Pics courtesy Liz Boston & Gary Kellogg
Adventures and Misadventures in Whitefish
Five days of skiing in theRockies
on a trip by train that starts on St. Patrick’s Day and ends on Easter has too
much potential to ignore. Or so sixteen
SkiHawks decided. Under the
enthusiastic leadership of Bob Calla, we departed King Street Station, Seattle just before 5 PM and settled by two’s into those
cute little Amtrak roomettes—after a bit of midday celebrating at FX McCrory’s for some and with unusual
green neckwear for others. The train ride included dinner (The flat iron steak was
great.) and breakfast and got us to Whitefish in time for a full day of skiing. The first evening, we shared wine and snacks
and our usual camaraderie. The next
morning we compared notes on who’d slept the best. (Larry Sorenson won, but only because he was
using both his mattress and Marie’s.)
Most of us made mental notes on what we were going to do differently on
the return trip. Bravo to those who took
the top berths. You are good people. But the challenges of train travel were worth what was
waiting for us—prime snow and a great group set-up on accommodations. We had three adjoining condos which became
the Bull Pen (where six guys ended up together), the Harem (which Bob Parker
shared with five gals) and the Other Condo.
We had access to the Bull Pen so those who wanted to could
change to ski clothes immediately.
There’s
a fair amount to Whitefish Resort, but the TOWN of Whitefish, which is less than ten miles away
and accessible by free shuttle, added a lot to the experience. As for the skiing--we learned fast that the fog usually
dissipates by noon and you
can avoid it entirely by skiing in the trees earlier in the day. The depth and quality of the snow was
perfect. Even without a major dump while
we were there, the powder hounds were finding as much as twelve inches of fresh
stuff on the last morning. (You know the
opportunity was ample when guys like Fred Root and Randy Singer admit to rubber
legs the fifth day.)
There were snow ghosts and snow hosts (some of whom had to be rescued from tree
wells). There was apres’ ski fun at the
Bierstube and great clam chowder at the Hellroaring Saloon. It seems SOME resort business was hosting a
wine and cheese event every night. And
once we got the knack of using the shuttle, the stories about great restaurant
experiences in town were endless.
About half of us participated in the Dine and Ski on Friday. The pitch was to eat prime rib (or something
else delectable) and watch the sunset at the Summit House Restaurant and then
ski down from the top by the light of the full moon. Well, the restaurant was there and we were
there, but the sunset and the full moon were no shows. But those who skied down said the only
problem was not plowing into the ski patrol boarder in the lead when she/he
stopped to be sure everyone was keeping up.
The greatest confusion was from Bobs, who made up almost 20% of the
participants. Distinctions quickly
became Leader Bob (Calla), Lawyer Bob (Taub) and just plain Bob (Parker)
although Bob Taub was briefly called Dancing Bob (because he likes to) and
Trailer (because he was the last one to pretty much everything).
The trip was enriched by Bob Calla’s willingness to do what
he could to enhance everyone’s skiing experience. That included complimentary ski waxing,
advice on gear problems and a clinic on the last day for those who were
interested.
The return was more mellow—mostly because we were partied
out by the time we got on the train at midnight. Easter morning included breakfast on the
train, with the line’s stand-up comedian as waitress, and chocolate from the
Easter Bunny (aka Bob Calla.) Those who
went had it right—we are not likely to have all this combine in one six day
stint again soon. It was a really fun
trip.
–Mary Lloyd
