WHITEFISH — Every holiday season thousands of powder hounds head to Northwest Montana to get a taste of Montana snow.
Whitefish Mountain Resort spokeswoman Riley Polumbus says the week between Christmas and New Years is the busiest time of the season.
“We have a lot of loyal guests that come back year after year and of course this is the time of year when kids are out of school, people can get some time off to enjoy the holidays,” said Polumbus.
She added that on some days during the holiday stretch the mountain will see as many as 7,000 skiers and boarders.
The mountain attracts a large number of visitors from the Northwest and skiers and boarders visiting from Canada, according to Polumbus.
Jerry Whiting, a regular guest from Saskatchewan, Canada, spends time on the slopes each year with family and friends.
“Been coming about 20 years now, started off with ski trips with the guys or snowboarding trips with the guys, then became a family thing to do,” said Whiting.
Eric Demaere made the five hour trip from Calgary, Canada to enjoy the mountain with friends.
"The [United] States -- close to Calgary, short drive. A ton of Canadians come down here, and I’ve never skied here before,” said Demaere.
Polumbus says it's an all hands on deck approach from staff making sure everything is ready to go each morning.
The resort numbers typically return back to normal after New Years but pick back up again on the weekends during night skiing.
Whitefish Mountain Resort opens for regular weekend night skiing this Friday, and will stay open every Friday and Saturday through March 7.
