Where to rip the spring slush

With some of the last meaningful snow of the season right around the corner, there are plenty of Montana ski resorts besides Bridger Bowl and Big Sky to explore over the next few weekends before spring sets in for good.

Bridger Bowl is projected to get snow Thursday through Sunday along with many other resorts across Montana, according to the NOAA forecast. Those resorts include Discovery, Lost Trail, Lookout Pass and more — so it’s a great weekend to go explore. 

Discovery is near Anaconda, Lost Trail is located an hour south of Missoula and Lookout Pass is located right on the Idaho-Montana border on I-90.

“I’d say my second favorite resort in Montana would have to be Lost Trail,” sophomore Chase Sabin said. “The mountain seems to be stuck in the 90s, with old chairlifts and an old way of doing things, which is a good contrast from the boujee resorts that are more common nowadays. The other resort I’ve recently been to in Montana is Discovery, which has a similar charm to it. Lots of the operations are old-school, and the lifties and other workers seemed to be pretty stoked. The terrain was pretty fun, with a really cool backside and super fun groomers on the front side.” 

Some of the best benefits of exploring resorts around Montana are cheaper tickets than Bridger and Big Sky. Bridger’s day pass rate is $77 online and Big Sky charges $245, according to their websites. However, Discovery is $50 for a day pass, Lost Trail is $63 and Lookout is $55, according to their respective websites. 

Additionally, the experience of going to a new resort can also be fun as each one has its own charms and quirks. 

“Lookout is definitely an underrated mountain,” junior Toby Hambelton said. “On the border of Idaho and Montana, it provides a little haven that can collect some sweet snow and create some fun days. I also love the small-town community they have there. It 100% changes from location to location. I think the Gallatin Range has the steepest terrain I've seen in a resort. But it's also very rocky. Some of the other mountains on this list are a lot softer, and some have grass slopes under their bases.”

“Great Divide is my local hill, it is 25 [minutes] from Helena and has a variety of fun skiing with a lot of park as well,” sophomore Scott Swingley said. “It is fun when there is good snow. Whitefish is my second favorite mountain. They have the best advanced skiing and get the most snow, plus high-speed quads. Some of the best days I have ever had are at Whitefish, Red Lodge and Showdown are the most underrated hills when they have good snow. It's awesome. The tree skiing is insane. Showdown is cheap and has some really fun terrain. No lines and good times.”

There are a ton of great places to ski in Montana, and a lot of the resorts in this article only have a few weeks left in the season. With some snow on the way and an upcoming three-day weekend at the end of March, it’s the perfect time to go out and explore.