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
From the SnowStash desk
FIS Weighs Holding World Championships in Almost Every Winter, Starting 2032
The International Ski and Snowboard Federation is looking at a major shake-up to its title events calendar. From 2032, World Championships could run not just in odd-numbered years but in every non-Olympic winter too, effectively putting a global title event on the calendar almost every season. The FIS Council has approved the concept following a feasibility study, though an accelerated rollout as early as 2028 is also under consideration.
4 Sept 2026
Mount Buller Becomes Latest Australian Resort to Call Time Early on 2026
Mount Buller closes out its 2026 season this Sunday, joining Falls Creek, Hotham and Charlotte Pass in a cluster of closures landing almost simultaneously and roughly a month ahead of schedule. The culprit is stark: Spencers Creek's benchmark snow depth hit 31.2cm on 3 September, just 18% of the 73-year average and an all-time low for this point in the season. Six of Victoria and NSW's best-known resorts will have shut their lifts early within a span of about two and a half weeks.
4 Sept 2026
Tremblant to Add New Timber Summit Ski Sector for 2027/28 Season
Tremblant has confirmed a major expansion of its Quebec ski area, with a new Timber Summit sector adding 62 acres of terrain, eight trails and a high-speed quad chairlift for winter 2027/28. It's part of a CAD 42.5 million investment that also includes a new beginner learning zone at Versant Soleil opening this coming season. The project has grown considerably since it was first announced back in 2020, when it carried a far smaller budget and an opening date that never eventuated.
2 Sept 2026
Mount Hotham to Close for the 2026 Season on Sunday, September 6
We knew when the Bird Bath Pond Skim showed up on Hotham's Instagram that the season was on its way out. It's been a rough one - I only managed two days on snow all year, at Falls Creek - and now Baw Baw, Selwyn and Hotham have all called it, possibly the worst Australian season I've seen in a decade. Hotham's last day of lift operations is Sunday, 6 September, with a Retro Day, Father's Day après and closing sales before the lifts stop turning for good.
1 Sept 2026
Thredbo to Replace Ageing Gunbarrel Quad With New Six-Seat Chairlift for 2028
Thredbo Alpine Resort has confirmed plans to replace its 37-year-old Gunbarrel quad chairlift with a new six-seat Doppelmayr D-Line, targeting winter 2028. The AUD 35 million project will keep travel time roughly the same but lift capacity from 2,800 to 3,000 skiers per hour. It's part of a broader investment push that also includes doubled snowmaking capacity at Friday Flat for 2027, with the ageing Kosciuszko Express now flagged as the resort's next major lift replacement after Gunbarrel.
31 Aug 2026
Aerial Tram Collides With Crane at Alpe d'Huez: 23 Injured
An aerial tram carrying around fifty passengers struck the boom of a construction crane on the route to Pic Blanc at Alpe d'Huez on Wednesday morning, injuring 23 people, three seriously. The cabin tipped on impact before the operator reversed it to right the car. Most of the injured were treated on site, with five taken to hospital in Grenoble, including a pregnant woman assessed as a precaution.
28 Aug 2026
Why Glaciers Are Collapsing - And What Happens When They Do
A deadly flood on the Nepal-China border, a decade-old tragedy on Italy's Marmolada, and an unstable glacier right now above a village near Zermatt - three very different mountain ranges, the same underlying story. Warming ice is destabilising terrain that was considered settled for generations, and the results range from catastrophic floods to slow-motion monitoring situations that could go either way.
27 Aug 2026
Pitztal Glacier Set to Reopen for the 2026/27 Ski Season on 26 September
Tyrol's highest ski area is gearing up to open a full month ahead of most of the Alps. The Pitztal Glacier is scheduled to start its 2026/27 season on Saturday 26 September, running through to 2 May 2027, with the lower-altitude Rifflsee area following in December. High-altitude terrain up to 3,440 metres gives the glacier a head start on snow, though as always, the actual opening extent will depend on how September's weather plays out. Early online ski pass bookings can save up to 30%.
26 Aug 2026
Whitefish Mountain Snow Report
Snow Report
Updated 10 Sept 2026
6,818ft
summit
+0in
new snow · last 24 hours
Overcast42°F / 54°F · SW 15mph
Snowfall
24 hours
0in
48 hours
0in
7 days
0in
Base depth
0in
Season total
0in
Total lifts14
Live open status isn’t available right now.
6 Dec 2025 - 6 Apr 2026
Hour by Hour
Next 48 hours· Updated Sep 10, 2026 at 6:02 PM
Scroll for the full outlook · Open-Meteo
7-Day Outlook
6,818 ftUpdated Sep 10, 2026 at 6:02 PMOpen-Meteo
Days 1–7
1.6"
Days 8–14
0.0"
Thu, Sept 10
Overcast
Temp54° / 42°°F
Snow0.0"(24%)
Wind15 mph SW
Live snow from the resort feed; forecast from Open-Meteo, via Supabase.
Understanding the Whitefish Mountain snow report
Planning a day at Whitefish Mountain? Our snow report combines official mountain data with live weather so you know exactly what conditions look like right now, from the 1361m base to the 2078m summit.
Snow measurements
Base depth, summit depth, and recent snowfall are the core numbers to watch. At Whitefish Mountain, summit conditions (2078m) can differ noticeably from the base, so we break both out separately rather than showing a single average.
Weather conditions
Current weather conditions affect snow quality. Cold temperatures with low wind typically preserve snow quality, while warm temperatures or rain can impact conditions negatively — something worth watching closely at Whitefish Mountain's 1361m base elevation, where temperatures run milder than the summit.
Data sources
We pull Whitefish Mountain's conditions from on-the-ground mountain reporting, then layer in forecast data so you get a fuller picture than either source alone. The mountain is served by 14 lifts, including 4 quad chairlifts.
When to check
Snow reports are typically updated early morning and late afternoon. For the most current conditions, check back regularly, especially if a winter storm is approaching.