sibhusky

Another near perfect day (one run that looked good, but wasn't. Warmed snow, suddenly got colder and way firmer than it appeared.) Severely edited set of pictures. They were all great.

My peak, and it'll remain my peak, was the year I slammed into a tree. My focus is on finishing the season in one piece. That being said, I expect I'll rack up another million.

We've got a new vertical king here. http://flatheadbeacon.com/2016/03/15/first-time-pass-holder-surpasses-6-million-vertical-feet-and-counting-2/

Powder day!!!

Still on my Hell and Backs. Going to be in the market for new ones soon, but the last two seasons have had so few days where I needed a wide ski, that I am still using them. I had to "re-learn" them today. SAD.

Some much-needed snow meant I took out my powder skis for the first time in weeks and weeks!

Friday was one of those days that people line up to take pictures. Today was a good day to bring your skates.

Yes

You could theoretically get to Whitefish from where you are by train. A bus to Philly, then train to Washington, Chicago, Whitefish.

Yes, it was entirely too sunny. Some snowboarder on the chair opined it had turned into a really nice day. Myself and the tele guy on my left sat in stony silence. That beautiful sun was destroying the light fluff not only on the front, but the deep stashes in the back. I had to keep my mouth shut about it not being a nice day if you had a clue. Sun is fine if it's 18 degrees or less, not when it's 30.

These days, it's not the actual Jersey Boys, which as far as I know was a one off. It's a lady from Kalispell. http://www.whitefishpilot.com/news/new-owner-at-popular-whitefish-pizza-place/article_92d2b728-d7f2-11e4-963c-97426a0ecfef.html?mode=jqm Oops, I was wrong. Started in Colorado. http://flatheadbeacon.com/2015/04/16/slinging-pies-and-finding-opportunity/

Article by a Canadian: http://calgaryherald.com/travel/ski-snowboard/heading-back-to-big-mountain

Type Justin Bieber Whitefish in Facebook. There's a ton of them.

Apparently I totally missed Justin Bieber eating at the Summit House today. Was too busy making sure I only took 25 minutes and got back out again, I guess. Not that I would have recognized him.

Ridge Run (Flower Point area) this AM. View of the Bowl after lunch.

Doug must have a book with notes on my life or something..

Some nice powder for you.

I still have the Audi, and it's showing its age. I hope to replace it this year with either the VW Golf Alltrack or an Outback. Hoping the Alltrack comes with a stick. I saw the Canadians are getting the choice of a stick.

Siblet lives in Missoula these days. I only go to Kalispell for the box stores or my mechanic. July and August is when Glacier National Park is open. That's the big draw. But, since this is a resort town there are always festivals of some kind or another going on. In addition, the mountain is a big mountain biking attraction, plus zip lines, etc. Then south of here is Flathead Lake, 27 miles long. So, there are dragon boat races, regattas, fishing, etc. And Whitefish Lake has more boating. Golf is big. Breweries are big. We've now got two distilleries in town as well. In August, the cherries come in. If you like the outdoors, there's a ton to do here.

Just to give you a feel for sizes, there are roughly 8300 people in the town of Whitefish, maybe 11000 in the school district, which extends some considerable miles outside the town limits (I am not within the town limits). There are 800,000 tourists a year. Most of them between July and August. Really irritating even to go to the grocery store then.

It's definitely a locals town, as long as you count the Canadians as locals... Just kidding. The town existed long before skiing, but it's been a ski town since 1947. The high season is actually summer due to the proximity to Glacier. I have to confess, though, that with the move of the drug store to the south of town, I only really shop at the hardware store. The rest of the shops are either high end clothes or tourist/gift shops. But it's not a ghost town in the shoulder seasons, just sleepier. The biggest problem is lack of rental apartments for normal people. Renting is geared to tourists. Columbia Falls is starting to be where young people like teachers and firefighters live. Although real estate is "reasonable" in Whitefish compared to most ski resorts, the median home price is still much higher than the rest of the county. There's a lot of guys living together as a "pack" if they live in town. The nice part of living in a tourist town is having much nicer restaurants and amenities than a town this size in the far NW corner of Montana would normally have.

Not generally, especially in the winter, unless to get gas or mail a letter. The ski area is North of town and so am I. Here's some commercial pictures. More here: http://portfolios.chuckhaney.com/sources/mobile2/index.php#portfolios/133/0

Stay away President's Week and maybe the week before. Although this year things weren't as bad as in the past due to the relative weakness of the Canadian dollar, it's still a week to avoid. On average, most of the snow arrives in January, but year to year that varies all over the map. Current long range forecasts show a GREAT season, colder and more precipitation (snow) than normal. So, I'd say best snow and fewest people third week of January until February 10. Fog levels seem to be depending on the lakes freezing. So, if it's cold, lakes should be frozen by then. Then February 27 onwards. I'd make it before mid March unless you're a fan of spring conditions. March is also far less foggy. But, the snow ghosts disappear as well. So, kind of depends what you are looking for.

Today. Views into Glacier (white peaks in distance). North Bowl area and East Rim in the near distance.

Top of Gelaendesprung today.