Latest ski museum podcast interviews Blacktail Mountain founders
The Whitefish Pilot | Whitefish Pilot | UPDATED 1 week, 5 days AGO
The latest “Soul of Hell Roaring” podcast produced by the Whitefish Ski Heritage Center and Museum is called "Blacktail Mountain Ski Area - The Story Behind the Story.”
In the podcast, Blacktail developer Steve Spencer and daughter Jesse Spencer Wood recount how Blacktail Mountain Ski Area went from being a dream, to suddenly awakening in 1997 when it received the nation's first special use permit to build a new downhill ski facility on federal land in 20 years.
No others have yet been approved, and some feel that Blacktail may be the last one for all time. Spencer explains how, while working at Big Mountain in 1967, he began to contemplate a ski area on Blacktail Mountain, 30 years before it finally happened.
In a 14-month frenzy, the project went from a remote forested mountain-top to a thriving, fully functional operation with a 2,200-skiers-per-day capacity. The project included clearing and grading 175 acres for ski runs, erecting three chairlifts, building the 17,000 square foot day lodge and 2,400 square foot maintenance shop, as well as making 3,000 feet of access road and a 600-car parking lot. The facility also has the largest septic drain field in Flathead County. Opening day was Dec. 17, 1998.
Listen or view on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@SOULOFHELLROARING