Is Bridger’s season-long drought finally over?

With fresh snowfall arriving at Bridger Bowl these past two weeks, things seem to be turning around for skiers and snowboarders. 

With around eight inches of new snow in late February and a whopping 34 inches since the beginning of March, Bozeman locals have been enjoying this much needed improvement in conditions. 

“Obviously when we get snow, you see a lot more smiles on people's faces, whether it's staff or people, guests coming up here,” Bridger Bowl’s marketing and communications director Erin O’Connor said in reference to the snowfall that occurred towards the end of Feburary. 

O’Connor explained how, prior to that storm, the Bridger Bowl snowpack was shrinking due to warm temperatures. In addition, O’Connor claimed that the snow “fell the right way,” in that it had a good density. Denser snow has a higher snow water equivalent and makes for better base building material.

“As far as Bridger went, that was definitely the best Bridger snow I’ve had all year. There were spots where it was like thigh deep,” MSU student and avid skier John Rumley.

Rumley claimed that he wasn’t the only one chasing powder turns. “People were pretty hyped on it so it was already getting skied out by the time we were leaving at 11:30 [a.m.], but getting those first few laps in was really gratifying for this year of low snow,” Rumley said.

While this eight-inch storm certainly improved conditions, things really amped up this past weekend. 10 inches of new snow were reported on Friday, March 1, with two inches the next day and an astonishing 22 inches of new snowfall on the ground Sunday, according to the Bridger Bowl website. This past Tuesday, the ski hill got an additional five inches. All this snow shot the base depth from a measly 36 inches up to 60 inches. 

Notably, the Bridger Bowl daily message, which is updated regularly on its website, no longer urges skiers to beware of rocks and unmarked obstacles. Instead, the post advises people to “Please be cautious of tree wells and snow immersion out there. Take it slow, ski with a partner and go with the flow.”

Regardless of how things pan out as the season winds down, local skiers should stay optimistic and enjoy the winter-time recreation while they still can.

“I think that this season is definitely a unique one because obviously we haven’t been getting a lot of snow, but I think the spirits are still high,” Rumley said.