Big Mountain delays ski opener

Citing lack of snow, Whitefish Mountain Resort will not open for the ski season on Saturday, Dec. 3, as planned.

"We are watching the weather very closely and fully intend to open the mountain as soon as it is possible," the resort's Web site said. "Given our current conditions, we feel like we're one good snowstorm away from having a solid enough base depth at the bottom of Chair 7 to open that area of the mountain. That is what we are focused on right now."

The resort reports a snow depth of 25 inches at Big Mountain's summit but very little snow in the village. There also isn't enough snow cover at the bottom of the back side for skiers to access the Chair 7 terminal.