Whitefish, Mont. — Whitefish Mountain Resort Opened The 450-foot-long Superpipe In Its Fishbowl Terrain Park On Saturday, January 5, Making It The First Resort In Montana To Offer Such A Feature This Season.

“this Fall, We Set A Goal To Open The Superpipe Earlier Than We Ever Have Before, And I’m Very Happy To Report That We Have Done Exactly That,” Said Daniel Graves, President Of Winter Sports, Inc., Which Owns And Operates The Resort.

Resort Officials Cited Several Factors That Made The Earlier Opening Possible. “we’ve Had Improvements In Snow Making, Access, Equipment, Power, And Slope Space, All Of Which Are Due To An Increased Commitment To The Park And Pipe Throughout The Company,” Said Josh Knight, Manager Of The Resort’s Events Department, Which Oversees The Fishbowl Terrain Park And Pipe.

In Addition To Human Efforts, Whitefish Mountain Resort Had Seen Over 165″ Of Natural Snow Fall On Its Slopes By January 7, An Above-average Total That Helped The Effort Considerably. “we Need A Substantial Amount Of Natural Snow, In Addition To A Lot Of Man-made Snow, To Build The Pipe,” Said Knight. “mother Nature Has Certainly Helped Us Out In That Area This Season.”

This Season Will Be The Resort’s Third To Feature A Regulation Superpipe. When It Was First Built In 2005-2006, Crews Weren’t Able To Open It Until March. Last Year, It Was Opened In Mid-february, Over Six Weeks Later Than This Season.

“it’s Exciting To Be Able To Offer It To Our Guests So Early In The Season,” Said Knight. “a Superpipe Is A Truly Progressive Feature, Meaning That Anyone Can Have Fun Using It, Regardless Of Their Skill Level.” Over The Weekend, People Of All Ages And Abilities Could Be Seen Trying Out The New Terrain. The More Timid Among Them Skied And Boarded Almost Straight Down The Bottom Of The U-shaped Feature, Barely Climbing The Walls, While More Advanced Riders Flew Up And Out Of The Superpipe Before Returning For A Smooth Landing. “i Love To See Entire Families Going Through The Pipe, Each Member Having A Great Time And Being Able To Test Their Ability While Remaining Well Within Their Comfort Zone,” Said Knight.

Whitefish’s Version Meets The Definition Of A Superpipe Set Forth By The Fis (international Ski Federation). It Is About 65 Feet Wide, 450 Feet Long, 18 Feet Deep, With A Consistent 16-degree Slope For Its Entire Length. Each Time Groomers “cut” The Superpipe With A Specialized Tool Called A Zaugg, They Sculpt About 40,000 Square Feet Of Snow On The Floor, Transitions, And Walls Of The Halfpipe. The Resort Hopes To Re-cut The Feature Twice Per Week For The Rest Of The Season.

The Superpipe Will Play Host To Several Competitions This Season, Including The Usasa Inland Northwest Super Pipe Jam On January 19-20. More Information Can Be Found At Skiwhitefish.com, Or By Calling (877) Ski-fish.