BOZEMAN — Bridger Bowl extended its season this year, and closing day has finally arrived. I went and talked to some local ski bums to see what they thought about the season.
“I think we were low tide all season, just not getting our snow this year,” says Stuart, one local snowboarder.
“I’ve skied probably 25 days this year,” says another local skier. I asked him what he thought of the conditions this season and he told me, “They’ve been pretty mediocre all year”.
Most skiers can agree this was not the year of intense powder days up at Bridger Bowl. But despite the lack of snow, there was one benefit to this dry season.
“Once you get into the second week of April, we start to see these warm temperatures, and we start to experience wet slides. That's one of the reasons last year we didn't extend, despite a ton of snow. We had a lot more piled up there and those wet slides can be really dangerous,” says Hirum Towle, the general manager of Bridger Bowl.
Bridger Bowl decided to extend its season this year due to the lack of snow. This year, they averaged about 174 inches compared to their average seasonal snowfall of 300 inches.
“I've had everybody in town say, ‘Oh, you guys are our heroes’. You know, that's why we did it. We did it to stoke out our crowds that were patient with the weather. We can’t control the weather, but we can certainly give back when the time is right, so this seemed like the right year to do it,” says Towle.
Bridger typically sees an average of 2,558 skiers on weekdays, but during this extended period that number dropped to around 600 skiers. Still, loyal skiers appreciated some extra time on the mountain.
“I think this year really let people embrace the community vibe and come out and ski a little bit longer,” a local snowboarder told me.
Bridger Bowl's closing day is Sunday, April 14, and they’re expecting the community to come show out in wacky outfits ready to celebrate the end of the season
I asked if some skiers were going to closing day and they responded, “Of course! Camping out to get up here early.”
And Stuart the snowboarder?
“Oh ya, it's always fun up here. Anytime you’re playing in the snow with the easy way up, it’s the way to go."
