Storm buries Big Mountain in powder

It was the deepest day of powder at Big Mountain nearly everyone skiing Sunday could remember. While powder hounds tend to have a short memory, this time the facts back up their snorkel-deep claims.

Whitefish Mountain Resort reported 17 inches of new snow overnight Sunday, and 22 inches in the previous 24 hours. That’s the deepest one-day snow total since 1996, according to resort statistics.

The second deepest 24-hour snow total was Dec. 3, 2007 when 20 inches fell overnight. The third deepest days were Jan. 28, 2008 and March 19, 2002 with 18 inches in 24 hours.

With the powder came a horde of snow hungry skiers and snowboarders.

More than 4,150 skier visits were recorded Sunday. By comparison, President’s Day topped 6,000 visitors.

“For just an average weekend, anything over 4,000 is really good,” resort spokesperson Riley Polumbus said.

She noted that about 2,800 of the skiers on the hill Sunday were locals. The day was in the top-3 for passholder visits in the past three years.

The Chair 1 lift line moved smoothly even with a 10 to 15 minute wait and a singles-line that spilled onto Middle Fork.

The opening of Chair 1 was delayed until about 10 a.m. due to ski patrol taking extra avalanche control precautions. East Rim opened at about noon and Hellroaring Basin opened at 1 p.m.

Ski patrol director Tary King called Sunday, “A day like no other.”

“We don’t get those days very often,” King said.

Patrol had 17 workers on staff for the day, four more than on a typical Sunday.

Forecasters only called for 4-8 inches Saturday night, so the 17 inches surprised King. He called in extra patrol in the morning. Due to the deep snow, patrollers had to work in areas that often don’t see avalanche control.

The crew worked the Big Drift, Back Nine, Gray Wolf Chutes and North Bowl Face, along with the typical slide areas of East Rim, Evan’s Heaven and Hellroaring Basin.

“We were going through a lot of bombs,” King said. “Slides were breaking big and running the full course. We had to go slow and be a little more careful.”

A simple control route near Evan’s Heaven that typically takes 10 minutes to patrol took upward of 30 minutes on Sunday, King said.

“We want to get this place open just as bad as the skiers in line,” King said. “But we have to make sure it’s safe first.”

King commended his veteran crew for their work Sunday.

“I’ve got the best crew there is,” he said. “A lot of the guys have been here for years and that helps a lot. They have a feel for the snow and are good at what they do.”

The resort picked up 47 inches of snow during the past week, bumping the settled base depth at the summit to 112 inches. It snowed 72 inches in the month of February. Total snow to date is at 217 inches.

There was a settled base of 114 inches at the end of February last season.