Cycling fundraising trip comes to finish at Big Mountain

Tim Hinderman pedaled up Big Mountain Road Thursday afternoon, putting the finishing touches on a 2,100-mile trek to all of Montana’s ski resorts.

Received by a small group of friends in front of Hellroaring Saloon & Eatery in the Village at Whitefish Mountain Resort, Hinderman pedaled up the final hill, set his bike down and cracked open a cold beer with a smile on his face.

Hinderman, FVSEF’s executive director, set out on July 15, visiting all 15 of the state’s ski resorts as a fundraising effort for the Flathead Valley Ski Education Foundation’s Ski Heritage Museum of Skiing in Whitefish.

As of Thursday, Hinderman said about $10,000 had been raised in pledged donations for the foundation.

“There were some highlights and lowlights,” Hinderman said of the trip. “It was a little hard out in the wheat fields, but it’s just a neat way to see parts of the state.”

The highlights, he said, were some of the outstanding views offered along the route, including Beartooth Pass in Southwest Montana, the north sections of Yellowstone National Park and the Pintler Scenic Highway in Western Montana.

“That whole stretch was just amazing, that whole Southwestern, West-Central portion of Montana,” he said.

The challenges were manageable. En route to Bear Paw Ski Bowl in the Bearpaw Mountains, Hinderman faced a tribal officer who threatened to confiscate his bike for not having a permit, though Hinderman saw no signage notifying him of the reservation status in the area.

A host of flat tire issues popped up too, but friendly strangers helped him along the way. In Geraldine, a small town in Chouteau County, a woman picked him up two miles out of town and had lined up a beer, burger and bed for him before he made it out of her vehicle. And in Anaconda, Whitefish native Peter Kurtz performed some bike maintenance for Hinderman at a friendly discounted rate.

Meeting different people around the state is the best part of these, trips, Hinderman said.

“Just everywhere you go people go out of their way and they’re friendly,” he said.

The trip also afforded a unique look at the variety of ski resorts in Montana.

Between the top tier resorts, like Big Sky and Whitefish Mountain, and the small, hyper-local ski hills like Teton Pass Ski Resort in Choteau, Hinderman said it was enjoyable to see a cross-section comparison of the different types of skiing that exist in the state.

In the case of the smaller resorts, he said it’s a reminder of the fundamental origins of the sport.

“It’s neat, it’s kind of what the sport was about 50 years ago,” he said. “It’s neat to see those places, that they still exist and the locals are still passionate about it.”

The trip was sponsored by Sportsman Ski Haus, Hammer Nutrition and Great Northern Cycle & Ski.

The ski museum is housed in the former Saddle Club building on Wisconsin Avenue. So far the remodel has added a new kitchen, offices and new doors and windows. Pledges dedicated to the museum go toward the initial exhibits and photo gallery to help get the museum open in the fall in time for Whitefish Mountain Resort’s 70th anniversary season.

The trip took in donations based on various combinations of lift ticket prices at the ski areas. Pledge packages range from $93 to $1,100, but pledges and donations are accepted in any amount.

Hinderman said he’s extremely grateful for those who donated, but urged people not to forget about FVSEF’s cause just because his trip is over. FVSEF is also participating in this year’s Great Fish Challenge fundraising campaign, which runs until Sept. 15.

“Ski museums, or any museums, are just a labor of the community. There’s no profit center there, so they really do run on fundraising, donations, and contributions. Anybody that reads this and is captivated by the idea — what they should do is donate to the ski foundation and to the Great Fish Challenge,” Hinderman said.

“That would be the way to be involved. We’re never not fundraising, so don’t be shy,” he added.

Pledges can be sent to tim.hinderman@fvself.org and can be designated for either the Ski Heritage Center Museum opening fund or the FVSEF scholarship fund.