Our first impression, based on the flier we picked up, is that they need better written directions. The brochure did not give detailed directions to take up to the mountain, so we Googled directions. All they need to add to the brochure was to follow the signs to "Big Mountain." Once we followed those signs, it was pretty well marked all the way up to the ski village. Here is a picture of the chair lift we took up to the top of the mountain.
When we arrived, we walked over to the ticket booth. The young man working the booth was very polite. He explained the different level of tickets and we bought a round trip to the top. We took a minute to watch the operation of the alpine slide. The folks running the slide we're upbeat. They seemed really thorough, explaining the safety rules. Everyone seemed in pretty good spirits.
We rode up to the top in a gondola. We decided to have lunch first before exploring the summit. We entered the Summit House Cafe and found it very confusing. We couldn't tell if it was a sit down restaurant or a cafeteria. There was no signage explaining what to do or where to order. Folks were being served meals by a waitress, but there was no hostess stand. There was a cash register, but no one manning it. We finally flagged down the waitress and she explained that we order at the register, they give you a number and then your order is brought out to you. She indicated she would have someone come right out and take our order. No sooner did we walk back to the register than a very nice young man greeted us and took our order. The service was quick and pleasant, and the food was really, really good. The french fries were among the best we ever had. Here is Dave enjoying his huckleberry milkshake!
The young man working the register was very diligent in keeping the soda area clean, picking up empty plates and taking them to the kitchen, etc. However, this left the register unattended for short periods of time. We watched as other groups came in and experienced the same confusion we felt. Some folks just left. This could have all been avoided with just a simple sign board that said, "please order at register." If the register is left unattended, then add a bell "please ring for service." This would alert the staff that a customer is waiting.
After lunch, we walked around the summit and enjoyed some amazing views of Glacier National Park and Flathead Valley. Here is a view of Whitefish Lake. We could see Flathead Lake off in the distance, but the hazy sunlight made capturing it difficult.
The scenic lift to the summit is used by hikers and bikers. There are numerous trails down from the summit. There are several of these serpentine courses set up to test the mettle of the mountain bikers.
Here is Kathy hyperventilating just because she saw someone riding up the chairlift with the bar raised! Kathy explains it as not a fear of heights, but a fear of falling. (Notice the death grip Kathy has on the bar.)
Here is another shot of one of the serpentine (and steep!) bike trails.
As we descend, the Whitefish resort village plays out before us. You can't quite see Great White in the parking lot. He's hiding behind a stand of trees.
The drive down the mountain was almost as much fun as the chair lift ride - 9% grade with hairpin turns! All-in-all, we had a great visit to Whitefish Mountain Resort. We found no fault with the employees we encountered, and in fact they were really great. We would suggest to the owners to revise the brochure to include better directions and to add a few sign boards to help new folks find their way in the restaurant.
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