Slalom course renamed to honor longtime ski school director

“Nice Day!” The simple greeting forever connected to hall of fame skier Martin Hale is now a named run at Whitefish Mountain Resort.

Slalom Run off of Chair 2 has been renamed Nice Day to honor Hale’s years of support for youth ski racing in the Flathead Valley. Hale was a national junior champion ski racer, and later a coach, mentor and longtime ski school director at Big Mountain. He was inducted into the Flathead Ski Heritage Center hall of fame with the inaugural class of 2014.

The name Nice Day refers back to when Hale was head of the ski school, explained Tim Hinderman, executive director of the Flathead Valley Ski Education Foundation.

“We’d have ski trains come into Whitefish from Seattle or Chicago and it’d be Murphy’s law that we’d have horrible weather as they got off the train,” Hinderman said. “The skiers would come into the ski school like wet dogs and Martin would be standing there with a big smile and say ‘Nice day!’ It’s an expression that is totally connected to him.”

Hale was joined by Olympic champion skier Phil Mahre, resort CEO Dan Graves, Mountain Operations Manager Chester Powell and Hinderman for the ceremonial renaming of the slope March 19 during the annual HellRoaring Ski Heritage Days.

Hinderman said it’s due time Hale had a slope on Big Mountain named in his honor, and putting that moniker on the longtime race hill makes it even more significant.

“That’s been the race hill forever,” Hinderman said.

Participants at the annual HellRoaring Ski Heritage Days were greeted with perfect weather and snow conditions.

The festivities included an old-style retro race course, a vintage outfit contest and a skiing promenade down the Toni Matt slope.

Mahre — gold medal winner in slalom at the 1980 Winter Games — was well received as guest of honor, Hinderman said.

“He understands the importance of the history of skiing and preserving it,” Hinderman said. “He was great with the kids and spent time skiing with then and signing autographs.”

Ski Heritage Days is a fundraiser for the Ski Heritage Center Museum of Skiing. The facility planned for the old Saddle Club building near the Stumptown Ice Den is hoping for an official opening late next fall. Once completed, the center will include a museum and hall of fame, and serve as a gathering place for locals and visitors to learn about the history of skiing in the region.

Recent donations have come in to help move the project forward, including one family who donated a full kitchen set.

“We have a couple of people working on exhibits right now and it all seems to be rolling in a positive direction,” Hinderman said.

Hinderman thanked everyone who attended and volunteered at Ski Heritage Days.

“It was overwhelming with the number of people that showed up,” he said.

For more information on the Ski Heritage Center or to make a donation, contact Hinderman at 406-885-2730, or visit www.fvsef.org.