Whitefish Montana 3/18-3/20 2013

Three powder days included a bluebird day! Super snow, spectacular views, fabulous terrain. Last day was a typical Montana day with no views, but lots of new snow. Great way to start off our vacation.



Rochester Mark, Cool Dog, Denis B and Slim Dog


This is Denis, he's in his 70s, MRG shareholder,  telemarker. He was rockin the steep trees until it was time for his nap.






Rochester Mark
















Our last day was stormy with low viz. Fresh creamy snow. Had to stay in the trees, but it was sweet, constantly refreshing.

We did a lot of hiking, but on the last day, the guys still wanted to hike. I did one hike, but decided with the snow falling, it was not worth the effort since the lift-served trees were refreshing with each run, and there were less than 700 people at the resort, so not very much competition for fresh snow.

Drove to Anaconda. Got a motel room for $92 for 2 people that includes 2 lift tix and breakfast. Best ski n stay deal! Go to the Trade Winds Motel in Anaconda. It is basic and clean, has a hot tub, wifi, beds are comfortable.

Looks great.

For my recent trip to the northwest, the choice was between Whitefish and Schweitzer, and I ultimately flipped a coin and went with the latter. They seem to have a lot of similarities in weather, snow totals, terrain, etc. For destination-visitor convenience, Whitefish has an advantage with an airport close by. Since you've been to both, how do they compare?

Great pics, my trip starts next week and you adding fuel to the stoke

The vibe at Whitefish outweighs the vibe at Schweitzer. I know this is something difficult to describe, but Whitefish was a very friendly and uncrowded place. Locals were extremely friendly and happy to show you their hikes and point out good places to ski. There was not much competition for fresh snow. Yesterday only 600+ people were there. The sunny day there was still less 1800 people.

Tons of people on AT gear. People were skiing and snowshoeing up the mountain and/or launching into the backcountry.

There is definitely a different crowd. We found Schweitzer to be mostly kids and families from Spokane on day trips. At Whitefish 22% are Canadian, many from Calgary, drive past their mountains to get too Whitefish. Many transplants into the area for the mountain culture. Really sweet town and great place to live. I could not say the same for coeur d'alene unless you are a white supremist.

Whitefish has a nice downtown with great shops, restaurants and cafes. There is also an ice rink, and lots of massage therapists and chiropractors that take skiers as walk-ins. You can find your health foods and there's a gluten-free bakery. Not sure Coeur d'alene offer a vibrant downtown with visiting. I never saw it if there was.

I found two pix from our last day with the low visibility. As you can see the trees were the best place to ski.
This was a short distance from the lift on the back side.

Thanks for posting your impressions. I am considering a trip to either Schweitzer or Whitefish next season, and this kind of information is helpful.

Wow. Lots of beautiful snow and terrain with few people. That sounds like a winning combination. Thanks for the report.

I've been to both Schweitzer and Whitefish, and I can tell you I really liked Whitefish much better. Both have good terrain and quality snow, but Whitefish seemed much better to me, plus there's a really cool downtown, which doesn't exist for Schweitzer.
Sadly, we have a friend who was treated poorly by racist lifties, which left a bad taste about Schweitzer. There are very few non-white people in these parts. I don't think I've seen any.

Love the smiles on the pow skiers.