Hikers protest new uphill policy

A steady stream of skinners, hikers and snowshoers took to the slopes of Big Mountain on Sunday after ski lifts closed.

They were there in part to show Whitefish Mountain Resort personnel how many valley residents are affected by the recent change in the resort's uphill travel policy, which now restricts hiking the mountain to between 6:30 a.m. and 4 p.m.

The mass gathering was organized though a group of more than 600 on the facebook.com Web site "Protect the Right to Responsible Uphill Travel at Whitefish Mountain Resort" and through word of mouth. About 100 hikers made their way to the summit over the course of the evening.

Last week, the resort and the Forest Service announced the uphill travel policy change, which was spawned after a few near incidents between after-hours hikers and groomers using winch cables. Resort officials say allowing hikers on the slopes while heavy machinery is working has become too much of a safety and liability hazard with the increased popularity of after-hours hiking.

The resort designated a 'summit route," marked by red diamond signs up the left side of Toni Matt slope, for hikers to follow between 6:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. The new policy went into effect on Monday.

Hikers on Sunday discussed ways to find middle ground, and Whitefish Mountain Resort spokesman Donnie Clapp said a formalized public comment period from now to the end of the ski season will poll the public's feeling about the new policy.

"Right now, we're not satisfied with the policy as a final solution because our users aren't satisfied," Clapp said. "We want to get to the best possible place. We're really committed to finding a better solution than this and are confident there is one. We just don't know what it is yet."

Clapp encourages anyone with ideas about how to improve the policy to utilize the public comment period.

"This isn't a 'Do you like the policy, yes or no' comment process," Clapp said. "We're going to ask for ideas, and after the season is over, we'll sit down with the Forest Service and share the ideas with them."

He said the policy will go through a full evaluation sometime next fall, but he doesn't rule out that it could be changed this season.

Much of the outcry about the new policy from uphill travelers stems from the after-work crowd. An estimated 40-50 hikers climbed to the summit on an average evening before the policy change, with many more during a full moon.

Clapp said the resort is listening to suggestions on how they can safely allow evening hikers, including changing the grooming pattern so skier-machinery conflicts could be limited.

"The hardest part about satisfying the 4-6 p.m. crowd is the mountain's geographical situation," Clapp said. "It's often necessary for the front side to be groomed first 'since it's south-facing). A lot of people suggested that we alter grooming routes, but that isn't very realistic. (Grooming) is very complex and weather-dependent. We can't design grooming patterns around uphill travel. We have to design uphill travel around groomers."

He also cited incidents of skiers shredding freshly groomed slopes before the snow had time to set up. The result can be deep ruts in the snow, a safety hazard.

Another idea is to have hikers obtain an "uphill pass' after taking an uphill safety and educational class, and signing a waiver. If the user were to break any established rules, their pass would be taken.

Clapp said it was an idea worth looking into further, but while it would dramatically help with safety issues, it doesn't fully address liability concerns unless the resort keeps personnel on the hill after hours, he said.

"Another problem with that idea is that the people who would submit to taking (an educational and safety class' aren't the ones causing problems," he said.

As of now, the resort says it will take a wait-and-see approach to any enforcement of the new rule. Unless a situation becomes aggressive, no serious penalty will be enacted on anyone hiking outside of the policy's stated time frame.

Clapp said a member from Grizzly Security will monitor the parking lots for skiers after hours and will inform anyone with plans to hike about the new policy. He said prior plans to have a Forest Service official on hand to help enforce the policy were quashed.

"We're really hoping people will volunteer to follow the rules right now," Clapp said. "If people can show us that they can follow these rules, that will give us a lot of confidence going forward."

Comment or suggestions can be e-mailed to pr@skiwhitefish.com or mailed to Whitefish Mountain Resort, Attn: Uphill Traffic Policy, P.O. Box 1400, Whitefish MT 59937.