Behind closing decisions for Bozeman’s ski areas

As we enter the last month of classes, summer is on the way and that means the local ski resorts are shutting it down for the 2022-23 winter season.

Bridger Bowl’s last day was Sunday, April 9 and Big Sky's closing on Sunday, April 23. As spring seasons hit full blossom, it’s a sad time for many as we see a historically good winter across North America wind down. 

“Skiers and snowboarders will remember this winter as a fantastic snow year, where Big Sky Resort opened early, and Lone Mountain stayed consistently above average snowfall all season long. We saw continuous refreshes during the season, and often, the snowfall would overdeliver what we expected in the forecast,” said Stacie Mesuda, public relations manager at Big Sky. 

With such a good year in the snow department, many are left wondering why Bridger and Big Sky aren’t extending their closing dates. 

In a statement published on Bridger Bowl’s social media accounts on April 3, General Manager Hiram Towle explained the reason for the decision to close last weekend. Rapidly warming spring temperatures, he wrote, create unfavorable snow conditions .

“We have a history of upper lift shutdowns due to wet slide hazards and difficult skiing and riding on the wet snow of our lower slopes,” Towle wrote.

Big Sky has a humongous project to be completed over the summer season, and they’ll need every second to get it done for when snow begins to fall come autumn. 

“Each winter, our operating dates are published ahead of the ski season, which opens annually on Thanksgiving Day. This summer, we have a lot of work to do to get ready for next ski season – the most exciting being the completion of the new Lone Peak Tram,”  Mesuda said. “With many key construction deadlines ahead, we have to stick to our planned closing date to ensure that these highly-specialized construction teams have access to the mountain and can begin making progress on installing the tram. As always, the summer construction timeline is tight as we expect to open the new Lone Peak Tram on opening day of the 2023-2024 winter season.”

With Big Sky’s new tram being put in this summer and a new base area gondola to follow the summer after, it’s an exciting time for skiers across the region, but let’s not forget about right now. It’s prime time spring skiing weather, so whether you're touring in the backcountry or at Bridger Bowl, catching some late season turns at Big Sky or heading to another resort, get outside and catch some fresh air as classes reach the most stressful part of the year. 

Check out A guide to backcountry skiing near Bozeman on msuexponent.com for safety tips and information about backcountry skiing locations near Bozeman, if that’s what you’re into.