Big Mountain to open Saturday with limited runs

Whitefish Mountain Resort will open some of its slopes for skiing on Saturday, Dec. 10, one week after the scheduled opening day.

Five lifts and six runs will be open with lift ticket prices reduced to $39 for ages 13-69 and $25 for ages 7-12. Seniors 70-and-over and children under-7 ski for free.

The ski resort reports a 25-inch settled base at the summit and four inches in the village area. Chairlifts 3, 6, 1 and 7 will be operating, and skiers will have to ride Chair 1 down the front side to return to the village area.

Runs that will be open for skiing are limited to Hope Slope, Chipmunk, Magic Carpet, Goat Haunt, Whitetail and Gray Wolf. Snowmaking efforts made up for a serious dearth of snow the past few weeks, enabling the resort to open in a limited fashion.

"We've had a very good week of snowmaking and feel we have made enough snow for people to come up to the mountain to have some fun," said Chester Powell, the resort's mountain manager.

The Summit House and facilities in the Base Lodge will be open, as will many businesses in the village area.