Big Mtn. proposes powder beacon

The marketing department at Whitefish

Mountain Resort has proposed the idea of a powder and inversion

beacon in downtown Whitefish to alert skiers of prime conditions on

Big Mountain.

Two pulsing lights — blue for a powder

day of six inches or more, and amber for an inversion — would blink

nonstop from 8 a.m. to noon. The lights would be at the top of the

Great Northern Brewing Company’s building on Central Avenue.

“This is another way to celebrate

Whitefish and ski culture,” WMR marketing director Nick Polumbus

said. “It’s a motivator to get people to go outside and

recreate.”

“Whitefish is a community that

obviously embraces the outdoors, but it is also a place that can be

dark and gray for long stretches of time. Powder days are

celebrated by the community for obvious reasons, as are inversion

days because of the break they provide from the gray.”

Polumbus and Great Northern Brewing

manager Marcus Duffey presented the concept to Whitefish City

Council at the Oct. 17 meeting.

Councilor Bill Kahle was the first to

say he liked the idea. Councilor Ryan Friel agreed.

“It’s something that makes Whitefish,

Whitefish,” Friel said.

Councilor Phil Mitchell at first was

concerned the lights would be similar to a spotlight.

“It’s not a Batman signal,” Polumbus

reassured him.

Mitchell wanted to know what advantage

a beacon had to looking at web cams online.

“This is just one more way to get the

word out,” Polumbus responded.

He noted the concept will reinforce the

city’s recreational culture, too.

Adding the beacons to the brewery

building may require a variance to comply with the sign or dark sky

ordinances. City Manager Chuck Stearns told Polumbus to meet with

the planning department to discuss the details.

“If a variance isn’t needed, you could

probably go ahead with it,” Stearns said.

Polumbus said the concept won’t include

any sounds or sirens.

According to mountain statistics there

were seven inversion days in both the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons,

and only three last season. There were 16 powder days of six inches

or more in 2008-09, five powder days in 2009-10 and 18 powder days

last season.

Polumbus said the Great Northern

Brewing building is an ideal location for the beacon because it’s

at the top of Central Avenue. The lights will be visible to most

residents on the south side of town, but not those living across

the viaduct.

Bozeman has a similar flashing blue

light downtown that blinks on days that Bridger Bowl Ski Area gets

two inches of snow or more.