Iron man of Big Mountain vertical

Records are made to be broken, but this one might stand the test of time.

Ken Jones, 52, is the new iron man of Big Mountain, having skied more than 8 million vertical feet this season. That equates to about 3,840 laps on Chair 1 or about 30 laps a day.

His total smashes the previous all-time record of 5.6 million feet set by Tony Cooper in 2013.

Sunday, the final day of the ski season, also happened to be Jones’ birthday. Between one of his laps, Whitefish Mountain Resort CEO Dan Graves presented Jones with a cake and plaque marking the extraordinary feat.

Jones took just a moment to reflect on the record before hopping back on Chair 1 to add to his season total.

“I could keep going,” Jones said, noting that he feels strong and healthy. “I wish there was another week of ski season.”

Jones moved from Nebraska to the Flathead last fall after saving up money to ski for a winter.

He was unaware of the resort’s vertical tracking program, but once he found himself near the top, he decided to go for the record.

The formula for accumulating all that vertical is simple — never rest. Jones would arrive at the hill for first chair then ski all day with no breaks, not even for lunch. He’d pack energy bars for calories. On weekends, he’d ski all day and then top it off under the lights — 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.

“Those were long days,” he said. “I’d go home beat down tired. I’m single so I’d just go right to bed.”

Jones said everyone at the mountain was supportive and cheered on his efforts as his tally climbed into uncharted territory,

“I’d get on the lift with someone and they’d say “Oh, you’re Ken Jones!” he said. “It’s just been an amazing season and everyone has been so welcoming.”

For his first day off skis, Jones planned to further explore those views he’d seen from the top of Big Mountain all winter.

“I’m going to Glacier Park,” he said. “I haven’t been there all winter.”