We opted to drive over to Bridger Bowl Ski Area on one day of our trip to Big Sky mostly because I had heard Bridger’s terrain ranked in the top 5 of one Instagram users list of resorts in the US with the best terrain. It’s a short and scenic hour and fifteen minutes from Big Sky and only about 20-30 minutes from Bozeman. The resort has a very small-town vibe compared to Big Sky and the atmosphere was great. A friendly greeter that worked for Bridger gave me some insight into the famous Slushmans Lift and the extreme terrain accessed via hike to the ridge. He even went inside and came back with a special map specifically for the Slushmans area.

After riding the first lift our initial thoughts were… regret. The lifts were all slow, detached, 3 seaters… A huge difference compared to the 8-person high speed bubble with heated seats that is the Ramcharger. And the wind was ripping so we were initially concerned we were going to have a miserable day. After hopping off the Bridger lift we started working our way Lookers Left in an attempt to find any snow that wasn’t icy or windblown… it was brutal. Everything was icy. We decided to head straight to Slushmans Lift thinking that maybe the exclusivity of requiring Avy gear would make the snow somehow better over there. Just getting to Slushmans was a challenge in itself as the directions weren’t labeled very well and the traverses aka goat-paths were littered with whoop-de-dos. However when we finally made it into the first run off Slushmans we realized it was all worth it. Not only was the snow not icy, but there were even pockets of multi-week old, yet deep, pow. The terrain was steep but the trees were spread nicely so making turns in the soft snow was a breeze. We lapped Slushmans 3 times before heading back for lunch. Then we decided to do the hike above Bridger lift which was actually far more challenging than I had anticipated. Once again we were rewarded with great snow, and an awesome run that my buddy insisted was the best run of the day.

As far as the ratings go: Snow, I give them a 4/5… I simply could not give them a 5 considering how brutal every single groomer was on the mountain… but the fact that you could still slash deep pow weeks after a significant snowfall if you had your Avy gear made me give them a 4, because finding powder is what its all about.

Uncrowded: 2/5, I know, I know, we went on a Saturday… what do you expect… Well there were lines, and slow lifts. If you managed to get to and ride slushmans lift then there wasn’t a line at all, but only the diehard are making it all the way over there.

Lifts: 2/5. Not much to be said about that. All slow, detached 3 person lifts. I was happy they had a magic carpet to get you from the bottom of Pierre’s Knob lift back up the hill to the Bridger lift but that was about the only nice surprise I had involving their lifts.

Piste Trails: 1/5. I’m sure given better conditions their groomers would be decent… but they weren’t having a horrible snow year… they should’ve been receiving small amounts of snow over the last week or so but the groomers were absolutely unrideable to me.

Off-piste trails: 5/5. Man the terrain at Bridger is just nuts. Just riding the lifts your looking around and you just want to get better and better so you can hit all the lines that you see. We ended up skiing Pats Chute, which was one of the cooler chutes ive ever been in. 500ft long and you can see the ending straight down from the very top. It was great. We also lapped the Golden Triangle near the top of Mundys Bowl which had some great steep tree skiing with awesome old pow still there. Lastly we skied the Pearly Gates off the hike above Bridger chair. The hike was probably the most intimidating ski-hikes I’ve ever done as it goes on for quite awhile and at one point your climbing straight up a couloir. However our efforts were gifted with soft snow, beautiful sun and a great run back down to the chair that I wont soon forget.

Child-friendly: 3/5. The resort seems very family oriented however I would say neither the slow cold lifts, nor the icy groomers were very inviting for little ones.

Value: Everyone in my party was very happy to only pay 70$ for a lift ticket as opposed to 200+ per day for Big Sky. And if you had Avy gear I would say its even more of a value as you can actually access the better riding.

Nightlife: 1/5. Don’t think there is any. Head to Bozeman, I’m sure there’s something going on there.

And lastly, would I go back? I absolutely would. Even on another trip to Big Sky I think it's worth venturing over to Bridger for a day of knocking out some big lines that you're dreaming of. I would not be heading over there just to hit some groomers though.
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You really have to have a high level of expertise to ski Bridger because about a third of the terrain requires avalanche training and equipment. Of the other two-thirds, a third is green, a third is blue, and the last third is single and double blacks. And the designations are all relative to the mountain, not other ski areas, so overall, it's steeper than most ski areas.

I would not call this is a beginners mountain at all because there isn't a lot of low angle terrain and aren't a lot of groomers. Most of the mountain is ungroomed, bumped out, and until there is good snow coverage, rocks and other obstacles are everywhere. For the most part, nature determines the conditions, not a snowcat.

The best part of the skiing this mountain is the steep and technical terrain, and the lack of high speed lifts. Yeah, you may get cold on the way up but there weren't a zillion people standing in the way when you got off the lift (that has changed recently). There are no fancy amenities on the mountain, just a midway lodge and a small warming cabin. No ski-in, ski-out condos, no covered heated chairs, no snowmaking, no fancy après ski (just a couple of bars—with a majority being outside seating). It's your basic, nothing special non-profit mountain.

The 2021-22 season has been very different from previous years and not just because it's been a low-snow year. It just doesn't have the same carefree vibe as previous years. It had this awesome friendly, laidback, family-oriented, "we're here to have a great day and want you to have one too" attitude, with the added benefit that a majority of folks were really good skiers and boarders. The demographic has definitely changed post-covid and there are many more non-locals and a lot more average to less than average skiers on the mountain who are used to riding anonymously at big resorts.

