BIG MOUNTAIN AT WHITEFISH MOUNTAIN RESORT
February 23 to March 1 ,2008
Trip Wrap Up
This year the Skihasen and Downhillers joined with the Milwaukee Sitzmarks to go to Whitefish Mountain Resort, formerly Big Mountain, in Whitefish, Montana.
The Skihasen and Downhillers sent 13 on the trip while the Sitzmarks had 23. Thirty-six people made the trip from Milwaukee, Sheboygan and Kohler.
The trip included:
Round trip airfare from Milwaukee to Kalispell, Montana on Delta and United Airlines. Round trip ground transportation, Kalispell to Big Mountain by charter bus. Five days lift tickets. Seven days lodging at the Morning Eagle Lodge condos on Big Mountain.
The base elevation is 4464 feet and the summit is 6817 feet with 3,000 acres, 93 marked runs, which are 20% beginner, 50% intermediate and 30% advanced or expert.
Big Mountain is changing its name to Whitefish Mountain Resort.
Whitefish Mountain Resort ranked 20th in the 2007 Ski Magazine's 2007 readers resort survey.
Big Mountain/Whitefish Mountain Resort is known for it's snow and it's fog. Fortunately we only had one day of the latter. Unfortunately we only had one day of the former. However, the temperatures were in high 20's to high 30's on the mountain and the mountain is big.
The condo's were right at the base of the mountain, walk out the ski locker door, step into the bindings and glide to the bottom of the #3 chair. At the end of the day an easy schuss got you back to the place you started the day.
The clubs mixed well together with people from both groups hooking up to ski. The Sitzmarks made a routine of meeting in the lobby of the condo to quaff a few brews after a day on the slopes joined by a few Downhillers/Skihasen.
The town of Whitefish is very rustic. If you ever visited Breckenridge in the early '80's that's Whitefish. A lot of the buildings still show original interiors and exteriors. Not too much gentrification. The locals haven't just moved there. Whitefish is actually a railroad town, not a mining town like so many resort towns. For you railroad fans Whitefish has strong ties to the old Great Northern RR.