Whitefish Ski Resort Montana

Welcome to Whitefish Mountain Resort (formerly called ‘Big Mountain Ski Resort’ for those of the old school). Known by some as the ‘last best thing’, the Whitefish ski resort comes up with the goods in so many ways. The Big Mountain was renamed Whitefish Mountain Resort in 2007. It has transformed into a world class destination ski resort, yet it has retained some of the traits that were synonymous with the Big Mountain Montana local ski hill. The ski resort still has a delightfully laid-back vibe and a lack of show ponies or Bogner outfits, and it continues to provide unbeatable value.

Another major drawcard of the Whitefish Ski Resort is the nearby town of Whitefish Montana. It too has a very easy-going atmosphere and you won’t see any fur or glitz. Whitefish has managed to preserve its old school ski town character, although it’s on the cusp of becoming rather trendy and it has some chic shops and restaurants.

Pros & Cons of Whitefish Mountain Resort

Pros 

• With the exception of peak holidays, lift lines are generally non-existent and the ski resort uncrowded.
• The Whitefish ski resort terrain is huge and diverse enough to keep every level of skier or boarder more than amused. Intermediate cruisers are a particular highlight.
• Whitefish Montana is a fantastic ski town that’s close to the ski resort. -
• The Whitefish Resort offers great affordability, particularly with the beginners’ packages. - The friendly and down to earth vibe of Whitefish is a major plus.
• Whitefish Big Mountain is family friendly.
• Glacier National Park is close by.

Cons

• The sun doesn’t shine much during winter and the ski area is renowned for being socked in but when the sun does shine, the views are spectacular.    
• There is a much higher proportion of fixed grip chairs than detachable and the lift layout is clunky. For advanced to expert riders, some of the best terrain requires snoring cat track rides and long lap times to get to the goods.

Pro or Con Depending On Your Perspective

• Whitefish Resort is very quiet in the evenings but in the afternoons there is cracking good après ski at the Bierstube. Relative to the ski resorts near Denver and Salt Lake City, Whitefish Montana is not that easy to get to from eastern US (except Chicago and Minneapolis), but an upside is that you can travel there via train.

Whitefish Mountain Ski and Snowboard Terrain

The Big Mountain ski resort name was rather fitting considering it has 3,000 acres (1,214 hectares) of skiable terrain that sprawls across three main faces.

Big Mountain Whitefish has a bit of everything for everyone. It has great beginner facilities plus a mass of super groomed, super fast, thigh melting groomers. The mountain’s steep trees, glades and bowls provide ample off-piste challenges and excitement for advanced skiers. The expert terrain is probably not a major strength of Whitefish, but there is definitely enough gnarly terrain to keep thrill seekers entertained for a little while. Very good terrain parks round out the package and provide superb bone jarring opportunities for every level of sadistic onlooker. See the ski Whitefish page for more information on the terrain and our ratings.

The lift system at Whitefish Ski Resort needs some additional tweaking to remove some annoyingly repetitive and long traverses on cat tracks.

Whitefish Snow and Weather

Put your hands up if you love snow-ghosts? We do. For one, it gives the impression you’re skiing or snowboarding with mystical creatures straight out of ‘Where the Wild Things Are’, and two, it means there’s a helluva lot of snow. The only downside of snow ghosts is that they are indicative of yucky weather such as icy fog, wet snow, and howling winds!

Pack your low light lenses because the Whitefish Ski Resort has a common affliction for foggy days, but at least there are plenty of tree runs to combat the low visibility. And remember, sun is not good – it just melts the snow!

That being said, when the sun does come out on the Big Mountain…OMG!! The views across Whitefish Lake, Glacier National Park and the Canadian Rockies are superb.

Where is the Whitefish Ski Resort?

Located in northwest Montana is the Big Mountain Whitefish. The Whitefish Mountain Resort is a short 8 miles (13km) from the gorgeous town of Whitefish. The nearest major city is Kalispell. By road, Whitefish is only 65 miles southeast from the Canadian border and only 109 miles from Fernie in Canada.

Access to Whitefish Montana is easy by trains, planes and automobiles - literally. Trans-national railway lines, an international airport nearby and interstate highways make getting to Whitefish a breeze.

Whitefish Montana Lodging

There is plenty of Whitefish lodging on-mountain and lots of it is conveniently ski-in ski-out. Condos are the mainstay of the mountain resort accommodations as well as town homes. Whitefish Mountain Resort has all ends of the market covered.

Staying slopeside provides some amazing conveniences and is particularly well suited to families or others who don’t need a vibrant nightlife or a range of restaurants.

Most of the evening action is down in town, so if dining out and nightlife is a priority, the classic ski town of Whitefish has lots of hotels, lodges and cabins. If you don’t have a car, it’s easy to get from town to the ski resort each day via the free shuttle buses.

Whitefish Accommodations Listings

Whitefish Ski Resort Facilities

Whitefish MT is a world class ski resort and so one can expect all that that entails. The base lodge has lots of spiffy furnishings, and on-mountain dining, local bus/transport systems, and one of the best après ski bars in the world are particular stand outs. The only downfall of Whitefish Mountain Resort is its small number of breakfast and late night dining options, but with most lodging self contained and superb transport connections to the town of Whitefish, this is less of an issue than would be the case in other locations in the world.

The Montana ski resorts are synonymous with brilliant hospitality and friendliness to visitors, and Whitefish doesn’t disappoint. Whether it is on the mountain or downtown, being treated well is a great way to ensure you’ll always want to return – and you will.