Whitefish Mountain Resort

Whitefish Mountain Resort

Aerial view of a forested mountainous area, with ski trails. In the foreground is a partially frozen body of water.

Aerial view of The Big Mountain and surroundings
Whitefish Mountain Resort
Location in Montana
Location The Big Mountain
Flathead Nat. Forest
Flathead County,
Montana
 United States
Nearest city Whitefish
Kalispell
Missoula
Coordinates 48°30′10″N 114°20′25″W / 48.50278°N 114.34028°W / 48.50278; -114.34028 (Whitefish Mountain Resort)Coordinates: 48°30′10″N 114°20′25″W / 48.50278°N 114.34028°W / 48.50278; -114.34028 (Whitefish Mountain Resort)
Vertical 2353 ft - (717 m)
Top elevation 6817 ft - (2078 m)
Base elevation 4464 ft - (1361 m)
Skiable area 3,020 acres (12.2 km2)
Runs 93
- 15% beginner
- 35% intermediate
- 40% advanced
- 10% expert
Longest run 3.3 miles - (5.3 km)
Hellfire
Lift system 11 chairs
- 3 high-speed quad
- 2 quad
- 6 triple
3 surface tows
Terrain parks 1
Snowfall 300 in. - (762 cm)
Snowmaking yes
Night skiing Fri & Sat
lower lifts
Website skiwhitefish.com

Whitefish Mountain Resort is a ski resort located at The Big Mountain in northwestern Montana, located west of Glacier National Park in the Flathead National Forest. It is 4 miles (6 km) from the town of Whitefish and 21 miles (34 km) north of the city of Kalispell.

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.[1]

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).[2]

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.[3] 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.[4] Moe won the gold medal in the Downhill[5] and silver in the Super-G [6] at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway.

The mountain again hosted the U.S. Alpine Championships in 2001.[3] 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.[7][8]

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.[9] 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.[10] [11]

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.[12] Later that year, the resort discontinued summer lift access for winter season pass holders,[13] granting several free lift tickets instead.[14][15] 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.[16]

References

  1. ↑ "Whitefish Mountain Resort Hours and Dates". Whitefish Mountain Resort. Retrieved 2008-10-01.
  2. ↑ "Whitefish Mountain Resort Statistics". Whitefish Mountain Resort. Retrieved 2008-09-05.
  3. 1 2 "About Whitefish Mountain Resort". Whitefish Mountain Resort. Retrieved 2008-09-05.
  4. ↑ Quigley, Michelle. "It's Time for Moe". MountainZone.com. Retrieved 2008-09-05.
  5. ↑ "OL: Downhill Men Sunday (Official List), The 1994 Winter Olympics". Oslonett. Retrieved 2008-09-05.
  6. ↑ "OL-Alpine: Super-G Men (Official list), The 1994 Winter Olympics". Oslonett. Retrieved 2008-09-05.
  7. ↑ Winter Sports, Inc. (2004-02-27). "Background, Purpose, Structure and Effect of the Reverse Split". Schedule 14A. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
  8. ↑ "Montana's Cash Cowboy". He bought Big Mountain, the Whitefish ski hill, and is busy turning it into a more elaborate entity called Whitefish Mountain Resort. He's transforming the 90,000-acre Rock Creek Cattle Company into a gated, luxury vacation community with 240 home sites.
  9. ↑ Hintze, Lynette (2006-11-29). "Small investors in resort get some wiggle room". Daily Inter Lake.com. Retrieved 2009-02-28.
  10. ↑ Jamison, Michael (2006-12-17). "Locals dismayed at Big Mountain ski area stock plan". Missoulian. Retrieved 2008-09-05.
  11. ↑ "Small investors explain why they want a piece of Big Mountain". Jan 4, 2007. Retrieved 29 May 2010. Winter Sports CEO Fred Jones said the board was trying to avoid what happened with the last reverse split, when an unknown investor divided his shares into numerous holdings with 149 shares apiece -- one share less than the minimum.
  12. ↑ "Trail at fatal Flathead avalanche site to reopen". Montana Television Network. 2008-01-27. Retrieved 2008-09-05.
  13. ↑ Lomax, Becky (2008-05-28). "Whitefish Mountain Resort Changes Summer Lift Policies". flatheadbeacon.com. Retrieved 2008-09-05.
  14. ↑ "Lift policy change notification letter". Whitefish Mountain Resort. 2008-06-13. Retrieved 2008-09-05.
  15. ↑ "Follow-up notification letter". Whitefish Mountain Resort. 2008-06-17. Retrieved 2008-09-05.
  16. ↑ Clapp, Donnie (2008-09-25). "Whitefish Mountain Resort Newsletter: Winter Passes will Include Summer Lift Rides, Donnie is Sore, and Just What are Ski School Programs?". Whitefish Mountain Resort. Retrieved 2008-10-01.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 8/23/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.