or two on the hill.

Stumptown Old Timer really sums up the archaic Whitefish experience. In the process of becoming history, Whitefish and I have both made mistakes, broken rules, built on dreams, changed our names, improved our image and have learned that having fun is high priority. With Whitefish Winter Carnival around the corner, locals also get a chance to laugh at themselves. In the midst of the political soup of the day- the mumbo gumbo aka the Muhlfield conspiracy, Whitefish carnival participants poke fun and create a skit performed at the Great Northern Bar highlighting a town’s folly. This year, I hope to lighten up a bit and get in on some of the fun. Especially since I no longer fear the Yetis- even if at first glance through the fog they do look an awful lot like mangy moose that hang out in Canyon Creek. Carnival events are going on now. The “big day” (parade) is the first Saturday in February.

Ski Whitefish Montana

Whitefish Mountain Resort in Montana, USA (formerly Big Mountain) has committed additional resources to its Fishbowl Terrain Park and Superpipe with the aim of making it possible to open the popular features by Christmas, as well as to expand the offerings in the park for all ability levels. A new dedicated Park and Pipe Groomer position has been created who will coordinate closely with the terrain park crew and work exclusively in the terrain park and superpipe. The resort will also seek input and involvement from local skiers and riders.
Local snowboarder and photographer Brendan Rohan said, “It is encouraging to see the new board of directors take the initiative to upgrade the on-mountain experience for the new generation of riders. It will also be a great opportunity to dialogue with the mountain about the plan and it will be awesome

for local riders to train here and not have to move elsewhere in search of better facilities.” In 2005, the resort invested $250,000 to build

a 500-foot long Superpipe to Federation of International Skiing (FIS) competition standards. Additional snowmaking, lights,

and a sound system were also installed, and the resort purchased

a new Zaugg Pipe Monster grooming implement,

the industry standard Superpipe groomer.

This winter, the Fishbowl Terrain Park will undergo an expansion to offer a progression of features for all ability levels. A dedicated beginner area will be made up of smaller and less intimidating rails, boxes, rollers, and jumps. In addition, two distinct runs will flow from the top of the Chair 3 area all the way to the bottom: an intermediate line will begin adjacent to the superpipe, and park and grooming crews will take advantage of the headwalls and breakovers on Hope Slope to create an expert line that includes bigger jumps and longer landings. The bottom half of these two lines will run parallel to one another and feature a variety of rails and boxes. Jumps in the park this winter will include a 10-foot table top, 25-foot step down, 30 foot table top, with features including a 14-foot flat beginner rail, 16-foot flat box, 16-foot shotgun rail (double bar rail), 28-foot rainbow rail, 28-foot triple kink rail (flat down flat), a long 40-foot rail, a 20-foot flat box, a 20-foot c-box (a banked and curved funbox), and a wall ride, 8-feet high and 12 feet wide, with a sliding surface on front and top. In order for these initiatives to become reality, the resort is increasing its electric and water supplies in the area that will triple the snowmaking capacity in the pipe and park.

www.skiwhitefish.com