Chad Harder
Ski areas The base of Silver Chief is also strategically positioned to serve as an additional base area if the resort eventually succeeds in opening a new access road from Philipsburg. The road is “a key piece, in terms of being able to tie the whole mountain together," says Ciche Pitcher, Discovery’s vice president of resort operations. But skiers shouldn’t count on seeing it any time soon; the project is currently shelved due to opposition. Pitcher says there are enough obstacles to make it impossible to even speculate on a timeline. In July, New Zealand entrepreneur Tom Wood snatched up Teton Pass Ski Resort for $270,000 and commenced heaping money into the operation. The Choteau area attraction had been shut down last ski season, but it now reopens with a remodeled lodge, a new Poma lift that accesses 11 new runs, and a boost in size from 115 to 320 skiable acres. Other improvements include a terrain park and “carpet conveyor” for the bunny slope. The future could be whiter for another ski area, as well: Lookout Pass on the Montana-Idaho border has submitted a 20-year plan to the U.S. Forest Service that would add eight new lifts and 2,000 acres to the terrain. If all goes as planned, the area would expand over two additional peaks. Yogesh Simpson Montana Headwall
Page 14 Winter 2010 / 2011