Whitefish Ski Museum opens for winter
Tenth Mountain Division Ski Troops training at Camp Hale near Leadville, Colorado. Circa 1943. (Photo courtesy of Denver Public Library)
The Ski Heritage Center Museum of Skiing will open for the winter season on Saturday, Dec. 16.
The Ski Museum is located at 705 Wisconsin Avenue in the historic Saddle Club Cabin adjacent to the Stumptown Ice Den in Whitefish.
The museum features the 10th Mountain Division “Ski Troops in WWII” exhibit along with a photographic exhibit portraying the history of skiing in the Flathead Valley and on Big Mountain, a Hall of Fame honoring the ski pioneers and local skiing legends, a life-size cutaway reproduction of the interior the Hellroaring Ski Cabin circa 1935 and a video library featuring rare footage of skiing in the Valley and around Montana in the 1930s, 40s and 50s.
Work is currently underway to add an oral history exhibit presenting the personal recollections of local skiing pioneers, and an outdoor exhibit featuring a collection of the historic ski lifts that have operated on Big Mountain.
Beginning on Dec. 20, the Ski Heritage Center will be open Wednesdays through Saturdays from noon to 5 p.m. Other times can be arranged for group tours or private events. As a nonprofit organization relying solely on donations and volunteers, FVSEF is always seeking new members interested in being a part of preserving and documenting the history of skiing in the region.
For more information, to volunteer or donate, or to schedule a private tour, visit whitefishskimuseum.org or contact Tim Hinderman at 406-885-2730 tim.hinderman@gmail.com.