Slushy slopes end Bridger Bowl’s season three weeks early

Last Friday — standing in a puddle and donning a brightly colored Hawaiian lei — Bridger Bowl General Manager Hiram Towle announced that the mountain would be closing for the season on March 22 — nearly three weeks earlier than anticipated. 

According to the Bridger Bowl website, the mountain closed due to unseasonably high temperatures and a lack of sustainable snowpack.

“We decided that the best way to finish strong is to close this Sunday with a celebration of what was an odd, but really fun season,” Towle said in anInstagram post last Friday. “You can count on Bridger to be back next year. Thank you so much for the support of your local nonprofit ski area. We hope to see you this weekend for one last hurrah.” 

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration website, daytime highs across the Gallatin Valley in the past month have spiked into the 60s and low 70s, rapidly melting snow and deteriorating conditions on the mountain.

Skiers also confirmed that this season's conditions were not the best. “It’s sh-t,” graphic design major Sasha Maguire said.

According to a March 20 article from the Bozeman Daily Chronicle, this season marks the earliest closing date in recent Bridger Bowl history, aside from a March 18 closure in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The unusual early closure of the mountain elicited a strong reaction from MSU students and Bozeman locals. Skiers present on closing day expressed disappointment with the closure but still remained positive. 

“I’m feeling a little bit sad,” said business major True Erbeck. “I feel like maybe [this season] could've been extended a little longer, but it was a great season regardless of the lack of snow.”

Environmental studies major Jack Bajek echoed this sentiment. “I’m bummed. I'm really bummed,” he said. “I was hoping for a good season but you know what, we’re gonna make the best of it while we can.”

Some skiers said that, in light of the early closure, they could now look forward to summertime. 

“It’s a bit of a bummer, but I'll take what I can get. This season's been pretty bad in general, so I’m ready for summer at this point,” business major Bradley Nestal said. 

The weather on Sunday was sunny and warm, with a high of 59 degrees, leading to positive vibes across the mountain. 

“We’re having a beautiful day here at Bridger Bowl, the sun is shining, plenty of good vibes,” business major Jackson Redder said. “It's a little bit of a last-minute closing day, but the vibes are equally as high as every other year.” 

Now that the ski hill is closed, backcountry conditions exist, as ski patrol is no longer performing avalanche mitigation or rescue work, according to a March 23 Instagram post from Bridger. 

“We can all get real complacent with this terrain that we’re really familiar with,” said Ian Hoyer, a forecaster for the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center (GNFAC), in an Instagram post on March 24. “There’s no ski patrol around to come help you out if you get hurt, and they’re not opening and closing terrain so you need to make those decisions for yourself.”

GNFAC recommends carrying rescue gear, traveling with a partner and checking the avalanche forecast before going to the backcountry. 

The GNFAC will be issuing daily avalanche ratings over the next couple of weeks and providing condition updates through the rest of April, according to Hoyer. 

“Come on up, enjoy the snow while it’s still here and stay safe,” he said. 

To learn more, visit https://bridgerbowl.com/ or visit its Instagram @bridgerbowl.