Montana News

Discovery Ski Area to open Saturday

Posted: Nov 21, 2012 2:29 PM by MTN News
Updated: Nov 21, 2012 2:40 PM

PHILIPSBURG - The folks at Discovery Ski Area say they plan to open up its front side on Saturday, November 24, with discounted lift tickets available.

"Keeping everyone on the mountain as safe as possible is our number one priority," said Ciche Pitcher, Discovery's vice president of operations. "To offer really reliable lift service, we spent most of our efforts in the off-season this year upgrading the electronics and controls to chairlifts that were not already upgraded."

The improvements were made to the mountain's Easy Chair on the front side and Limelight Chairlift on the backside.

The Limelight was upgraded with a new electronic system and sensors that allow lift operations to know exactly where an issue is happening, improving lift maintenance and staff response time, according to a news release.

The Easy Chair was upgraded with similar retrofitted technology. Discovery in previous seasons installed similar upgrades to the area's five other chairlifts. The improvements bring Discovery's lifts all up to the highest safety standards found on mountains of its size.

"We want the skiers' experience on our lifts to be as seamless as possible," Pitcher added. "These improvements are definitely behind the scenes but will give skiers peace of mind knowing that we are committed to their safety."

Discovery will open Saturdays and Sundays through December 15, after which it will open seven days a week for the rest of the season.

- photo courtesy Discovery Ski Area