Pray for Snow: The second annual Bridger Bowl Bash celebrates upcoming '26-'27 ski season in a sustainable fashion

Beer, hot dogs, giant Jenga, groovy music and a bounce house with a slide are all essential to Bridger Bowl’s version of an official winter pregame. 

The second annual Bridger Bowl Bash was held Oct.17 from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. at its base lodges. Event organizers brought together local ski fanatics — from families to young college students — to celebrate snowfall and support environmental sustainability while creating a welcoming community to all. 

During the event, families and children steered towards a ginormous bouncy house and food truck, Ridge Dogs, which resides by the Alpine lift, open 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. every day during the ski season. 

Saddle Peak lodge had a free clothing swap and hosted MSU Makerspace for gear repairs in hopes to keep clothing out of landfills. Experienced students from the Makerspace had set up stations with sewing machines and material where they offered assistance in repairs, also offering to do it themselves if attendees preferred. Across the room, a gear trade was set up with sections for men, women and kids and the back wall was an array of children's toys. An abundance of winter gear was laid out on tables such as gloves, helmets, ski jackets and pants, layers and more. 

“You can bring clothes — ski clothes or snowboard — you can drop clothes, you can take clothes, you can do either, and it's free. So there's no cost involved. Just we ask for gently used clothing, not, you know, stuff that's falling apart. If your stuff is falling apart, we also have Makerspace here from MSU and they've got some sewing machines and somebody there to help people repair their gear, which is pretty cool,” said Erin O’Connor, Bridger Bowl’s marketing and communication director. 

The main attraction of the event was a chance to win a season pass. Held in support of the Gallatin Valley Food Bank, attendees could bring 10 cans of food in exchange for a raffle ticket. The season pass raffle ticket winner has not been named, but will be officially announced on Bridger Bowl’s Instagram. 

Jim Bridger Lodge held tabling and welcomed Jazz Cabbage, a local four-piece jazz and funk band, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. The warm, but breezy weather allowed the band to set up on the back porch, overlooking the Sunnyside and Virginia City lifts. The sound of mega-sized Jenga blocks falling to the ground occasionally interrupted the band's sound. 

Tables lined the walls of Jim Bridger Lodge, educating attendees and promoting Bridger Ski Foundation, Bridger Bowl memberships, MSU’s Strand Collective chapter, Eagle Mount — supporting adaptive sports, Friends of Maverick, Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center, Bridger Bowl Ski Patrol and more. 

Ava Yazdian and Haley Serafino, both MSU seniors, represented MSU’s Strand Collective chapter. The national organization works to increase the presence of female skiers and riders, according to its website.  

“I think the engagement has been awesome, especially with older women — the amount of women that have come up and said, you know, ‘I wish I had this when I was your age. I wish I had this when I was younger,’ it makes my heart so happy. It's been really awesome to broaden our conversations with the community,” Serafino said. 

For Yazdian, Bridger Bowl remains the superior mountain in Montana. 

“Bridger Bowl over Big Sky, because does Big Sky have paninis? Probably not,” Yazdian said. 

Though food, drinks and discussion initially brought the tablers together, each group shared an overarching goal: supporting their community in every way possible. 

“We've got the Friends of Maverick who are also here. They're just trying to bring awareness and possibly fundraise some for Maverick Mountain because it was burned this summer. So we're trying to help our friends out at Maverick,” O’Connor said. 

Because the damage to Maverick Mountain from the August fire was so extensive, it is very unlikely the ski resort will open this season. The rebuilding or potential replacement of infrastructure could not be endured alone, so Bridger Bowl marketing welcomed Maverick Mountain to the event, who hoped to raise both general awareness and money for the cause. 

“I love how the community is always willing to step up. I think as an event person — I used to be the event coordinator and I helped with this — you're throwing a party and you never know if anybody's gonna come,” O’Connor said. “But 99 times out of 100 the Bridger community steps up and supports us in whatever way is needed.”

For more information, visit Bridger Bowl’s website bridgerbowl.com, or its Instagram @bridgerbowl.