A weekend in Whitefish Montana

Whitefish Montana may be the best kept secret as far as ski towns go. I just spent 4 days there the first weekend of March with my college buddies and we skied our hearts out! Read more about our weekend in Whitefish Montana below!

Gear rental

If you need some gear, head to Tamarak Ski Shop to get everything from skis to boots to helmets. This is the raddest locally owned shop that truly makes you feel like an authentic ski bum. It’s right on the way to Big Mountain, which makes it easy to drop your gear off on your way out after your last day of skiing. Boots and helmets are $10 a day.

Big Mountain

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Where do I begin with Big Mountain? First chair starts at 9:30 and last chair is at 4:00, and there’s plenty of thrills to fill your day with. If you can, try to park in the lot near the bottom of chair two. This way you can skip chair one at the beginning of the day and get up to the summit faster. We spent the majority of our day on the back side of the mountain. My favorite spots were flower point and hellroaring basin. I also loved the run Inspiration (one of the coolest views). There was SO MUCH POWDER each day, so even the groomed trails felt like off-groomers. The best is to cut into the trees to get some of the fluffy powder whenever you can!

Hellroaring Saloon

 

Hellroaring Saloon is hands down the best spot on Big Mountain to take a break for a drink or lunch or both. (Chalets with the traditional chalet food are located at the base and summit. The Summit has a fun atmosphere with a few bars and great views on a clear day). Anyways, back to Hellroaring Saloon. Located halfway up the front of the mountain, you can ski right up to this super cool restaurant which is the oldest structure on the mountain. The food is great (try the nachos!) and the beer is plentiful. What more could you ask for?

The Bierstube

 

The Bierstube is a popular spot to stop after a day on Big Mountain. Located right off the mountain, you won’t be able to ski right up being it’s surrounded by a parking lot, but you can carry your skis from the mountain and set them outside. This is another great bar with a great atmosphere where you’re surrounded by locals and tourists alike who are on a high after a great day of skiing. Our last day was a beautiful sunny day, so everyone was out on the deck enjoying the view.

Montana Coffee Traders

Everyone needs fuel before a day of skiing, right? Montana Coffee Traders is located right downtown and is a local favorite. We were always in a hurry so I just grabbed some coffee to go and didn’t get a picture inside! If you have some more time, explore around the shop which has the cutest gifts and goodies.

MacKenzie River Pizza Co

 

After our first day of skiing, we were craving some pizza, so our local friend took us to MacKenzie River Pizza Co. We each ordered the house side salad (only $5) and shared 3 pizzas. MacKenzie River had so many artisan pizzas to choose from, we got the MacKenzie River, Bistro, and Bear Tooth Sausage and loved them all! I’m drooling now just thinking about them.

Fernie

 

 

 

We decided to take a day trip to Fernie, British Columbia for some more skiing being it’s only 1.5 hours away from Whitefish. This was my first time in Canada and I wasn’t disappointed! Fernie has the cutest resort village at its base with restaurants, shops, and bars. The mountain itself consists 5 different bowls, plus plenty of other skiing. We got hit with fresh powder all day, so any run we did (on or off boundaries) was fantastic! Read all of the details here!

Next time, I hope to spend more than a weekend in Whitefish Montana. Where should I ski next?