BIG MOUNTAIN, MONTANA
STORY and PHOTOS BY LARRY TURNER
Andy Blanton lives for food, snow and seasonal sprinklings of fly-fishing.
The Executive Chef of Big Mountain, Montana’s Café Kandahar—one of Montana’s finest—can literally ski to the front door of his work if he wishes. On some bluebird, powder days, he does just that.
“Nothing like the poetry of powder on a perfect run, followed by preparing some of my favorite culinary delights and challenges,” laughs the self proclaimed ski and fly fishing bum with a degree from one of America’s most prestigious culinary schools: the Culinary Arts Institute of Louisiana in Baton Rouge.
Blanton is rapidly developing a name in the culinary world with many offers elsewhere. “I’m happy and content here though. Why leave when you live in paradise?”
Big Mountain—outside Whitefish and near Glacier National Park and the Canada border—has long been known as a wonderful and less crowded ski mountain. “Our variety of terrain, long runs, sunny days, spectacular views and snow quality will compete with anyone,” says Brian Schott of Big Mountain Resort. “Plus the fact Montana folks are friendly and fun to be around.”
In early spring this year John Paulson and I traveled via Amtrak from Portland, Oregon to Whitefish, an unforgettable trip of immense beauty—traveling along Columbia Gorge near sunset, through the night into Washington and Idaho, awakening to a glorious Montana Rocky Mountain sunrise east of Libby. If time avails itself, train travel is a perfect way to start a ski vacation. The Empire Builder—the name of the route we took, which eventually ends in Chicago—passes through and stops in Whitefish. Schott picked us up and transported us to The Kandahar Lodge where we stayed for three nights.
Located at the base of Big Mountain Ski Resort, The Kandahar is the perfect ski lodge, offering 50 rooms in four styles. Mine was a studio, finished in [pine with leather furniture, down comforters, a writing table and other amenities. The antique furnished Kandahar lobby—with the constant crackle of fire from the simple and beautiful river rock fireplace—is a great place to read, relax and converse. Nearby is the aptly named Snug Bar, sequestered to the side of the lobby—a perfect place for après ski drinks and to has away at the day’s experiences on the slopes. The walls of the Snug are adorned with new and old ski and sailing photos—both passions of Kandahar’s owner Buck Love. The large outdoor hot tub of Kandahar’s Wellness Center I used before and after skiing each day.
CAFÉ KANDAHAR
Reading the Kandahar’s bio handout on Blanton was fascinating. “Success is achieved when one becomes content with the delicate balance of both working and living. The marriage of success and inspiration is the ultimate goal, thereby enriching one’s life with happiness, forming a stimulating environment where the freedom to be creative is encouraged,” it read. Followed by a summation from Blanton,” The heart is the source for inspiration. Staying immersed in creativity and keeping a strong work ethic is the key to maintaining a love for what you do.”
After the Culinary Institute, Blanton took a position at the Commanders Palace in New Orleans where he honed his skills even deeper, learning the value and satisfaction of realizing the four basic taste buds in every plate with details placed on visual appeal, texture, palate feel, presentation and flavor. The diversity of Blanton’s culinary skills is analogous to skiing Big Mountain’s 3000 plus acres, offering glades, trees, chutes, solitary powder, big zippidy-do-dah runs, velvety cruisers—and all with views that keep the postcard business thriving.
A generous snowstorm took place our first day on the mountain. Having skied Big Mountain before, I had prompted John on the views we would experience of the endless Canadian Rockies, the incisor toothed Glacier Park Range, the inviting Bob Marshall Wilderness to the southeast and the Flathead Valley below us. None did we see that first day as the storm encircled and restrained us. The following day though belonged to the epicurean ways of the mountain Gods. Fresh powpow, perfect groomers, factor 30 sunshine, “los you know what to the walls” kind of a ski day. First tracks by skiers and boarders were filled with hoops and hollers. I swear some didn’t end until their last runs. When all said and done, John and I skied to the backdoor of the Kandahar, placed our skis in lockers and headed to our individual rooms where we freshened up for an equally epicurean event about to take place: dining with fellow members of the North American Snowsport Journalist Association at Café Kandahar.
Café Kandahar’s menu is Modern American Cuisine, Classic French and Traditional Louisiana. The Café’s wine selection is second to none in Montana. The Café has won the Wine Spectator Award of excellence since 1998 and the Wine Enthusiast Award of Unique Distinction in 2004.
The pairing of wines with our multi-course meal that evening was unparalleled leading Paulson to remark,” In all my travels, I’ve never had better matches with wine and food, especially with the openers (appetizers).”
We tasted six world-class appetizers that included bronzed sea scallops, paneed sweetbreads, Flathead Valley elk carpaccio, paneed loin of rabbit, wild mushrooms/caramelized onions and roasted Mississippi quail. The quail was prepared with andouille stuffing, dxelle mushroom cake, warm cane syrup and 50-year aged sherry emulsion. Gourmet soups and nutritious salads were followed by main entrees that ranged from $22 to $53. I selected the canard deux facon (a seasoned duck breast with a spiced ginger-vanilla jus). Others tried a variety of entrees, including elk roulade, crawfish ravioli, and grilled buffalo tenderloin. The selections were perfect, commiserating nicely with our poetic ski day.
