mmelly
We have been skiing here regularly for the last five years. Love this hill! It might not be steep and deep but you can't beat the friendly staff and the lack of lift lines. It's a great hill for families, beginners, and people that love to cruise the groomers
joelw330
Visited the mountain on a layover day in Kalispell. So glad I got the chance as the mountain is full of great people. Instead of putting on the headphones I ended up boarding all day with a local. The food is not as bad as reviews suggest however it is still a good idea to pack your own. The ski area is small compared to other mountains in the area but with cheap lift tickets, no lift lines and a small terrain park what else could you want for a day on the snow.
BenjaminConant
First, you can get discount tickets at the Costco in Kalispell for $30 each. Second, kids 7 and under ski free! Kids in the fifth grade ski for free! (bring a report card or student ID) Rental/lesson packages are very reasonable with an excellent instructor staff. My 7 year old wanted to try skiing after two years of snowboarding, the instructor was super engaging and put himself on her level and had her confidently swooshing the big runs in a three hour lesson. My ten year old son had a snowboarding lesson and it was great to see such an improvement in his abilities. Another highlight is the ski lodge. The main level is a great family area. You CAN bring your own food or you can buy food from the grill. Another amazing thing is that you can bring your own booze and of course with moderation enjoy it right out in the open. There is also an upper level with a full service lounge and restaurant. Parking is very close to the lodge and plentiful! This resort does not provide the most challenging terane for the advanced skier or snowboarder but really fits the bill for a great family experience! Note: For a more personal instruction/lesson experience get there early and book a morning lesson. Afternoon lessons seemed to have twice the participants...
jsMT1994
We drove up to the cross country ski parking area and then took our mountain bikes on the main trail and then on the Alpine trail for a short peaceful ride. After that we hiked with the dogs on the back park of the Alpine trail and walked thru a cathedral of Larch trees that were changing color. The trails are wide and easy to follow and a great place for a family ride or hike.
26DanB
Three chair lifts, one rope tow, 2,100 verticle feet of drop. Plenty of runs for beginers to intermediate, only a couple of spots that will challange an expert. $35 for all day adult ticket is a bargain. They close on Mondays, so if it snows any time between Sunday night and Tuesday morning, the powder skiing is great. I have yet to wait in a lift line more than a few SECONDS! This place tends to have better weather than the one at Whitefish.
440KathyS440
This is a very nice little ski area. Being the north side, the snow is almost always great. Plus it does NOT get the fog that the other "local" ski area will get. It has that great family feeling, everyone is so friendly. Hardly any crowds... just love the area. It also has great deals.
Montanaboysmom
We can take our 4 boys up here and let them have the run of the mountain without worries! The staff is friendly and caring, and the restaurant on the top floor of the lodge is great! Nice not having to worry about snobs on these slopes!
Kidneykamper
This ski resort is mainly for beginners to intermediate skiers. It's a little weak if you're an expert but not too shabby. There are quite a bit of rock jumps/mild cliffs that were pretty nice. The chairlifts are pretty dingy if you ask me. But the lines for the chairlifts were extremely small. I went on a Saturday and there were hardly any people in line if any. The terrain park was pretty small but not bad for a small resort. The view was great. But tree skiing is a huge pain. Too many dead trees and way too much brush. I'm the kind of person who likes to keep my skis as nice as I can so I wouldn't recommend skiing in the trees in between trails.But all in all a pretty good place
ToddF766
A smaller ski area, but a good value for what you get. I'd say Blacktail's strengths include snow quality, views, and tree skiing. The views to the east and north are wonderful. Also, with its northeast aspect, snow quality is good. And low crowds mean untouched snow stays for longer.One downside is the long dirt road to get to the "base lodge" at the top of the mountain. A pretty drive, but long. One day we tried to go, the road had to be closed right before opening because of icy conditions. Another little downside is that on the day we went, they probably could've groomed a few more runs given the crusty conditions on the groomed trails.But overall, definitely worth the visit.
chuckles_hall
After skiing/boarding another nearby mountain to the north, we decided to try this location on a Sunday. We had a great time, the staff was very friendly & treated us like old friends and we didn't have to empty the bank to have a great day here. There were no line ups for the lifts and has runs for all abilities. The food on the hill was good and comparably priced to the other ski resort to the north. We would definitely go back and ski/board again.Thanks Blacktail for a great memory!!!
SnowSpaz
Fun family hill with amazing views, since the lodge sits on top of the hill. Majority of the runs are groomers, not much variety for terrain. Good for going fast! Burger in the upper resturant was one of the most amazing ski burgers we've had so far. Bar was extemely nice looking with good atmosphere.
micahW349
Blacktail is a wonderful spot. Fun runs and good trees are to be found. In the shadow of Big Mountain this is a fantastic spot to get away and be away from big crowds. The liftees seem to always be smiling and wishing you a great day and the folks working inside are fun and friendly. Don't forget to enjoy a tallboy PBR upstairs for me if you visit.
Bluter
We visited the Kalispell area the week before Christmas and skied at both Whitefish and Blacktail. We loved both resorts, but for different reasons. Whitefish is more developed, more runs, longer runs, more commercial (but not too much, by any means). Blacktail is all natural snow, smaller, less people, excellent food, and great people! It is basically more old school than Whitefish. We were told that it is a hidden gem and I can believe it! If we head back that way, I will definitely want to hit both resorts!!!
tjsfriend
I live close to Whitefish Mountain Resort so I have a pass there and ski there often. But I like to go down to Blacktail every so often to relive how ski resorts used to be: very friendly, even personal staff, good reasonably priced food, and good Montana powder. I went there on Christmas day and there was sunshine, dry powder and good groomers. There is mostly intermediate skiing, but they have opened more glades for powder and there are more than enough runs with bumps to wear out most experts.I never once waited in line and often felt like i was the only one on the runs. And that on Christmas!I have seen their ski instructors in action and think it would be a great, reasonably priced place to learn-again very friendly, but also talented instructors who seem to really enjoy sharing their love of skiing.(The views are tremendous as well.)I highly recommend it.
RaymondM29
Blacktail is one of those local ski resorts that you hear about. For only having three lifts they cover a large terrain. The slopes face north so you get good spring skiing free of ice. They have a couple of good green runs but are filled with a lot of blue runs. The chalet is friendly and has good lunch foods. I hve skied this many times in the past six years but missed this past year. One thing that is different. The Chalet is at the top and you ski down.