Conditions Report
Report from Sunday, February 23, through Sunday, March 2, 2025
Just 25 minutes from downtown Bozeman and 30 minutes from the Montana State campus, this 2000-acre ski resort has an inescapable feel of community. Known for its expert terrain, “cold smoke” snow dumps, and one-of-a-kind beacon-mandatory chairlift, only Bridger Bowl’s community aspect was more impressive in my time spent there last week.
In an industry where mega-passes have all but replaced local feel with tourist appeal, Bridger is one of the narrowing number of independent resorts with a higher percentage of locals on the mountain than out-of-town visitors on any given day. Thanks to the college right next door, and nearby destination resort Big Sky to attract the tourist crowd, this mountain feels more like a neighborhood bonfire than a bougie snow-covered escape. Bridger is a non-profit resort that is reinvesting all revenue into the mountain and the local community that skis there.
Because of how often the local crowd skis here, the talent among the college students and Bozeman residents is outrageous. Four of my five days offered bright blue skies and sun-softened snow, which created favorable conditions for some pretty impressive hucks. Several college kids threw cork-sevens off of the cat track under Bridger Lift, and several more hit massive drops over a feature the locals call “Bumble.” A pair of children who couldn’t be older than 10 even ripped an exposed steep section right before my eyes.
I was blatantly impressed with the talent at this mountain, but it makes a lot of sense: the advanced terrain accessible at Bridger competes with even the most famous resorts like Jackson Hole and Big Sky. The greatest reason for this is the ridge terrain, which stretches across the upper section of the entire resort and protrudes like jagged shark teeth from below.
The ridge terrain can most easily be accessed via Schlasman’s lift (pronounced “slush-mans” by anyone I talked with), which is the only lift in the U.S. that requires a beacon to ride. This lift takes you up the lookers left of the mountain and drops you just shy of the 8,800-foot mountain peak, and allows access to a variety of runs without formal names across the resort.
But, to get to some of the most insane terrain available (like Jaws and Z-chute visible from the Pierre’s Knob lift), a short hike off the top of Schlasman’s takes you to the peak of the ridge. I did this hike to ski Z Chute on my first day and was blessed with untouched powder and limestone walls protruding to my left as I made my way down toward the groomed run below me.
Despite warming temperatures throughout my trip and no new snow, four days of great visibility and spring-like conditions allowed for soft turns and high speeds, and the infectious community attitude made for a stellar trip. Thanks, Bridger!
Also Noteworthy
- Bridger celebrated its 70th season of operation this year on January 17th
- Bridger is a non-profit mountain, with all revenue reinvested back into the mountain community
- Skiable Acres: 2000
- Inches season to date: 255+
- Nearest airport: 25 Miles away from Bozeman Yellowstone International (BZN)
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