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After months of planning and waiting the trip to Whitefish got off to a rocky start. The weather was mild and flying conditions were ideal, however, we were delayed leaving Cedar Rapids because a flight attendant had forgotten something at a hotel in Iowa City and needed to have whatever was left behind before the flight could leave. It became clear that we were likely going to miss our connecting flight in Denver with just the 55-minute layover we had. Prior to boarding, the gate agent assured us that the flight out of Denver would be delayed since our group of 22 would be about a fourth of the passengers going to Kalispell. We were told not to dawdle. Once we landed in Denver the flight attendants asked those not having tight connections to remain seated and allow those of us who did to disembark first. Of course, most of us were all seated in row 30 or higher. Once off the plane it was a dash from concourse B to concourse A. All of us made it except one. Fortunately, a late evening flight brought that passenger and two other club members that came from Detroit, MI and Tulsa, OK.

Arriving in Kalispell we got the first taste of great service and hospitality from the Whitefish Lodge. The valet crew loaded our baggage in a pickup/trailer rig. We were transported by bus to the Safeway store in Whitefish for a grocery stop. When we got to the condos skis and luggage had been delivered directly to our condos. There was a brief period of time to unpack before we gathered in the Outrigger room at the Lodge for a welcome reception. We were treated to hors d’oeuvres and beverages. Ryan Billet from the Lodge welcomed us and thanked us for bringing the snow. He acknowledged that the snow brought more clouds and colder temps but he said the mountain and the town needed the several inches of new snow for skiing and the upcoming Winter Carnival festivities.

 

Those that headed out Sunday to ski found the conditions to be fairly challenging. Visibility was poor at best with low light, snowy conditions at times and heavy clouds. The cold temps added to the less-than-ideal ski conditions. Those that took the mountain tour said it was hard to hear what was being said because of the wind and much of the description was “it’s over there, but you can’t see it”.

Tuesday was the coldest day of the week with morning temps in the negative teens. Most everyone took the day off from skiing and did a variety of things. Some hung out in their condo in front of the fireplace to read or watch movies. Some spent time in the hot tub. Several took excursions to Glacier National Park to sight see and/or snowshoe. Others rented a vehicle and explored nearby towns and hiking trails in Glacier.
Others used the complimentary snowshoes from the Lodge and explored the wetland trails near the lodge. The SNOW bus provided free transportation around town so some shopped, checked out the local museum in the Amtrak station and frequented some of the local bars. The Great Northern Bar was prepping three shuffleboard style ice rinks in their outdoor patio area for the Beer Curling event scheduled for the Winter Carnival weekend.

Tuesday evening, we had a group dinner that was prepared by and served in the condo of trip leaders Jeff Barnes and Ruth Van Tol. The baked potato bar had a wide variety of fixings. Desserts were mini cupcakes to celebrate the birthdays of James Toothaker, Beth Cottingham and Brian Keller who had birthdays during the week. Klondike bars were also popular.

Each consecutive day brought better weather conditions. Friday morning there were 14 skiers waiting for the 8:30 shuttle. The Winter Carnival had some events starting that day and thoughts were that it would be busier on the slope. There had been some more snow overnight but it was also very windy riding the chairlift to the peak. Fortunately, the runs on the back side of the mountain were out of the wind and were in great condition.

The trip home was uneventful for those that flew. There were no delayed flights. Robyn Brossman came to Whitefish on Amtrak. The train cancelled the schedule on Saturday because of mechanical issues. She was able to catch the train Sunday AM. She said the scenery going past Glacier in the AM was gorgeous.

When she got to LaCrosse she learned her skis had been unloaded in St Paul and she needed to wait for another train to get them to her.

All in all, it was a great trip especially with no injuries being reported.

Article by Ruth Van Tol | photos by Ruth Van Tol & Jan Keeney. Front page cover photo by Scott Wubben