Blacktail Mountain (Near Whitefish Mt)
Finally great skiing at a ski area
My cousin Lael and her husband Darrell live in Bigfork Montana. This is near Glacier National Park and the Whitefish Mountain Ski Resort. For years they have telling me about their “private” ski area, Blacktail Mountain. Even though Whitefish is a larger mountain with more vertical they prefer Blacktail and have been skiing it since the day it opened in 1998. This is the year I come to visit and ski their hill.
Coincidently, Lael and Darrell were vacationing at Yellowstone right before I was due to come so we were able to have dinner in Bozeman with them and my son Ryan.
We had a great dinner and drove the next day to Bigfork. Unfortunately the weather turned ugly and for a couple hours we had to drive on snow packed roads. No fun with a camper in tow. Fortunately the weather broke by the time I arrived Missoula and turned north toward Big Fork. Bigfork is on the North East side of Flathead Lake so one drives through the town of Polson and up the east side of the lake. As you crest a hill before entering Polson this is the view that greets you. Amazing.
It seems my bad luck at Big Sky has turned as it has snowed 6 inches Monday and Tuesday at Blacktail and we will ski on Wednesday. Blacktail is closed Monday and Tuesdays so powder is guaranteed ! We depart their house 8am to arrive 9 am to get first tracks. Blacktail is one of the few ski resorts where the lodge is at the top of the mountain. We approach from the lake and drive several thousand feet up with more and more snow appearing at every switchback. As we drive into the parking lot a huge smile erupts on my face. The joys of a smaller ski area. Check out the parking. Our car has the Thule top, steps from the ski hill.
Darrell and Lael have lived here for 40+ years and they have developed rich friendships, many of them skiers. With it being a powder day most were there with no coordination needed. We skied with a group of 6-8 in the morning. I received a private tour, it was glorious. After a short break I found Lael and Darrel talking with yet another friend, Peggy Spencer. (In the light blue below)
Turns out Peggy and her husband Steve founded and created Blacktail Mountain. Steve was the former operations manager of Big Mountain (Now called Whitefish). I can’t imagine the scope of the task….. Create a ski area from scratch boot strapping the operation. Public land permitting, investors, loans, used chair lifts…Absolutely amazing. Turns out they just sold the ski area to another smaller operator that owns one other ski area. Peggy was VERY excited about being retired. What a story it would to be read about the adventure these folks no doubt had. Turns out I know a good first step of telling the story. Stuart Winchester writes a newsletter and podcast titled “The Storm”. Great writing and Podcast interviewing on the ski industry, from people like Chairman of the Board of Vail to small operators in places like Minnesota and Wisconsin. Stu meet Steve, Steve meet Stu. I can’t wait to hear their story.
Now a bit about the skiing. It is not a big mountain with 1,440 feet of vertical. However, for most skiers and ski areas this is what people ski per run before getting back on a chair. It is pretty rare that a ski area has a lift that services over 2,000 feet. Certainly there are exceptions, like Jackson with a tram, but even there skiing top to bottom is typically not done. The Tram line is usually too long and most mere mortals can’t take skiing 3,000 feet of vertical non stop over and over again.
Lael and Darrell often told me they ski runs alone or with one other skier on the run at the same time. I smiled politely but had my doubts. Seeing is believing. This is what I saw for 3 days in a row!
Check out the “line” and skiers on the chair below.
We skied powder all day. Not bottomless by any means but very pleasant. Below is their premier glade run. This was taken at 2 pm. Count all the skiers you see in the picture.
The next day I skied alone as Darrel and Lael like to alternate their ski days. The powder was pretty much gone but I did have some nice groomer runs. I discovered that mega resorts do not have any secret sauce in creating great corduroy conditions. It was the best corduroy possible. Able to ski as fast as you want and know that your edges will not slip out. Plus with so few skiers the perfect corduroy lasts longer than my legs. The only knock on Blacktail is that it does not have any really steep terrain. But hey, no one ski area has everything.
Check out the prices……
The lodge was very nice. A family friendly boot up area and cafeteria plus a very comfortable adult restaurant upstairs.
I can also report that RV’s and campers are welcome to stay overnight in their overflow parking lot. Not half a mile away, rather 100 yards or so away from the lodge. No charge.
Then on the way home we stopped for a late lunch and beer at the bottom of the hill. Tamarack Brewing Company. Great food and an even better beer, whiskey barrel aged type.
Not sure why, but the tap version was much better than the bottle. If you like darker beer this was THE BEST.
In summary, if you are going to Whitefish be sure to take a day to visit Blacktail. Or if you are considering Fernie it is only a 2.5 hour drive from Blacktail. Airfare in the winter is reasonable to Kalispell.
Sounds like you finally found the hidden gem of a ski area, and great beer to boot. Nice.
Nice write-up, Scott. Blacktail is high on my list. I look forward to the follow-up post from Big Sky.