Big Mountain’s first summer chairlift, circa early 1950’s – with single chairs on the original T-Bar lift.

In 1950 in Whitefish, you could rent a two-bedroom cottage for $30 a month. Day passes on the T-bar dipped as low as $1.25. The Big Mountain could barely get a line of credit with most merchants in town.

Hellroaring Ski Club volunteers Lyle Rutherford and Chuck Creon transporting the tow rope up Big Mountain for installation on the original rope tow. Circa 1940

Racers at the 1949 US National Ski Championships

Chair One Construction, Summer 1960

First “Doug Smith Ski Race” on T-Bar Main Slope, circa 1948

Reid Sabin on vintage tele-gear in 2014 Retro Race

Ed Schenck and son Karl in early-day Tucker Snow Cat

The producer and director will also be in attendance at the March 19 event at the O’Shaughnessy Center

BY MIKE KORDENBROCK
MARCH 18, 2022

Ed Schenck at the top of the T-Bar lift.

Whitefish wanted to be a winter resort. So the citizens pooled their savings and plunged into one of the darnedest community projects Montana has ever seen. It's paying off too.

Competitors at the finish of the slalom race, 1939 Montana State High School Championships

Twenty-five years ago, Karl Hinderman had a staff of 12 instructors in his Ski School at The Big Mountain.

Mully teaching some of the finer points of skiing.

Vince and Viv of Vandam are more than bandmates — they’re twin siblings. We talked to them about what it’s like to work with family.

With a new record label and a 16 date international tour, everyone’s favorite local band is about to become a much bigger deal.

With the opening of The Big Mountain on December 14, 1947, the Ski Patrol of the Whitefish Lake Ski Club made its first public appearance