Visited in mid Feb 2020, loads of fresh snow and clear sky!

Whitefish Mountain Resort is over rated. The runs are nice when you can see them. We had fog most everyday, we were told that there are very few days when the sun shines in winter.

There is nothing to do at the resort after 7:00, everything on the mountain closes. You have to drive or take a bus into town for dinner or drinks.

Needed warmer gloves. There were three shops, summit, village and base lodge, on the mountain and they all sold the same things. Nothing that would fit me.

We had an amazing Day at Big Mountain Took my 83 year old Mom & her 77 year old friend on the ski lift for the very first time in their Life .... It was UN- BELIEVABLE !!!!

Not the place to go. Poorly managed.

I've been coming to this mountain for years because I have family in the area. It's a fantastic mountain and a great bargain compared to many similar resorts. Barring major holidays, it's generally uncrowned. If you're looking for some nice groomers, this is the place to go. There are plenty of blue runs with nice, even pitch. There is definitely some great advanced terrain as well, but sometimes you have to search for it. Lucky for me, my family members know all the good terrain, but I'm not sure I would find it on my own. The base lodge is great for families and there is also plenty of beginner terrain. The nightlife on the mountain isn't super inspiring, but the town of Whitefish has some great bars and restaurants. Definitely worth a visit!

Upside: Big mountain, lots of intermediate runs, no lift lines. There were times where I'd be on a run and realize that I hadn't seen another person in 10 minutes. Which was great.

The downside of this was that there weren't many opportunities to meet new people to hang out with in the evening. Being from out of town, it would have been nice to meet up with others in a similar boat, but it seemed to be mostly locals and families.

Overall though, a great mountain.

Whitefish has long been known for its fog, but with 3000 acres of varied terrain, there is something for everyone in the family. -Glitz and crowd free, a genuine town as opposed to a Disney-like mall, excellent value for your dollar, and friendly locals are the chief assets. The snow, while not the kind to blow away like down feathers, is still much lighter than more coastal areas. The advantage is that it stays put and covers the stumps and rocks you might not see under lighter snow. The lack of crowds means that a week after a storm there are still areas of barely touched freshies for those who wander off the beaten path. We are known for our tree skiing, our snow ghosts, and the views of Glacier National Park on clear days.

Some cons (aside from fog that everyone complains about) are the lift layout which can be irritating for those impatient with groomed runs. There are few ways down that the higher level skier can keep off groomed runouts. They EXIST, but take some thinking to find. Another minus is that other resorts are further away and are not casual day trips. For the skier that lives for hitting a multitude of areas on one trip, it is better to include Whitefish as part of a trail of ski stops, rather than a base of operations. Easily done on the same trip would be Montana Snowbowl, Blacktail, Turner, Schweitzer, and Fernie. Final "con" observation: Few death-defying runs to wow your friends with later. NBC, Picture Chutes, East Rim, are a few cliff areas, but they don't have the cachet of Corbet's at Jackson Hole.

For the intermediate cruiser, however, this place is heaven. Toni Matt, Inspiration, Big Ravine, Gray Wolf, Hell Fire, Moe-Mentum, and Ridge Run are all terrific cruising territory.

Apres ski is good for the drinking crowd, with well know watering holes such as the Bier Stube and the Great Northern bar.

For a guide to almost every nook on the mountain, including many unmarked "secrets", go to http://www.wmr-guide.com

For the past few years, we've made Whitefish a standing destination for our family ski vacation. We've gotten to know the mountain and town, so I feel comfortable telling you why you should NOT go:

-It's uncrowded and you will be lonely on the slopes.
-Short lift lines leave little time to rest your legs after a long run. Remember, fatigue leads to injury.
-The beauty of the scenery will inevitably lead you off trail and you'll become lost amongst the scary Snow Ghosts.
-It's annoying striking up conversation after conversation on the lifts and at the bar.
-Travelling by train means you forego glorious experience of air travel or the comradery of I-70 on a weekend.
-Saying you went to Whitefish is not as impressive as saying you went to Vail or Deer Valley. People will think you are a bad skier who doesn't know where the good skiing is.

There, you've been warned.

The powder is great. But is it worth $70+ per day, IF they even decide they will let you snowboard? Seriously, I have tried to go 3 different times and every time there's been a reason I couldn't go. Too cold, too much snow, we only do night skiing on Fridays and Saturdays. Awesome! So you're a ski resort who's schedule I have to work around. That makes sense. Definitely not worth the money when they won't even let you go.

(Editor note: all ski resorts sometimes have to close if there is too much snow and there's significant avalanche risk or the lifts need digging out, or it's way too cold and therefore unsafe. There are many many ski resorts that don't offer night skiing 7 nights a week).

There's always a good time to be had at Whitefish Mountain Resort. With tons of terrain for all abilities, big vert and over 3000 acres your bound to have a great experience. Apres on the Mountain is always rocking as well as in the in the nearby town of Whitefish only 15 minutes away. Make sure you hit the Great Northern when you're downtown for a few cold ones as well as some good pub grub. The Montana vibe is always pleasant to be around.