Staff at Blacktail Mountain Ski Area are preparing for a busy, snowy winter while reflecting on their first season of summer operations.

The ski area that overlooks Flathead Lake offered camping, hiking, disc golf and off-road vehicle rentals this summer, running from mid-June to Sept. 1.  

General Manager Jessi Wood said it wasn’t crazy busy, which is preferable for the first season. The breathing room allowed staff to get systems figured out, like renting side-by-sides out of Lakeside.  

The disc golf and camping didn’t come available until July, she said.  

“We had a late start to summer, but it's going well now. The disc golf course has been very popular and it’s been really fun to see guests up here walking around in the summertime,” Wood said. “I mean, I'm here all summer and it's a gorgeous view. I feel very selfish not sharing it.” 

It’s a new business venture, so there were aspects of operations they want to work on for next summer. 

“Mostly with scheduling, we’re learning what works and what doesn't. There's just a lot of learning curves, but I've got a really great crew, and we had wonderful guest experiences this summer,” she said.  

There are 20 full-time employees that work year-round at Blacktail, ballooning to 230 full-time and seasonal positions in the wintertime, Wood said. This summer, there were 24 staff members working at Blacktail.  

Wood said they are working toward being open all year long.  

“We're excited to add more months of access to the mountain experiences in the summertime. That is one of one of our goals is to eventually have four seasons of operations instead of just one. We're eking our way into it, it's a beautiful place that we love to share,” she said.  

New for winter, the summit lodge at Blacktail is getting a little remodel. 

“When we went to repaint it and refinish it for the season, we realized that it was just time to reside it. It's a nice little facelift” Wood said.  

The lodge includes the ticketing office, rental shop, Blacktail Trading Company, ski patrol and multiple food and drink options. 

For more information about Blacktail Mountain Ski Area, visit their website at blacktailmountain.com.