A museum and hall of fame that will showcase the history of skiing in the Flathead Valley is off the drawing board and on its way to becoming a reality.

The Flathead Valley Ski Education Foundation got approval from the Whitefish City Council last week to use the city-owned Mountain Trails Saddle Club building for the Flathead Valley Skiing Heritage Center. In the long-term lease agreement, the foundation will maintain and improve the historic log building and pay the utilities.

Located at 705 Wisconsin Ave. in front of the Stumptown Ice Den and on the way to Whitefish Mountain Resort, the building is an ideal spot for the museum, Foundation Vice President Tim Hinderman said.

“People have been talking about a ski museum in Whitefish for as long as I can remember,” Hinderman said, “especially back around the 50th and 60th anniversaries of Big Mountain [now Whitefish Mountain Resort] when everyone was reflecting on the history of skiing in the region.”

The Saddle Club site will serve as a base of operations for the foundation and Whitefish Mountain Resort race team. The existing log building also will serve as the “incubator” for the Flathead Valley Skiing Heritage Center that ultimately will be housed in a new building adjacent to the existing log structure.

Hinderman envisions initial displays featuring various facets of Big Mountain’s history, such as the original Hell-Roaring Ski Club and the 10th Mountain Division, of which several Whitefish skiing pioneers were members and served as mountain troops who patrolled the Italian Alps on skis during World War II.

Hinderman’s own history on Big Mountain runs deep. His father, Karl Hinderman, started the first ski school on Big Mountain in 1947, while his mother, Nina Hinderman, operated a ski shop at the resort for many years.

“We lived there [on the mountain] until I was through grade school,” Hinderman recalled. He raced with the Big Mountain Ski Team and the Whitefish High School ski team.

Hinderman was a coach on Big Mountain when the foundation began, and when he moved back to Whitefish a number of years ago he became a board member and has served on the board ever since.

Whitefish Mayor John Muhlfeld said the facility will showcase the rich history of the sport of skiing in the Flathead Valley and the men and women who made skiing a cultural cornerstone here.

“It will serve to honor, remember and celebrate the individuals who had the vision to create what is quite arguably the most important asset to our town,” Muhlfeld said in a press release. “The city is honored to assist the Flathead Valley Ski Education Foundation in this endeavor and will assist in any capacity to make this a reality for Whitefish.”

The foundation formed in 1973 to enable Flathead Valley youths to participate in competitive skiing after skiing was dropped as a statewide sanctioned high school sport in 1972. It continues to support competitive junior skiing in more ways than ever, Hinderman said.

The foundation will take over the Saddle Club facility on Sept. 1 and immediately begin renovations to accommodate the new uses. All plans and improvements will be at the direction of the foundation board.

People interested in learning more about the Flathead Valley Skiing Heritage Center can visit www.fvsef.org (click on “Museum”). If you have ski memorabilia, photographs or other items that could be considered for the museum, or if you’re interested in financially supporting the project, go to the website at www.fvsef.org; or email tim@missionbayhome.com.  

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by email at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.