Bridger Bowl Montana

Bridger Bowl isn’t a big name Montana resort, like Big Sky or Whitefish, but it should be. Bridger Bowl Ski Area is super easy to get to, just 20-minutes from Bozeman.

Bridger is a gem with 2,000 acres of amazing terrain and spectacular scenery of the Yellowstone River and the Crazy Mountains (real name). Skiers in the know go to Bridger for its impressive 8,800’ Ridge terrain which is two miles across. This is the insane steeps, sick chutes and extraordinary powder bowls that spawned extreme free skiers like Doug Coombs and Scott Schmidt. Skiers used to have to hike to reach the Ridge, but a new double chair now accesses the Ridge, though you must have transceivers as part of avalanche safety. Proof of peeps is required as you load Schlasman’s lift (named after a miner that died here in an avalanche – and a reminder of the risk).

But on the flipside, Bridger is a playground for families, with ego-pleasing wide open satiny snow in South Bowl and the Alpine Face and plenty of groomed runs.

Rather unique, Bridger is a privately owned community operated ski area. That makes it sound low budget, but the management and shareholders have added numerous new lifts and three spectacular new rocky mountain lodges in the last decade, impressive at a time when many real estate laden resorts have verged on bankruptcy. Bridger has no slopeside lodging but Bridger is one of the most easily reached western resorts, 14 miles from Bozeman.

Compared to most big western areas, Bridger Bowl’s 2,700’ vertical is a bargain (under $50 for adults, $16 for kids).

Big Sky l Moonlight Basin l Bridger Bowl l Yellowstone Club