|
Whitefish, Montana
Date:
February 1-8, 2009
Trip Leader: John Kelly
Trip Assistant: Laura Gugliotta
The Whitefish trip started very early Sunday morning with 33 of our 34
participants leaving from New Jersey. We originally booked a flight
that left Newark at 8:00AM and connected in Minneapolis with a direct
flight to
 Glacier
National Airport in Kalispell, Montana.
 But
thanks to the airlines dropping flights we were placed on a 6:15AM
flight from Newark and our connecting flight from Minneapolis had a
short stop in Great Falls Montana.
But
the good news was that all our flights were early and we arrived in
Montana around noon with no lost luggage. We had a short bus ride to
our lodging at the Kandahar Lodge and were very pleased when we arrive.
 The
Kandahar had beautiful rooms, a fantastic central area with a 24X7 fire
in the fireplace, a bar with friendly, interesting bartenders, and a hot
tub that felt great after a full day on the slopes. The common area
around the lobby was huge and included a massive stone fireplace. Our
entire group could easily hang out in that area. There was even a small
bar adjoining the area that helped to generate a lot of laughs and silly
smiles.
 Since
we arrived around 1pm, people had the option of arranging for rental
equipment or walking to the nearby store to purchase beer, wine, and
other necessities before
our welcome reception at 3:00PM. Our
lift tickets and group rental forms were waiting for us when we
checked-in. At the reception representatives from the Lodge and from
Whitefish Mountain Resort provided info about the area while we enjoyed
snacks and drinks.
After the reception it was time for the Super Bowl which we started
watching in the lobby. Some of us moved to different locations such as
Ed & Mully’s to watch the remainder of the game during dinner.
 Monday
morning showed us the weather that Whitefish is known for, almost zero
visibility. A surprise snowfall gave us fresh powder that we were not
expecting and it continued all day. Most of us took advantage of the
complimentary mountain tours so that we would have someone to show us
the mountain. We still did not see the mountain but with the guide we
had someone to follow. The mountain was huge with varied terrain all
360 degrees from the top.
 The
sun appeared on Tuesday and we were able to see the mountain and enjoyed
it even more.
Wednesday
was Fernie day and another sunny day. We boarded our bus early in the
morning for the scenic drive to Fernie across the border in British
Columbia. The snow at Fernie was not quite as good as at Whitefish but
the views and the terrain were impressive.
 On Thursday 13 of us took advantage of
our location to take a guided tour into Glacier National Park on
cross-country skis. Some people were experienced while others of us
were complete novices.
 We had the good fortune to have yet
another sunny day which gave us fantastic views of the mountains
reflected in the lake.
  Friday
was very good after getting another 5-6
inches of fresh snow. And Saturday capped off the week with another
good day, followed by a torchlight parade down the mountain and
fireworks. The week went by very fast and presented lots of
opportunities for skiing or riding. Some days it seemed like we were
the only group on the entire mountain. But on Sunday we had to pack up
and leave.
 
 
 
|
