BRIDGER BOWL — It may be April, but winter isn’t letting go just yet in southwest Montana. After the recent snowfall this week, skiers and snowboarders flocked to Bridger Bowl to take advantage of the fresh powder.
On Friday, the mountain looked almost fully open. Parking lots filled quickly — I had to park down in Lot D.
“This dump happened, so we’re pretty excited,” said Tim, whom I first encountered in the parking lot.
An avid Bridger Bowl skier, Tim admitted this winter hasn’t been ideal. “This was a pretty bad season,” he said. “I mean, I kinda want to be mountain biking, but at the same time, if we get a chance to do a little more skiing, I’d be pretty pumped.”
Heading up the mountain, I ran into a group of friends — Leeve, Emma, and Lucy.
WATCH: Late-season snow has brought backcountry skiers back to Bridger Bowl
“What were your thoughts when you woke up this morning?” I asked.
“We were like, let’s go skiing!” they answered, adding that they planned to head to the Apron, a high alpine area.
When asked how they stay safe in the backcountry, they replied without hesitation: “Beacon, shovel, probe.”
These tools are essential, especially with current avalanche conditions. While the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center’s forecast page currently lists “No Rating Information Available,” that doesn’t mean there’s no danger.
According to director Mark Staples, avalanche risk remains due to recent inconsistent weather. The center has stopped collecting daily field data for the season but is still posting avalanche updates on Mondays and Fridays through the end of April. Staples advises avoiding slopes steeper than 30 degrees.
That’s guidance skiers David and Lisa were already following. “We went to the top of Porcupine,” they said. “We did not go into any avalanche terrain. The snow is better the higher you get, and there’s a lot of it — it’s not tracked out yet.”
Farther up the hill, I passed skiers and their four-legged companions before stopping to test the snow myself. Conditions were, in a word, excellent.
At the bottom, I met Gyorgy, who had just trekked for two runs to the top of Bradley’s.
“It was phenomenal,” he said, adding his hopes for the coming days: “I hope it’s going to snow some more, and hopefully it’s going to be a good water season.”
