^TM

Snowflakes fell as I disembarked at the ultra-modern Glacier International Airport. I made my way to the waiting shuttle where I struck up a conversation with a fellow skier who had just arrived from England. He commented, "This is my fourth trip to Whitefish." I was curious and asked why he would come all the way from the UK to ski in northern Montana. His response could have come from the Visitors Bureau but instead, it came from a British powder freak who replied, "Because of the service, the friendliness, the lack of glitz and the fact that I can always find powder somewhere on Big Mountain." With these kinds of accolades, I was sure I had chosen the right place for a new winter sports adventure.

AAfter checking into Grouse Mountain Lodge, just a few blocks from town, I hopped on a shuttle bound for Whitefish's favorite après ski hangout, the Great Northern Brewery Tasting Room. It was crowded with a convivial group of locals and visitors sampling a variety of free brews, four to a customer, served in six ounce glasses with an attached tag punched with each refill. Dinner time. Another surprise. I had anticipated a town filled with cowboy fare…steaks, chops and ribs. Not to say there weren't any of those kinds of eateries, but the town offered an amazingly sophisticated array of ethnic dining spots. Newly opened Wasabi, owned and operated by a young Caucasian couple, he a French trained chef, presented one of the finest sushi meals I have had anywhere in the world, from Tokyo to Los Angeles. Their wine list, a startling array of exquisite selections from around the world. For dessert and coffee, I ambled over to Tupelo Grille for a taste of their justifiably renowned bread pudding and an espresso.

The town's favorite late night hangout, the Great Northern Bar & Grill was rocking. Loud music, smoke, laughter and a huge crowd stood in the aisles sipping their favorite brew. One night, not too long ago, Bruce Springsteen wandered in and gave a spur of the minute concert to a rapt audience. Whitefish is not a stranger to celebrities, many of whom own homes there and who prefer the friendliness and unpretentiousness of the town and its townsfolk. And they also come because of the mountain, Big Mountain.

Next morning I headed up to Big Mountain, one of the top 10 largest ski resorts in the country for a sampling of winter sports. The mid-winter, mid-morning temperature registered a mild 25 degrees Fahrenheit, typical for the area. No lift lines…a great beginning. I hopped on the Glacier Chaser high speed quad with a local couple who asked what business I was in. When I mentioned I was a travel writer, their immediate response was "But you aren't going to write about Big Mountain, are you?" When I confessed that was the reason for my trip, they begged me not to say anything good because they hated the thought of crowds invading this pristine recreational area. It would be hard to say anything bad about Big Mountain. Snow conditions were perfect and when I say uncrowded, I mean I was often shussing down wide corduroy slopes with no one else in sight. Other options, which I didn't opt for, included gladed powder runs through big timber forests and night skiing. At the 7,000 foot summit, the panorama of Whitefish Lake and the saw-toothed, snow covered Canadian Rockies bordering Glacier National Park took my breath away.

After a hearty lunch in Alpinglow Inn, I met up with a bumblebee yellow coated member of the resort's Ambassadors who guided me down slopes on four sides of the mountain. Big Mountain is one of the few ski resorts offering "all around" skiing and is the only one where skiers can take one (7 ½ minute) lift to the summit and ski down the mountain in any direction. Intermediate runs make up 50%, advanced and beginner runs each have 25% of the 3,000 skiable acres. Visibility at the top of the mountain sometimes became poor, but fog balls marking the way insured a safe descent. But like they say, if you don't like the weather, just wait five minutes. It is sure to change.

The next day, I headed off to get an up close view of Glacier National Park, just 25 miles away. I didn't see a single other car on the road on the way in to the park. Passing Lake McDonald, I wondered at the mirror reflection of the snow capped mountains and trees and wished, later that I had stopped for a photo. Parking my car close to Lake McDonald Lodge, I donned snowshoes and started my hike around the lake and up a trail through the evergreen forest and alongside a snow banked creek. After a picnic lunch sitting on a snow-free log , I headed back into town where I packed up my belongings and checked out of the Grouse Mountain Lodge. I had decided to split my stay at two hotels, one on the mountain and one in town, so I moved on up to Kandahar Lodge on Big Mountain.

My mission was to sample all the winter sports that were available, and with the exception of boarding, I did. Tubing, a sport for all ages, provided quite a thrill as I zoomed down the icy chute in a fancy covered inner tube with handles, the ride ending at an almost perpendicular wall. Up I went, then coming down and slowing down returned to ground level. The helpful young men manning the tubes told me of a couple in their late 70's who loved the sport but had such a hard time getting out of the tube that the attendants hauled them from where they stopped, hooked them up to the rope tow and once at the top, pulled them over to the slope for several rides, while they remained comfortably seated in the tube. Several family groups raced one another down the banked chutes while others tied two tubes together and slid in tandem.

Next on the agenda, I snapped into a pair of cross country skis and guided by an instructor, headed out along the marked trails and around a small pond, which in summer, becomes a favorite place for fly fishing. Next to the Nordic ski center, chair lift six provides free lifts to everyone and on this small slope, many try their hand at Alpine skiing for the first time. Even when it is not free, there is always good value on Big Mountain.

Alpine and Nordic skiing, snow shoeing and tubing all tried. Only snowmobiling was left, so up I went to the summit to meet my guide at J&L Rentals. Along with two other couples, I descended the mountain through towering snow laden spruce trees and along adrenaline pumping cat tracks, stopping every three or four miles to enjoy the view. Along the way, we paused at a warming hut where a local couple were enjoying a picnic lunch. We struck up a conversation. It seems the degree of happiness of locals is directly correlated with the amount of snow on the mountain…the more, the better. And there was plenty of it. Three hours later, I arrived back at the summit, drove my snowmobile over to the gas pump, thanked my guide for an exhilarating afternoon and headed to the lift. Not having skis on, I wondered how I was going to get on. (I had assistance for the ride up.) When the lift operator noticed my quandary, he walked me over , slowed the chairs almost to a stop until I was safely seated and, with a smile, headed back to his perch. That's the way things are on Big Mountain. On my way down, strangers waved a friendly hello on the opposite side of the lift. During my stay, I had met a lot of people who had chosen to live in this atmosphere of neighborliness where one's value is not counted by one's possessions.

My last evening was spent at the Hellroaring Café, site of the Big Mountain's original ski lodge, built in 1947. The bar was jammed, dining tables were filled, and celebrations of all sorts were in full swing. Everyone in the cafe joined in when Happy Birthday was sung. Like the whole town, this was a friendly place, filled with laughter and good cheer.

The following morning, I thought about quality of life as I headed for home. Back at Glacier International Airport, I was not jarred by the crowds like so many airports. No waiting in lines, just like at Big Mountain. I wandered around the western themed terminal and into the gift shop where I purchased a set of beautifully hand crafted mugs, a remembrance of my visit to the Big Sky, Big Mountain and big open spaces of Montana.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Back to TravelLady Magazine