SPEEDING INTO SKI SEASON

Despite the warm temperatures lingering in Bozeman, the winter season will be upon us soon enough. The Bridgers will be blanketed with snow, and Big Sky will be a looming white tower over the Gallatin Valley. It’s almost time to break out the boots and boards and hit the slopes. However, this ski season is going to look a bit different due to the complications from COVID-19. Bridger Bowl and Big Sky had to adapt to the circumstances surrounding the pandemic and have new systems in place to accommodate their skiers and snowboarders.

Bridger Bowl intends to open on or before Friday, Dec. 4, if the snow conditions allow. Like many other ski areas across the country, Bridger is going to be opening with a reservation system in place for all ticket and season pass holders, with families and groups able to make reservations together. Reservations are required for all ticket and pass holders, and they can be made as far as three days in advance. The total number of reservations available for any given day will be based on the previous season’s daily averages with a “COVID margin.”

Bob Petitt, Bridger Bowl general manager, and the members of the Bridger Bowl Board of Directors, stated, “Our goal is that our passholders have ample opportunity to join us this season with as few roadblocks as possible. We will be allocating 80 [%], and occasionally more, of reservations to season passholders on a daily basis. The remaining 20 [%] will be split between tickets and local groups.” Petitt and the Board of Directors are asking everyone to be courteous due to the limited number of reservations. If you can’t make your reservation, you should cancel to allow other skiers and riders to enjoy a day on the mountain.

Tickets and passes are going to work differently this season as Bridger has implemented a new RFID system (aka chip readers) that gives Bridger employees the ability to scan all tickets and passes at all lifts on a daily basis. Reservations will be checked upon entering the ski area and again at lifts. The RFID cards are reloadable and can be reused throughout the season, so it will be important to hang onto these, as Bridger will be charging a $5 replacement fee.

To give all avid skiers and riders peace of mind, Bridger has created a new refund policy so that if, for whatever reason, you request a refund on your season pass on or before Friday, Nov. 20, they will honor it, minus a $20 transaction fee per pass. Bridger is also implementing a prorated credit system as a precaution for another COVID-19 shutdown. For a full explanation of how credits will work, visit https://www.bridgerbowl.com/covid.

“We have a ton of skin in this season being successful,” Petitt said. “We operate to stay open, not closed, and while the pandemic has hit home for all of us, closure is not an option we want to go through again. With all of the knowledge gained in the last six months, every one of us needs to do our best as a community of friends, skiers and riders to make this work.” In order to achieve their goal of staying open, Bridger is following government guidelines and is requiring everyone to wear face coverings inside all lodges, in lift lines, while loading and unloading lifts and whenever social distancing cannot be maintained. Hand sanitizer will be available in numerous locations and staff will be working diligently to keep public spaces like lodges and bathrooms disinfected.

Big Sky Resort is planning on opening a week prior to Bridger Bowl, on Thursday, Nov. 26. Despite consistent larger crowds and constant flow of out-of-state visitors and tourists, Big Sky will not be requiring reservations for season passholders. “We hope by monitoring the number of passes sold, we will avoid implementing a reservation system during the season,” said Troy Nedved, the general manager, and Taylor Middleton, COO and president of Big Sky Resorts in a press release on Tuesday, Sept. 15. “Every pass purchase includes Worry-Free Winter Assurance, which provides a credit toward a 2021-22 season pass based on the number of days lost if the resort were to close due to unforeseen circumstances.” Ikon and Mountain Collective passholders can ski when their passes permit access but will have to make reservations to alert the resort to the exact days they plan to visit.

For those without season passes, tickets can be purchased for desired days, and those ticket holders are guaranteed access. Day-of tickets will be available, though Big Sky is encouraging skiers and riders to purchase lift tickets beforehand, as the possibility that lift tickets will be sold out for the day is highly probable. “Purchasing your lift tickets online and before the start of the season will assure access to the mountain for your desired days of skiing. If we need to address volume, availability for lift tickets on desired days may be restricted,”  said Nedved and Middlton.

Big Sky is not implementing a reservation system and intends to operate at full capacity. “It is not our intention to limit access to the mountain. However, we may need to take some measures to maintain a safe and responsible experience for our guests by managing skier volume.” At the time of the press release, all 38 chairlifts, platform lifts and the Lone Peak Tram are scheduled to operate this winter, with some safety modifications. Groups will be allowed to ride on their own chair when operationally feasible, though some chairlifts like the Ramcharger 8 and the Lone Peak Tram may require more than one unrelated party member to ride together. The biggest change to operations this season may be the lack of a traditional singles line for skiers and riders. Instead, the lift line queue will offer two options, “one for those who prefer to ride alone or with those in their party, and without the addition of unknown riders, and another for those who are willing to share a chairlift with a separate group.” For more information, go tohttps://bigskyresort.com/winter-faq.

Though ski season won’t be what we’re used to, we’re lucky to be getting one thanks to the hard work and organization from the ski areas’ management and employees. So dust off your gear, stock up on some hand warmers and be thankful that the required face covering just means you’ll be that much warmer this winter.