Whitebark Pine Friendly Ski Areas
List of Whitebark Pine Friendly Ski Areas (U.S./Canada):
- Whitefish Mountain Resort (MT) – RE-CERTIFIED in 2019, 2023
Whitefish Mountain Resort has a long history working with whitebark pine. The current and previous mountain manager have been dedicated to protecting whitebark pine and they have incorporated education in their summit nature center. They have great support from the Flathead National Forest. There are scattered whitebark pine within the resort and along some runs, as well as some areas with high concentrations. They are the first to be certified as a Whitebark Pine Friendly Ski Area in the USA!
- Sorcerer Lodge (AB) – CERTIFIED in 2019
Sorcerer Lodge is a backcountry lodge where customers are flown in by helicopter and treated to awesome back country skiing from the lodge. There are loads whitebark pine right outside the lodge as well as all over the skiable areas. Lodge employees educate their guests about whitebark pine and have even named some of their favorite whitebark pine trees. They are the first area to be certified as Whitebark Pine Friendly Ski Area in Canada!
- Mt. Bachelor (OR) – CERTIFIED in 2020
Mt. Bachelor is a huge ski area with over 4,300 acres. There are whitebark pine galore at mid mountain both at and below treeline. They have excellent interpretative information at the Summit Trail and plans to install more interpretative signs. The resort works with the U.S. Forest Service to monitor whitebark pine via four permanent plots located across the mountain.
- Panorama Mountain Resort (BC) – CERTIFIED in 2023
Situated in British Columbia’s Purcell mountains, Panorama Mountain Ski Resort covers 2,975 acres and has been working towards whitebark pine recovery for nearly 30 years. In collaboration with the Whitebark Pine Ecosystem Foundation of Canada, Panorama participates in annual cone caging and seed collection, hosts workshops on planting seedlings, conducts outreach events with guests, and screens mature trees for resistance to white pine blister rust. In 2021, Panorama planted 5000 whitebark pine seedlings in a permanently closed area within ski boundaries as part of the BC government’s Forest Carbon Initiative. Panorama is proud of its whitebark pine stands that surround the summit, extending along Taynton Bowl Ridge to the Goldie Plateau and the Get Me Down Trail.
Your favorite ski area could be listed here! Learn more about the Whitebark Pine Friendly Ski Area certification program.