Montana, Usa
Whitefish Mountain
3,000 acres, 113 runs near Glacier National Park. Famous snow ghosts, 14 lifts, big Montana terrain.
Season 2025 - 2026
Opens
6 Dec 2025
Closes
6 Apr 2026
Days open
121
Annual snow
19ft
The Overview
Michael Fulton
Melbourne-based skier and snowboarder with 50+ resorts across 5 continents. Specialises in Australian resorts and international resort comparisons.
Whitefish Mountain Resort's summit reaches 6,817 feet, dropping 2,352 vertical feet to a base at 4,465 feet across 113 runs spread over 3,000 acres above Whitefish, Montana. The resort carries no major multi-resort pass affiliation. Fourteen lifts, including four quad chairs and seven triple chairs, serve the mountain alongside one surface lift and two t-bars.
Whitefish is known throughout the skiing world for its snow ghosts, the striking rime-ice-coated trees that blanket the upper mountain, and for sweeping views toward Glacier National Park on clear days. This distinctive combination of natural features has built the resort's reputation well beyond Montana's borders. The mountain's considerable 3,000-acre footprint and 113 runs place it among the largest ski areas in the state.
Skiers first used the slopes of Big Mountain, as the resort was originally known, from 1935, with the first cabin, called Hell Roaring Ski Camp, built that year and a rope tow following by 1939. Winter Sports Inc., known as WSI, formed in 1947 as a public company owned by community shareholders, and the resort formally opened Big Mountain on 14 December 1947, with Ed Schenck and George Prentice contributing 20,000 US dollars and the local chamber of commerce raising a further 40,000. The resort hosted the 1949 US Alpine Championships, where sixteen-year-old Andrea Mead of Vermont won all three women's titles.
WSI's shares became increasingly concentrated when Budget Finance of Kalispell, owned by Richard A. Dasen, began acquiring shares in the late 1980s. William P. Foley II subsequently acquired the resort while it remained publicly traded as WSI, and it now operates as a private company with Foley as majority owner.
2,352ft
Vertical
113
Runs
3,000 acres
Skiable
19ft
Annual snow
The Terrain
113 runs across 3,000 acres skiable
Whitefish Mountain spreads 113 runs across 3,000 acres skiable of terrain. It leans advanced at 44%, with 14 beginner runs to find your feet and 57 advanced or expert runs when you want to push.
Terrain split
113
runs
113 runs across 4 grades
Beginner14 runs · 12%
Intermediate43 runs · 38%
Advanced50 runs · 44%
Expert7 runs · 6%
Time it right
When to visit Whitefish Mountain
The 2025-26 season at Whitefish Mountain Resort ran through the winter months, with the mountain's snow-ghost-forming conditions and considerable 2,352-foot vertical drop supporting skiing across the season. Specific opening and closing dates for the 2025-26 season are not confirmed in available resort information.
Midwinter, from December through February, typically brings the rime-ice conditions that create Whitefish's famous snow ghosts on the upper mountain, alongside clear-day views toward Glacier National Park. The resort's considerable 3,000-acre scale and 113 runs support a substantial visitor base drawn from across the northwestern United States and beyond.
As an independently operated resort without major multi-resort pass affiliation, Whitefish draws a mix of regional Montana skiers and destination visitors attracted by its scale, snow ghosts and Glacier National Park proximity. School holiday periods bring increased family visitation given the resort's substantial and varied terrain. The nearby town of Whitefish provides an active base for visitors throughout the season.
Specific event programming beyond standard operations and the resort's historic hosting of the 1949 US Alpine Championships is not confirmed in available resort information. Since William P. Foley II's acquisition of the formerly publicly traded Winter Sports Inc., the resort has continued to build on more than seven decades of development since its December 1947 opening. Whitefish's snow ghosts and Glacier views remain central to its seasonal identity.
Season 2025 - 2026
6 Dec 2025
Opens
6 Apr 2026
Closes
121
Days open
19 ft
Annual snow
Getting there
Getting to Whitefish Mountain, and where to stay
Whitefish Mountain Resort sits above the town of Whitefish in northwestern Montana, with a base elevation of 4,465 feet and a summit at 6,817 feet across a 2,352-foot vertical drop over 3,000 acres. This setting places the resort within reach of Glacier National Park, visible from the upper mountain on clear days.
Whitefish, a lively mountain town with extensive lodging, dining and shopping, provides the resort's primary base area experience, a short drive from the lifts themselves. Kalispell, a larger regional centre, lies nearby as well, while Glacier National Park's western entrance sits within a reasonable drive of the resort.
Local roads connect the town of Whitefish directly to the resort, a short and manageable drive given the mountain's proximity to town. Winter driving conditions on the approach can include snow and ice, though the well-travelled route is regularly maintained given the resort's status as a major regional and destination ski area. Shuttle services operate between the town and the mountain during the season.
Glacier Park International Airport in Kalispell, a short drive from both the town and the resort, offers direct flights from numerous major US cities, making Whitefish one of the more accessible destination ski areas in Montana for fly-in visitors.
Where to stay
Search all stays →Hotels and lodges near Whitefish Mountain, powered by Stay22.
Latest News
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Lift system
Whitefish Mountain Resort runs fourteen lifts: four quad chairs, seven triple chairs, one surface lift and two t-bars, serving 113 runs across 3,000 acres above Whitefish. This substantial network, among the larger in Montana, reflects the resort's growth from its origins as Big Mountain, first skied from 1935.
The resort's original rope tow, in place by 1939, gave way over subsequent decades to a far more extensive lift network following Winter Sports Inc.'s formal opening of the ski area on 14 December 1947. The seven triple chairs and four quad chairs that now form the backbone of the mountain's lift system represent decades of investment following that community-funded founding.
The quad and triple chairs distribute skiers across Whitefish's considerable 3,000-acre terrain, including the upper mountain's snow-ghost-covered slopes and views toward Glacier National Park. The two t-bars and single surface lift support beginner and learning terrain near the base. While some marketing materials have referenced an eleven-lift count, Sanity resort data confirms fourteen lifts currently in operation.
Since William P. Foley II's acquisition of the resort, which had operated as the publicly traded Winter Sports Inc. since 1947, investment has continued to support this substantial fourteen-lift network. Specific recent individual lift replacement projects are not confirmed in available resort information. Whitefish's scale and lift infrastructure remain among the most extensive in Montana.
14lifts across 4 types
4
Quad Chairs
7
Triple Chairs
2
T-Bars
1
Surface Lift
Whitefish Mountain lift system
Whitefish Mountain is served by 14 lifts, listed here by type. Check which lifts are turning against the live conditions before you plan your first laps - early lifts and high-speed chairs get you to the best snow fastest.
More Whitefish Mountain intelligence: trail map, snow report, webcams, resort overview.