BIG MOUNTAIN
Big Mountain Ski Resort is impressive no matter how you look at it. The views are spell bounding. Looking in any direction—especially north and east--, one feels immediate kinship to the world’s greatest mountain ranges. Big Mountain occupies a stellar sky roof bedroom in the heart of the Rocky Mountains northern most US location. One unique aspect of the Mountain—giving it a continuing presence of a winter wonderland—are the snow ghosts that linger throughout the ski season at the higher elevations. Snow ghosts are build-ups of rime ice around trees, creating ghostly and imaginative figures.
Adding to the pleasure of our three Big Mountain ski days was the amount of ski elbowroom, which we enjoyed. Many times our small group had long runs all to ourselves. Even when the mountain has larger crowds, one can easily slip away into private ski zones. Some of my favorite speed runs were Moe-Mentum (named after Olympic American gold medallist Tommy Moe who spent his formative years at Big Mountain), the Big Ravine, Toni-Matt and Moose.
Big Mountain’s superb telemark skier Lisa Jones shared with us one of her favorite places: Good Medicine, a powder/glade/corn snow retreat tucked away between the groomed Big Ravine and Toni-Matt.
Big Mountain has an interesting mix of skiers from all walks of life. It is a local’s mountain—almost retro-like—that lures skiers from around the world. The skiers and boarders have two things in common: they’re serious and they like to have fun. They ski hard, but they’re polite. The mountains ski ambassadors—such as retired 65-year-old surgeon Mike Doroughty—were very helpful with their knowledge and suggestions.
I saw monoboard skiers—a first for me--, blind skiers (I took several runs with one and he was superb), paraplegic skiers, skiers with retro costumes dating back to the 50s and 60s—replete with straight, narrow skis. If I had looked closer, I might have seen bindings with straps attached and God forbid, a one buckle Scott boot (which I proudly have a pair of, and bright yellow to boot!)! The bulk of the Big Mountain skiers and boarders rely on modern equipment and dress but it was a pleasure to see that some things are timeless and never need changing. Give me a good mountain, affordable ski passes, a friendly service staff with a sense of humor, courteous fellow riders, and it really doesn’t matter what walk of life you hail from, what you wear or what you ride on!
Big Mountain is comfortable, like an old friend that is reliable, generous and unpretentious. The Summit House—accessed by the quad Glacier Chaser chair—and bar is nothing fancy except for the view that may cause you to spill tears of joy in your Moose Drool beer. The Hellroaring Saloon and Bierstube—both steeped in funk and character—are two great places to wet your ski whistle during and after a day on the slopes. Big Mountain’s Day Lodge Outpost was renovated and is open for this ski season.
Big Mountain—averaging 300 plus inches of snow a year—has 93 marked runs along with a vast amounts of tree, glade, chute and bowl skiing, along with a terrain park and half pipe. There is night skiing along with alpine night races every Wednesday and Thursday night telemark races. During each ski season, there is a Moonlight Dine and Ski event connected with the full moon each month. Call Big Mountain (800-858-4152) for details. The Mountain also offers snow cat adventures for the backcountry ski enthusiast.
WHITEFISH
The small city of Whitefish and Big Mountain are spoken often in the same breath. It is a lively city with a history that has evolved through early day trapping, timber, the Great Northern Railway (1891), farming, ranching, land speculating, fishing, mountaineering and tourism. As one person said,” It’s a great place to get away from the rat race!” It is a modern day mosaic of friendly businesses, art galleries, unique lodges, imaginative eateries, historical buildings (including a Frank Lloyd Wright designed business), summer and winter outfitters and even a microbrewery. Don’t worry espresso/latte drinkers, that’s available, too. Glacier National Park is 25 miles away, Kalispell (the main airport) 15 miles and the Canadian border (Port of Roosville) 55.
Along with the Kandahar Lodge, my favorite place to stay in Whitefish is the Grouse Mountain Lodge (800-321-8822). A big plus about the Grouse is that their 18-hole golf course becomes a cross country (stay on their manicured trails only) ski course during the winter months with a Nordic center nearby. Several years ago during a stay, my son and I enjoyed this amenity immensely. Often we finished our alpine day with a Nordic ski—snow frosting on the cake, sort-a-speak.
Big Mountain, Kandahar Lodge and Café, and Whitefish: three peas in a beautiful winter pod. Plan your harvest this winter!
IMPORTANT INFORMATION: Big Mountain Resort: 800-858-4152, Kandahar Lodge: 800-862-6094, Amtrak: 800-USA-RAIL, Whitefish Chamber of Commerce: 877-862-3548, Glacier Park International Airport (GPI) is 19 miles from Big Mountain. Call 1-800-858-4152 for reservation and planning advice. Recommended Big Mountain reading: Hellroaring by Jean Arthur. ISBN # 0-9645477-8-3 or call 800-893-0963 (406-862-9678)