Ski resorts plans Base Lodge renovation

Fresh off a record season for skier visits, Whitefish Mountain Resort is ready to pump some of its revenue back into capital improvements.

A $500,000 renovation to the Base Lodge this summer will expand and improve the food court area and add more indoor seating. The coffee bar will be relocated closer to the patio and will include a walk-up window.

“We are creating more options and helping improve the flow,” said resort spokeswoman Riley Polumbus.

Also planned is a new overflow parking lot.

“On our busiest days we filled up parking by 9:30 a.m.,” Polumbus said. “We had people parking on private roads.”

The resort recorded multiple days last season with more than 7,000 skier visits.

The new lot is expected to add an additional 300 parking spaces and will be located between the Willow parking lot and Glades Drive.

The resort also picked up a new shuttle bus for transportation between the base area and upper village.

On the snow, work on the Flower Point lift project is expected to continue when the snow melts.

A fixed-grip triple chairlift on the north side of the mountain will open up access to new runs and glades from the top of Flower Point, creating an additional 200 acres of lift-served terrain.

“We’ve already received positive feedback from our guests about the new runs we opened last season in the area, and we anticipate the lift and additional acreage will be the icing on the cake,” said resort president Dan Graves.

The resort purchased two snowcats and will upgrade snowmaking in the beginner ski areas. New scanning technology also will be purchased to improve speed in the lift lines and at restaurants.