Bridger Bowl is a ski area in the

western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

United States, near

Bozeman Bozeman is a city and the county seat of Gallatin County, Montana, United States. Located in southwest Montana, the 2020 census put Bozeman's population at 53,293, making it the fourth-largest city in Montana. It is the principal city of ...

, Montana. It serves the local population of Gallatin County, including Montana State University. The summit elevation is above sea level, with a vertical drop of on east-facing slopes. Located north of Bozeman in the Bridger Range of southern Montana, Bridger Bowl is a locally owned non-profit ski area. It provides locals with affordable skiing, great terrain, and outstanding snowfall. The ski area and mountain range are named after the noted

mountain man A mountain man is an Exploration, explorer who lives in the wilderness. Mountain men were most common in the North American Rocky Mountains from about 1810 through to the 1880s (with a peak population in the early 1840s). They were instrumental i ...

Jim Bridger James Felix "Jim" Bridger (March 17, 1804 – July 17, 1881) was an American mountain man, trapper, Army scout, and wilderness guide who explored and trapped in the Western United States in the first half of the 19th century. He was known as Ol ...

, and are accessed from state highway 86. In addition to the existing base lodge and a mid-mountain lodge, a new main lodge opened in 2005 at the base area. Since 1988, local residents have been alerted to the arrival of fresh snow by a flashing blue beacon atop the Baxter Hotel in downtown Bozeman. Activated every time Bridger Bowl accumulates of new snow, it remains on for 24 hours. Maintenance of the light is a priority, and only once in 20 years was it out of operation for two days. Bridger Bowl opened the new Schlasman's chairlift for the 2008–09 season, the first lift-served terrain expansion in 30 years. A reconditioned 1976 Doppelmayr double chair, it was previously the "Peruvian" lift at Snowbird in Utah. Named after a miner who died in an avalanche in 1885, Schlasman's has a vertical rise of and adds of new lift-served terrain for expert skiers only. To ride this lift, skiers are required to carry an

avalanche transceiver An avalanche transceiver or avalanche beacon is a type of emergency locator beacon, a radio transceiver (a transmitter and receiver in one unit) operating at 457 kHz for the purpose of finding people buried under snow. They are widely carrie ...

; partners and shovels are highly recommended. For the 2013–14 season, Bridger unveiled its new Powder Park and Alpine chair lifts. These brand-new lifts tripled the uphill capacity (3,300 vs. 1,100/hr) compared to the "old Alpine" center-pole double chair that was retired in 2013. Bridger Bowl is noted for its expert-only skiing terrain known as "The Ridge". There are six sections of the ridge known as Schlasman's, D Route, C Route, B Route, A route, and Northwest/Hidden Gully Areas. In order to ski or snowboard the ridge, an avalanche beacon and shovel are required; most of the ridge is hiking terrain.

Montana State Montana State University (MSU) is a public land-grant research university in Bozeman, Montana. It is the state's largest university. MSU offers baccalaureate degrees in 60 fields, master's degrees in 68 fields, and doctoral degrees in 35 field ...

has hosted the

NCAA Skiing Championships The NCAA Skiing Championships are held annually to crown the National Collegiate Athletic Association combined men's and women's team skiing champion. Before 1983, the championship was only for men's skiing. Unlike many NCAA sports, only one N ...

eight times (

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Ja ...

1983 The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning ...

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 800, causing the plane to crash and killing everyone o ...

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...

, 2008, 2012, 2020), all at Bridger Bowl, with cross-country events at adjacent Bohart Ranch.

List of runs

: Difficulty ratings

References

External links

* {{Authority control Buildings and structures in Gallatin County, Montana Ski areas and resorts in Montana Tourist attractions in Gallatin County, Montana Skiing in Montana