Trip Leader, Linda McMillion, says:  Trip Tales will be coming soon, following this wonderful trip with great friends!  Please check back for all the de-tails!

Club St. Bernard did not go on TSC’s trip to Whitefish Montana in 2006. So, I went with another club, which shall be nameless.  Back then Whitefish Ski Resort was called Big Mountain Ski Resort…for obvious reasons.  It was a great place to ski and have fun.  In about 2008 CSB ran a “club trip” to Big Mountain.  It was still a great place.  I was back there for the third time in 2016 and it wasn’t the same great place.  In fact if you had been on those previous trips you might not have recognized it, because now it is “GOOD, GOLLY, GREAT, FANTASTIC”.  They have changed the name from Big Mountain to Whitefish Ski Resort even though they have developed even more skiable terrain.  There are 3000 acres of glades, bowls, steeps and wide groomed trails.  There are greens, blues, and blacks for everyone.  However, some would ask “But what if I wanted to do something besides just ski my brains out?”  Well, in addition to the TSC welcome party, pub crawl, and awards banquet, there are optional opportunities for snowmobiling, dog sledding, snow shoeing, and cross country skiing.  The Apgar Visitor Center at Glacier National Park is a 45 minute drive for educational presentations on the park and its wild life.

But maybe if you aren’t feeling “outdoorsy” and you think you’ll miss the high culture of San Antonio, we might luck out for high culture in the mountains.  The 2019 cultural calendar is not yet published, but in February 2018 the Whitefish Theater Company staged a play at the community theater.  Another weekend in February 2018, the Glacier Symphony Orchestra performed Schubert’s 9th Symphony in Whitefish.   How’s that for a snowy little mountain town?  Of course real Texas music culture is available at several music venues around town, including our own hotel, The Lodge at Whitefish Lake.  Did you know that there are three craft breweries and more than 13 places to eat in Whitefish, with  cuisines including sushi, burgers, bakery, and BBQ.  Fine dining is offered at The Grouse Mountain Lodge as well at our Lodge at Whitefish Lake. And several options in the Whitefish Mountain Ski Village and on the peak.  The Kandahar Café has nothing to do with that city in Afghanistan, but it is nationally recognized for its gourmet dining and wine experience.  How does après ski at the Hell Roaring Bar sound?

There is enough shopping in Whitefish to keep your credit card toasty warm.  Did you know that Montana is one of the few places on earth that produces natural sapphires?  You can get some in Whitefish.  Why travel to Myanmar or Sri Lanka?  And, yes, the freight train museum is still there.

Our club flew to Kalispell, MT on February 23, 2019 and returned on March 2, 2019.  We will stayed in the hotel at the Lodge at Whitefish Lake (lodgeatwhitefishlake.com).  It is on beautiful Whitefish Lake, with full amenities.  A free shuttle takes you on the short ride up to the mountain village or down to the great eating, drinking, and shopping.  Of course there will be special rates for TSC ski schoolers and lift tickets.  But wait there is more:  70 and over…SKIED FREE….zero, nada, zilch, zed.  So old timers (and we have a few) keep those knees in shape for a return adventure! 

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