Lone Peak, gateway to Big Sky’s more extreme terrain.
GREATER BOZEMAN
RECOMMENDED BY Pat Holland
Bozeman is well known as a hub for trout anglers eager to explore southwest Montana’s many blue-ribbon streams, and as a gateway to Yellowstone National Park. It should be better known as a skiing destination, where visitors can mix top-notch regional skiing with the experience of a first-rate destination resort.
“Bridger Bowl’s mission is to provide affordable skiing to the citizens of the local community, namely Gallatin County,” Pat Holland began. “The price is right—lift tickets are $49, and a season’s pass is $550. There’s a foundation that raises money to buy day passes for kids and school children that can’t afford it. Lift lines are a rarity except on big powder days, and everyone is extraordinarily friendly. Visit Bridger a few times and you feel like you know everyone at the mountain. It’s a social experience as well as a downhill experience. Despite the large contingent of college-age and accomplished skiers, Bridger is very family-friendly, as attested to by its outstanding ski school. Big Sky, on the other hand, is a destination resort. It’s big-mountain skiing with wonderful terrain. There’s a little more glitter and glitz at Big Sky than at Bridger, a greater emphasis on après-ski.”
Bridger Bowl is located sixteen miles north of Bozeman, home of the Montana State University Bobcats. Bridger’s existence is testament to the perseverance of die-hard local skiers who saw the possibilities a mountain posed and worked to make it materialize, not for profit, but for love. After a false start in 1951, as Bridger Mountain State Park (with the state of Montana’s support), local enthusiasts re-trenched, forming the Bozeman State Park and Recreation Association, open to membership for Montana residents age eighteen and older. In 1955, the original platter lift delivered its first skiers to the mountain. As demand has increased over the years, so have the facilities—it now has a total of eight lifts. “I have to say that we’re very proud of what we’ve built,” Pat continued. “The community put it together. We have no debt. When we have the resources, we make improvements.”
Though it’s a “local” ski area, Bridger is renowned for its challenging terrain—particularly an area called The Ridge. The Ridge sits at the top of Bridger Mountain, at an elevation of 8,800 feet. Before the addition of the Schlasman’s Lift in 2008, reaching The Ridge required a hike of some five hundred vertical feet; the new lift cut four hundred feet off the trek. While the hike has been made a bit easier, getting down remains one of Montana’s—indeed the West’s—great challenges. It’s steep, the chutes are narrow, there are lots of trees and lots of rocks. Bridger’s regulations state that The Ridge contains “numerous steep chutes, which may end in unmarked cliffs,” and strongly recommends skiing with a partner … preferably someone who knows where they are going! (Skiers/boarders are required to wear avalanche transceivers.) “If you want to ski some nasty stuff, The Ridge has it,” Pat said. “One of my favorite lines is called The Nose. Because of the hiking involved, these spots don’t get tracked out, and there’s often lots of powder. We have a number of fun events at Bridger. One is King and Queen of the Ridge, where contestants compete to see how many Ridge hikes/runs they can squeeze in over five hours.”
Sixty miles south of Bozeman, a somewhat different mountain experience awaits. Where Bridger seems to take a quiet pride in its up-by-the-bootstraps approach, Big Sky dares to think big; in fact, the resort, which was conceived by the late NBC news anchor Chet Huntley and opened in 1973, has trademarked the slogan “The Biggest Skiing in Amerca.” Big Sky has the stats to back up this bold claim: 5,532 acres of terrain (together with neighboring area Moonlight Basin); 220 runs totaling 110 miles; and 4,350 feet of vertical. “For Bozeman residents, Bridger can be a morning or afternoon venue,” Pat continued. “Big Sky is an all-day event. There’s an incredible diversity of terrain. If you like bumps, try Broken Arrow and Mad Wolf on Andecite Mountain. For the best snow, ski off the Challenger Chair on Lone Mountain. Big Sky also offers some long, wide cruisers that are well suited for beginner and intermediate skiers. People that only ski occasionally can feel comfortable here.”
The infrequent skier/boarder will do well to steer clear of the trails off Lone Peak, gateway to Big Sky’s extreme terrain. The Lone Peak Tram spirits the intrepid to the summit of Lone Mountain (11,166 feet). The climb, 1,450 vertical feet over a distance of 2,828 feet, was considered vertiginous enough that the interiors of the gondolas were originally painted pink to calm passengers. “There’s some challenging skiing up on Lone Peak,” Pat added. “You really need to know what you’re doing. Lenin and Marx—two runs that come down the face—are about the most difficult terrain you can get into without going off into chutes. If you get a clear day, the views of the Gallatin Range to the south and east [in Yellowstone National Park] can be outstanding. Some days, you can see all the way down to the Grand Tetons.”
PATRICK HOLLAND began skiing forty-seven years ago at age fifteen at Timberline on Mount Hood, Oregon, when a day pass was $6. Since arriving in Montana in 1986, Pat has skied about thirty-five days each season and, for the past five years, an additional ten days a year in the backcountry. Both of Pat’s children grew up skiing at Bridger Bowl, and both were part of the Bridger Bowl Freestyle Team. “We skied as a family both days of the weekend at Bridger Bowl or on the road competing. We skied most areas in Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, Washington, Oregon, the Tahoe area, and a few in Colorado.” Pat has served for six years on the Bridger Bowl Board of Directors.
If You Go
Getting There: Bozeman is served by a number of carriers, including Alaska (800-252-7522; www.alaskaair.com), Delta (800-221-1212; www.delta.com), and United (800-864-8331; www.united.com).
Season: Bridger is generally open early December through early April. Big Sky opens around Thanksgiving and closes mid-April.
Lift Tickets: Adult day tickets at Bridger Bowl (www.bridgerbowl.com) are $49. Adult day tickets at Big Sky (www.bigskyresort.com) are $89, with multi-day tickets available.
Level of Difficulty: Bridger rates its seventy-one trails as 20 percent beginner; 30 percent intermediate; 20 percent advanced; 30 percent extreme. Big Sky rates its 155 runs as 14 percent beginner; 26 percent intermediate; 40 percent advanced; 20 percent expert.
Accommodations: Bridger offers many stay/ski packages in and around Bozeman; call 800-223-9609 for more details. Big Sky is a full-service resort; learn more about lodging options at www.bigskyresort.com, or call 800-548-4486.
