Resort, Forest Service set Big Mt hiking policy

Whitefish Mountain Resort and the U.S. Forest Service announced a new policy on Monday establishing rules for uphill traffic at the ski resort.

Hiking, snowshoeing and skinning up Big Mountain has seen a surge in popularity in recent years due to better equipment and coverage in mainstream media. But that has translated into increasing safety issues, the resort said a press release.

"It used to be that you'd see one or two people hiking the mountain on an average evening," said Chester Powell, the resort's director of operations and risk management. "Now our grooming operators will tell you they see 30 or 40 people on an average night, and many more if it is exceptionally clear or a full moon."

The resort and the Forest Service made clear that this is an issue of safety, not revenue. Resort managers estimate that as many as 90 percent of uphill travelers are current winter season pass holders.

This season, resort staff have reported several near-miss incidents with grooming machines using winches and steel cable on steep terrain. The cables are under high tension and often bind and release, jumping 30 feet or more in an instant.

As recently as Friday, Feb. 19, a grooming operator reported seeing an after-hours hiker ski beneath his winch cable. The operator said he was met with aggressive resistance when he asked the skier to vacate the area for his safety.

Resort staff also report seeing after-hours hikers skiing down close behind or in front of grooming machines, ostensibly looking for freshly groomed snow to ski on. Collisions with grooming machines have resulted in fatalities and severe injuries at other ski areas.

Other dangerous practices include traveling uphill on runs with blind spots at corners or hills, traveling uphill in the middle of ski runs instead of keeping to the edge, entering terrain that is undergoing avalanche control work or is closed for other reasons, and disregarding posted warnings to stay away from high-pressure water lines and high-voltage electrical cables connected to snowmaking machines.

The new policy includes the following rules:

¥ Uphill traffic within the resort boundary will be confined to a single designated route — the uphill-left edge of the Toni Matt ski run, which will be clearly marked by signs with 12-inch red diamonds.

¥ During the regular ski season, uphill traffic will be allowed on the designated route from 6:30 a.m. until the resort closes for the day, when the ski patrol conducts its sweep of the mountain.

¥ For the first 14 days after the ski season ends, uphill traffic will be allowed on the designated route between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., with no active restrictions outside those hours and dates.

¥ No uphill traffic will be allowed prior to opening day when snow is on the ground and resort crews are typically conducting extensive slope maintenance and snowmaking operations.

The Forest Service plans to back the policy with a special order amendment, which will allow them to send staff to assist the resort enforce the new policy.

"We fully support this preventative measure," Tally Lake District Ranger Lisa Timchak said. "We're pursuing this policy in tandem with Whitefish Mountain Resort in the interest of public safety, and we plan to do what we can to help make sure people abide by it."

"I'm not a fan of restrictions under most circumstances, but in this case I think it's necessary," Tally Lake Ranger District recreation forester Becky Smith-Powell said.

Spokesman Donnie Clapp said Whitefish Mountain Resort recognizes uphill travel as a unique aspect of the Big Mountain ski culture.

"That culture is our greatest asset as a business, and what sets us apart from all the cookie-cutter ski resorts out there," he said. "I guarantee you we would not risk upsetting all of the people who enjoy hiking the mountain if we didn't feel we have to."

"Most people I've talked to have been sad to see evening hiking on Big Mountain go, but have agreed that something like this is needed. We all feel that way," resort president and CEO Dan Graves said. "I'm very hopeful that those people will encourage each other to work with us on adopting the new policy, so that going uphill can remain a part of recreating here for a long time into the future."

The full text of the policy and an Uphill Traffic Responsibility Code crafted by the resort's Ski Patrol will be posted online at skiwhitefish.com and on a large sign erected near the bottom of the uphill route.