Industry News
Investments include upgraded beginner area, expanded parking lots, new ticket pickup window
WHITEFISH, Mont. — Whitefish Mountain Resort is preparing for the 2023-24 ski season by installing a second conveyor carpet and improving snowmaking capabilities in its beginner area, as well as expanding parking lots, renovating the Base Lodge Bar and introducing a new ticket pickup stand to reduce wait times on busy days.
The beginner area targeted for improvement — just above the Base Lodge, between Chairs 4 and 9 — already is home to the Big Easy Conveyor Carpet. The new carpet, manufactured by Sunkid, will begin near the top of the existing carpet and continue upslope. This will double the usable area around the carpets and provide guests and instructors more low-angle terrain for practice and lessons.
Additionally, the resort will install an overhead cover on each conveyor carpet to keep snow off the standing surface, providing a safer and more comfortable guest experience.
“Whitefish Mountain Resort offers a variety of terrain for all abilities, and now we have created more space for our beginner and novice guests,” said Magdalen Shale, the resort’s director of snow sports. “The addition of the second carpet will open up smooth, consistent learning terrain for our first-time and beginner guests. Having two surface lifts will allow us to spread out, reduce wait times and improve the overall beginner experience.”
By moving and grading fill material, the resort is expanding the footprints of its Fir and Willow parking lots and creating a new, smaller lot just above the Base Lodge along Glades Drive. The renovation of the Base Lodge Bar will add a second cash register and increased serving capacity.
And on busy days, an express ticket pickup trailer will be stationed in the Base Lodge parking lot to service guests who purchase lift tickets online ahead of their visits. The goal is to shorten lines at the Tickets & Information windows on the west end of the Base Lodge.
“We know the lines at the Base Lodge counters can get pretty long, so on busy days, we’ll set up prepurchase pickup stations for guests who purchased their lift tickets online,” said Matt Gebo, the resort’s director of marketing and sales. “Purchasing tickets online ahead of time is a great way to score a discount, and we want to make it quicker and easier to pick up those tickets when you arrive on the mountain.”
These improvements follow last winter’s opening of the new Chair 4, the Snow Ghost Express, a six-seater lift that greatly expanded access to runs on the front side of the mountain.
“All these projects have one thing in common, and that’s our commitment to providing excellent value to our guests,” resort President Nick Polumbus said. “We want to optimize how we use every area of the resort, so guests can spend less time waiting in lines or searching for a parking spot and more time having fun on the slopes.”
The resort will kick off the 2023-24 ski season on Thursday, Dec. 7, if snow conditions permit. Anyone planning to purchase a season pass should act quickly as prices will go up after Saturday, Sept. 30; that is also the last day to sign up for a two-payment plan, which splits a pass purchase into two equal installments.
Passes can be purchased at shop.skiwhitefish.com. To skip the pickup lines and go straight to the lifts on opening day, passholders can upload their pass photos, sign their waivers, and select “PLEASE MAIL” at checkout to have their passes mailed to their homes.
