BOZEMAN — Bridger Bowl is known for its creative April Fools’ Day pranks, but this year it was Mother Nature who delivered the surprise — dropping about a foot of snow just days after the ski area made the tough call to close early.
“Can you tell me what you guys are doing today?” I asked some skiers enjoying the recent snow at Bridger Bowl.
“Trying to get some late-season turns in during what’s been a pretty disappointing year,” said skier Joseph.
WATCH: Bridger Bowl closed three weeks early due to a historically low snowpack, only to receive a foot of snow just days after the lifts stopped
I ran into Joseph and his friend Travis as they skinned their way up Bridger Bowl. For Travis, the slopes are a familiar sight.
“I actually grew up here in Bozeman and grew up skiing at Bridger,” Travis said.
But this ski season? Less familiar.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever seen anything quite like this low-snowpack year at Bridger,” he said.
Joseph, more of a backcountry skier, said Bridger wasn’t the only area with snow shortages.
“I will say the normal spots — Mount Ellis, Goose Creek, History Rock — maybe filled in for like 10 days this year,” he said.
On average, Bridger Bowl records about 300 inches of seasonal snowfall. This year? Just 138 inches.
“So yeah, a big deficit for sure. The fact that we were able to stay 100% open that whole time is pretty fantastic — a lot of which was thanks to our groomers and snowmakers,” said Erin O’Connor, marketing and communications director for Bridger Bowl.
O’Connor has been with Bridger Bowl for about 14 years. She said this season brought a number of firsts.
“In my time here, we haven’t had to close early. We’ve had to open late, but we haven’t had to close early,” she said.
This year, the ski area closed three weeks ahead of schedule. And yes — O’Connor said — it hurt.
“Oh yeah, we don’t have the revenue. Obviously, it hurts our employees, which is terrible. And we’re not alone, unfortunately,” she said.
Other Montana ski resorts that closed early include Great Divide, Maverick Mountain, Blacktail Mountain, and more.
“When you’re doing it for safety reasons, I think it’s a difficult decision, but one that outweighed staying open,” O’Connor said.
Adding to the sting, two photos taken just 24 hours apart, just four days after the lifts stopped running, show a mountain suddenly blanketed in fresh powder.
“Yeah, I was so frustrated,” O’Connor said.
Still, she’s happy to see skiers such as Travis and Joseph finding ways to enjoy the snow.
“Just trying to make the most of what we have. We’ll ski what we’ve got, which is awesome,” Joseph said.
Now, Bridger Bowl is looking toward next season, moving ahead with the next phase of its master development plan — and, of course, hoping for a stronger winter.
“Let’s hope it snows. Do your snow dances now,” O’Connor joked.