Expect lots more bro-boy type riders who don't have respect for other skiers and boarders, who think it's cool to swear while standing in lift lines (I'm not a prude but is it really necessary to loudly drop F bombs every other word?), who don't know traverse etiquette (standing on them and blocking those who want to get by), who side slip down trails (taking all the snow with them) because they are on a trail too steep for their ability, who don't properly scope out landing areas before hucking jumps, and then who don't stop to check on the people they have hit and taken out.

Sadly, this is the new Bridger reality.

Ticket prices may be low compared to other places but you can now expect the parking lot to be full before the lifts turn in the morning, big lift lines on Fridays, weekends & holidays, lots of beginner and intermediate skiers clogging up the few groomers (which you will need to ride to get to lifts and the base area), more people hanging out in the cafeterias, more "big resort" (rude) behavior, and a lot more whiners because the lifts are slow and there aren't any groomers.
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As someone who used to throw myself off of anything as a teenager, in resorts all throughout the US, I convinced my mother to make her retirement (aka my future early retirement) home in the suburbs of Bozeman, just off the road to Bridger Bowl. It can’t be beat for its combination of challenging terrain with options for all levels, topped off with some great on mountain amenities (bonus points that the lodge has gone “green” with a newly updated solar power system). This should give you a clue that there’s plenty of great Sunny day skiing here.

It can occasionally get light crowds (there’s always the 50 minute trek to Big Sky if you don’t want to see other people while skiing), but everyone is friendly and ready to chat on the lift ride up. And at the end of the day, Bozeman has a great little mountain town atmosphere that has some really upscale/foodie bar and restaurant options, but without the price and pretentiousness of places like Aspen or Vail. Certainly the lift tickets are super well-priced (I think many overlook Bridger because at their prices, they assume it must be a small dumpy little local bump-on-a-log). Maybe let’s keep it that way, eh? Send everyone to Big Sky, plenty of ski in/out options there and it’s only an 30 mins further drive from the Bozeman airport!

Bridger Bowl? Shhhhh....
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Bridger Bowl is one of my favorite ski hills located 15 minutes North of Bozeman, MT. Bozeman is fun college and mountain tourist town with a lot of hotels, shops, restaurants and bars. Bridger services a lot of locals and college kids. It's closer to the airport than Big Sky, and much less expensive. It has fewer skiable acres than Big Sky, but also has a lot of off piste area that is easily accessed from the main hill if you're willing to hike a little. Bridger can get a little crowed especially during holidays and when college is out, but nothing like Colorado.

Bridger does have runs for all levels of skiers, but if you're a little more adventurous I highly recommend checking out "the Ridge". The Ridge is not patrolled, and requires avalanche gear. Caution, find a line before dropping in as its easy to cliff out. Don't just follow the crowd or others tracks as you might get yourself in over your head. You'll be hard pressed to find a mountain with as many good skiers and Bridger.
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Great hill. Do some research before hiking the Ridge, it's easy to cliff out if you don't know where you're going. Bozeman is a college town, with a great atmosphere and a lot of really good skiers.
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Hit Montana a few years back with a large group of mostly boarders. Big Sky (and Moonlight Basin) were the main draw but since we stayed across the street from Bridger Bowl, we hit Bridger a couple times too. All in all, MT is pretty sick. Gorgeous, cheap, tough, phenomenal snow. Not as happening as CO obviously, but for pure skiing and terrain, MT is right up there with UT as America's best snow.

Bridger is very cheap and plenty big. Challenging as you want to make it. Bowls are pretty solid, but the real fun is the cliffs and alpine runs. Down the middle there is a natural halfpipe, that once we found it, we hit probably 10 times. Super fun..and had a nice little kicker at the end of it if you wanted to take it.

Laid back and uncrowded...this was the perfect place to bookend day trips out to Big Sky, Moonlight, and Yellowstone National Park. I'd go back in a heartbeat.
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Amazing powder and phenomenal prices. The Ridge is a great experience for experts, but there is plenty for everyone at Bridger.
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Our family of 3 spent 5 weeks in Bozeman skiing Bridger most days. Two snowboarders at intermediate and expert levels and me skiing. We loved the town...so friendly and easy to get around. We loved the staff on the mountain.......friendly, helpful,happy. We loved the facilities.....good lifts, good food places, good gear, excellent snow school staff,easy parking and a free bus shuttle. Good variety of runs.

We came from Australia to try Bridger and absolutely had a ball. Would go back again and definitely recommend it.
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Love this mountain! Employees are amazingly friendly and helpful, great food at both of the lodges, and all kinds of terrain to hit. Mountain offers great variety of runs for every kind of skier/snowboarder.

The addition of 2 new lifts this year alone is awesome with keeping the lines moving and getting us up the mountain quickly.
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Bridger locals will tell you to go to Big Sky if you're looking for a rec but it's probably because they don't want you crowding up their lift lines. Bridger has great super challenging terrain off their ridgeline and good sidecountry access. It's full of Bozeman college students and recent grads or non grads who either way are washing dishes to pay for their passes and gear so they can shred every day.

When it dumps here the snow is super deep and light. It's not a huge mountain or resort so if you're looking for something all inclusive or commercial I would head elsewhere. Nearby Bozeman has fun bars and restaurants. Montana is the best.
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