Whitefish, MT – In response to public pressure from fervent backcountry skiers, Whitefish Mountain Resort in northwestern Montana has revised its uphill traffic policy to better accommodate after-hours skiing.nCiting safety concerns, the ski area and the U.S. Forest Service’s Tally Lake Ranger District, within which Big Mountain Resort operates under a Special Use permit, last February enacted new policy restricting uphill traffic to one route on the mountain, and limited during ski season from 6:30 a.m. until the resort closes for the day. The same route was to be used between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. for the first 14 days after ski season ends, with no active restrictions outside those hours and dates. Uphill traffic was banned before the season begins and after lift hours.

Vocal local backlash prompted officials to revisit the ban almost immediately, and comments were accepted from March 1 through April 4, the closing day of Whitefish Mountain Resort’s 2009-10 ski season.

“The restrictions on evening skiing were by far the most popular point of contention with the policy,” explains Chester Powell, operations manager for the resort. “And that makes sense; evenings are the most accessible and enjoyable time for people to participate. Unfortunately, though, evening run-ins and close calls involving skiers and grooming machines, including high-tension winch cable systems, had been steadily increasing for the past few seasons and were by far the most alarming aspect of the whole situation.”

Local skiers cite one particularly contentious altercation last winter between a local after-hours skier and a winch cat operator for prompting the uphill traffic restrictions.

A total of 126 comments were submitted to the resort and the Forest Service. Nearly all asked for some sort of evening access. Other common feedback suggested that the pre-season portion of the policy was too restrictive, the post-season portion was too vague, and the selected route was not ideal in some situations.

“There were a lot of good ideas submitted, some not-so-great ideas, and even some thinly veiled threats,” said Donnie Clapp, public relations manager for the resort and administrator of the comment period. “It was great, though, for all of us here to be able to sit down, read through them, and get an idea of what all the people who care about this issue would like to see happen. It really helped us to be confident we were making good decisions.”

On Monday, the resort and U.S. Forest Service officials announced a revised policy under which a second allowed East Route will be added. This route will ascend from the cul-de-sac at the end of Glades Drive, up Lower Inspiration, Expressway, and then Moe-Mentum to the Summit of Big Mountain. Resort staff hope that this route will be technically easier to ascend than the Toni Matt route, as well as provide an option that may be preferable during certain weather and snow conditions.

Also, evening access will be allowed on this new East Route until 7:00 p.m. each day, giving people the opportunity to complete a quick lap after work in most cases. Route availability will change, with either the Toni Matt Route or the new East Route available in-season from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., the East Route only from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., the Toni Matt Route only from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., and the East Route only from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. for the first 14 days after closing, all in order to minimize interactions between skiers and grooming equipment. There will be no restrictions before 8 a.m. and after 4 p.m. during that 14-day period following closing day. Finally, pre-season uphill traffic will be allowed in general with no predefined routes.

In addition to the resort’s uphill traffic policy, the Forest Service has issued a new special order that states, “It is prohibited for any skier, hiker, or person otherwise, to approach within 100 yards of grooming machines, whether stationary or moving; or snowmaking equipment, to include but not limited to fan guns, high-pressure water lines, and high-voltage electrical cables, within the Whitefish Mountain Resort permit boundary.”

The resort and the Forest Service hope that the special order will help deter dangerous activity during the entire winter season.

“We have a responsibility to provide a safe environment for recreational activities on the mountain,” said Tally Lake District Ranger Lisa Timchak. “Some unsafe situations were identified this past winter and we believe our new special order and the resort’s revised policy will help address these situations.”

Resort staff said the special order was key to expanding uphill traffic in the pre-season.

“We’ve been working closely with the Forest Service to come up with the least restrictive policy possible, and this special order makes it realistic for us to allow this activity pre-season, when our snowmaking equipment can be in use,” said Powell. “The location of the snow making guns, the high-voltage electrical lines, and the high-pressure water lines can change daily, so it would be impossible for us to designate a single safe route during that time.”

Resort officials said they did not initially expect to make such significant changes to the policy for this season, but were encouraged by the level of adherence to the new policy last spring.

“Most avid uphillers thought the original policy was too restrictive, and yet we had basically zero problems with people not following the rules,” said Dan Graves, president and CEO of the resort. “That gives us confidence that the uphill community will also be serious about following these new guidelines, and helping each other to stay out of danger.”

The new policy will be in effect as soon as the snow starts falling.

Resort and Forest Service staff stressed that they are open to further changes to the uphill policy. Timchack said she was appreciative of the interest and responses from the public regarding the uphill policy.

“Our goal is to get it right, mitigate dangerous behavior, and allow as much recreation within our permit boundary as possible,” said Powell. “That could mean more restrictions, less restrictions, different routes, or any number of things. It all depends on how well it goes this winter.”