Resort breaks record skier visits for Opening Day

Open terrain, deep snow and pleasant weather highlighted Whitefish Mountain Resort’s 2022-23 winter season opening day on Thursday.

With more than 4.5 feet of snow falling on the summit prior to opening day this year, plenty of skiers and riders made the drive up the mountain to partake in the fun. Resort officials say WMR set a new opening day record with nearly 3,900 skier visits. It was a far cry from the sleeper opening the resort had last year after having to delay the first day of the season due to a lack of snow. The resort says the weather has a huge impact on how early they can open terrain, and this year the cold, snowy events leading up to the season helped form a solid base prior to opening.

“The difference between this season's opening day and last season's opening day is stark, and that's just a reality of snow sports,” says WMR Public Relations Manager Chad Sokol. “Everything we do is weather-dependent, so we're thankful any time we receive this much snow at such a key time of the year. It makes a huge difference for us and our guests and we hope this trend continues throughout the season.”

Whitefish Mountain Resort opened 84 of its 113 named trails on Thursday, as well as most of the lifts and a good amount of off-piste terrain. As of Monday, the resort says 101 trails were open.

Additionally, the resort opened Hellroaring Basin on Saturday which is likely the earliest opening of the basin ever, but definitely in recent years. The great snow conditions helped the resort to be able to open Hellroaring Basin early this year, but the relocation of Chair 8 two summers ago played a large role as well.

“The snow has really filled in the area around the bottom terminal, which used to be lower in the basin where the snowpack took longer to set up,” Sokol said. “So, the relocation project has achieved one of its primary goals and we're excited to provide guests more time to ski and ride that terrain.”

Though the resort has great conditions for this time of year, officials warn that early-season conditions do still exist, especially on the front-side lower slopes.

The resort also has a better idea of the timeline for the completion of the new Chair 4, Snow Ghost Express. The new six-person, high-speed chairlift that will transport riders from the Base Lodge to the top of Inspiration Ridge is set to be completed just before the holidays.

The haul rope was recently spliced and tensioned, and on Monday the crew from Leitner-Poma began hanging the 89 six-seat carriers. Load tests, which involve weighing down each chair to ensure the lift is safe to carry people, are to start the week of Dec. 19. The resort says during that time there will be some terrain closures to finish up Chair 4.

“We're putting the finishing touches on the Snow Ghost Express now, and while we hit a few supply chain snags during the construction process, we're aiming to open the new lift before Christmas,” Sokol said.

Final details about the opening of Chair 4 can be found at https://skiwhitefish.com/chair4.