Big Mountain to expand bike trails

Two new top-to-bottom downhill mountain bike trails are proposed to be built this summer on Big Mountain. The downhill-only trails will be designed for advanced freeriders, similar to the Runaway Train trail on the east face of the mountain.

Officials at Whitefish Mountain Resort have been planning for the 5 miles of new trails for more than three years. With approval from the Forest Service, they hope to begin trail construction this summer.

One of the trails, informally being referred to as “The Gut,” runs along the edge of Ptarmigan Bowl before crossing under Chair 1 toward the base of Chair 5. It then goes along Bench Run to Powder Bowl and onto Larch and Toni Matt. After cutting toward Cork Screw it heads back to the base of Chair 1.

Resort spokeswoman Riley Polumbus said a perk of the trail is that visitors on the scenic lift ride will be able to watch cyclists on most of the descent.

The other top-to-bottom trail cuts between Upper Big Ravine and 1000 Turns to School Bench Jump and The Notch. It then parallels the Summit Trail toward the top of Chair 2. From there it cuts down near Swift Creek and Ranger Trail and meets up with the Summit Trail in the Chair 3 area.

A third trail wraps around the snowmaking ponds near the summit and features a rock spine.

The trails will feature a mix of natural and wooden obstacles and banked corners. They will be designed to take advantage of the terrain to help riders control their speed without excessive braking. The trails will also feature “pull out” areas where a rider can easily access the Summit Trail if they find themselves in over their head on the technical terrain.

The trails will mostly be about two feet wide, and six feet wide at some banked corners. Some trees will need to be removed, with the resort compensating the Forest Service for their value. No trees larger than 10 inches in diameter will be removed.

Re-vegetation will be required in disturbed areas when construction is complete.

Polumbus said the new trails will not only help boost the mountain’s image as a mountain bike destination, but they will also pad their resume as a summer resort.

“We already have people coming to Whitefish as a base to start their summer adventure,” Polumbus said. “Having more mountain bike trails along with our other activities makes people want to come up here for multiple days.”

She says the freeride biking scene is one of the fastest growing segments in summer recreation.

“Runaway Train has been super popular,” Polumbus said. “The new trails will hopefully attract more downhill mountain bike enthusiasts.”

The new trails will also ease traffic on the family-friendly Summit Trail, making it a safer trail for beginner and intermediate riders, as well as uphill riders.

With the addition of more trails, it is likely the resort will need to hire more employees to maintain and patrol the expanded terrain, Polumbus said.

Public comment regarding the new trails is being taken by the Forest Service until May 31. Email comments to comments-northern-flathead-tally-lake@fs.fed.us, or call 758-5204.