The terrain on Blacktail Mountain will be bigger and different this winter due to logging work on about 45 acres that is nearly complete.

"We created a whole bunch more tree skiing, basically," said Steve Spencer, general manager of the ski area west of Lakeside.

The project, which was mostly carried out in June and July, followed glading work that was done several years ago in the forested area between the Lakeside and Badrock runs.

This time, logging was done between the Badrock and Snowslip runs and on both sides of the upper portion of the Thunderhead Chairlift.

"It's going to be more open than [the previous project], which is what a lot of our skiers have been asking for," Spencer said. "It's a big area so there's lots of turns to be made in there."

The work was part of a larger fuels reduction project carried out on the Island Unit of U.S. Forest Service lands managed by the Swan Lake Ranger District.

The Blacktail Mountain Ski Area is located entirely on national forest lands and is managed under a master plan that was adopted before the ski area opened in 1997.

The glading projects were included in the master plan, Spencer noted.

"It is a way to expand the skiable area without expanding the ski area boundary," he said.

The logging work was carried out with skyline cables rather than with tractor skidders because of the steep terrain. Most of the merchantable trees that were removed were lodgepole pine, with the more wind-resistant alpine fir being left behind.

While the logging work was carried out by local contractors, Spencer and his staff have been working the last week to remove logging slash material in preparation for the coming ski season.

The ski area's discount season passes are on sale through Oct. 30.

On the Web:

www.blacktailmountain.com