Lost Trail Ski Area is Proud to Be a Whitebark Pine Friendly Ski Area
Learn more at whitebarkfound.org.
The next time you’re skiing at Lost Trail, take a moment to look around—you might spot a tree that stands out from the rest. With pale gray bark, wide-spread branches, and clusters of five needles, the whitebark pine is a unique and vital part of our mountain landscape.
Their deep roots help stabilize steep slopes, while their long shadows help preserve snowpack—both of which are crucial for healthy watersheds. Smaller trees and plants thrive in the protected spaces beneath their canopies. These hardy trees often live for hundreds of years, surviving in the harsh, high-elevation terrain of the Northern Rockies. But today, whitebark pines are in trouble.
“Whitebark pines are in peril,” says the Whitebark Pine Ecosystem Foundation, based in Missoula. “More and more, the living green trees are being replaced by gray skeletons and reddish dying needles.”
The species faces serious threats from climate change, increasingly intense wildfires, mountain pine beetles, and a slow-killing fungus called white pine blister rust. In some parts of Montana, up to 95% of whitebark pines have already died.
Adding to the urgency: whitebark pines don’t begin producing cones—and the seeds that feed wildlife—until they’re at least 40 to 50 years old. That means every mature tree we protect today plays an outsized role in the future of the species and the survival of the entire mountain ecosystem.
In 2022, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service listed the whitebark pine as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. But conservationists and researchers were already working long before then to protect this keystone species.
Whitebark pines are considered keystone trees because their presence supports so much life. Their calorie-rich seeds feed red squirrels, grizzly bears, and the Clark’s nutcracker—a bird that also helps spread those seeds across the mountains. Their presence helps safeguard entire alpine ecosystems.
That’s why Lost Trail Ski Area partnered with the Whitebark Pine Ecosystem Foundation and became a certified Whitebark Pine Friendly Ski Area, joining a growing list of outdoor communities committed to conservation.
Since the 1990s, U.S. Forest Service scientists have been identifying and propagating genetically resilient “plus trees”—whitebark pines that show natural resistance to blister rust. Seeds from these trees are grown into seedlings at a nursery in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, then replanted in high-elevation forests across the West.
Lost Trail is located in a region where these restoration efforts are actively happening. Seeds are collected from hand-selected trees using wire mesh cages placed over cones in the spring, then retrieved in late summer.
To learn more about the whitebark pine and how you can help protect it, visit whitebarkfound.org. When you ski or ride at Lost Trail, you’re not just enjoying the mountains—you’re helping preserve them for generations to come.
Whether you’re taking your family out skiing for the first time, racing friends down the mountain, going lone wolf, or getting on the slopes after taking a break, we are committed to keeping skiing and snowboarding affordable and accessible to all. We have a variety of lift tickets, season passes, lessons, and rental options available so you can choose your own adventure.
Get outfitted with boots, boards, poles, and skis at our rental shop. In-person only.
Lift tickets and 10-Day passes are available at the ticketing windows and online.
Start planning out your adventure at Lost Trail by reviewing the map of the area.
Stay in the know for daily powder alerts. Text “POWDER” to
1-888-775-7669
Level up your skiing and riding this season with Lost Trail Snow Sports School.
Our top credentialed instructors specialize in teaching those brand new to the slopes and those looking to fine-tune their technique.
Lost Trail Ski Area
9485 US Hwy-93 South,
Sula, MT 59871
(406) 821.3211
[email protected]
Lost Trail Ski Area
9485 US Hwy-93 South,
Sula, MT 59871
(406) 821.3211
[email protected]
