Escaping the Everyday

Bridger Bowl, a nonprofit ski area, located in Bozeman, MT is proud to offer a genuine community-driven experience. All revenue generated is reinvested into the mountain, enhancing facilities, maintaining affordable lift tickets, and supporting local programs.

This resort offers 2,000 acres of skiable terrain with over 75 marked trails and numerous unmarked ones, serviced by 11 lifts. Bridger relies on snowfall for 95% of its skiable terrain, receiving approximately 300 inches of snow each season.

I am thrilled to write this blog as I have skied Bridger Bowl numerous times as an intermediate-level skier and can finally provide a review! Particularly for those who are reading this and ones planning to visit Bozeman in the future.

***All trail map pictures were taken from Bridger Bowl’s site***

Before we proceed with my review, it is important to note that some of the terrain may not be suitable for beginners and intermediate skiers. If you are examining the trail map, the more advanced section within the ski boundaries is grayed out, including the Schlasman’s lift. A beacon is required to ski these areas, so you will observe many individuals carrying backpacks.

It is essentially backcountry skiing, as there are no designated trails and there is a risk of avalanches. They do have an avalanche control in this section, but there is still always that slight risk to be aware of. It is generally advisable to ski this area with someone experienced with the terrain, as navigating without proper knowledge can result in accidentally skiing off a cliff.

People will take the Schlasman’s lift up to the ridge, walk along the ridge until they find a place to drop in. I have heard it is quite impressive, but not suitable for my skill level. For those that are reading this, I would consider myself intermediate level as I can tackle almost all blue squares and able to attempt a few black diamonds.

Sunnyside Lift and Virginia City Lift

These two lifts will enable you to stay in the beginner area, providing access to all green trails. This does not include the beginner slope or “bunny slope” where you begin your initial day of attempting to ski or snowboard.

Summer Road Trail has several flat sections that aren’t ideal for snowboarders. Therefore, even if you are approaching from a different part of the mountain, I would recommend avoiding this trail.

Sunnyside Trail features a terrain park, should that be of interest to you.

Mogul Mouse, Mouse Meadows, and Coyote Flats are all wide-open trails that are ideal for beginners as they allow advanced skiers to maneuver around you more easily and prevent the area from feeling too crowded. If you are at an intermediate level these trails may feel monotonous, allowing you to cruise down without much challenge.

These trails are also fun for racing with a friend or partner, as you can pick up speed without the risk of going dangerously fast. When Jake and I descend the mountain at the end of the day, we often find ourselves competing in these areas.

Alpine and Powder Park Lifts

The trails around Alpine Lift and Powder Park Lift are a particularly fun area for skiing. To reach these lifts, you will take Sunnyside Lift to either the Alpine Easy Trail or the Alpine Access Trail. The Alpine Easy Access trail ascends slightly before descending so if you do not gain sufficient speed, you will find yourself having to push yourself up the small hill.

Alpine Lift

Fox Den, Wasma, Cathy’s Cross and Crazy Woman are all trails that zig zag through the woods. When you ascend the lift and proceed to the left, you will begin to see the trail signs for these paths. However, once you enter the wooded trails, is not a distinct trail to follow. If you continue descending, you eventually reach Alpine Return which will bring you back to the Alpine Lift.

When you reach Alpine Return, you will see trails descending on your left. Do not take these unless you intend to go all the way back down to the lodge. Jake made that mistake once!

These trails feature moguls and trees, naturally. They are not excessively steep, and the trees are well-spaced out making it an excellent location to begin learning how to navigate through trees and moguls. It is highly enjoyable to ski through this area.

On cloudy days, this area of the mountain tends to be windier than other areas from what I’ve observed from my visits. We usually go straight to the trees to avoid the wind gusts.

Bobcat, Maverick, and Wolverine are awesome skiing trails, as they offer the option to either stay on the trail or weave in and out of trees and eventually return to the trail. These groomer trails are ideal for intermediate-level riders as I have found myself able to navigate them with ease and zoom down!

Powder Park Lift

Powder Park Lift is slightly more advanced than the Alpine lift, as it offers blue and black runs instead blue and green ones. For an intermediate skier who can easily navigate a blue trail, you will be able to tackle Baby Bear! I have not attempted to ski Eagle trail as it appears to be somewhat too advanced for my current level of skiing. What I like about Baby Bear is that it’s short! It’s steep with moguls, but if you take your time, it’s definitely doable, though it may be a bit intimidating. Once you are on the trail, you can pretty much see Porcupine Trail, which helps ease the mind.

Powder Puff trail is a highly enjoyable route where one can choose either to remain on the trail or venture in and out of trees. You will begin to notice a pattern with this mountain, as many trails allows you to either remain on the path or navigate through the trees.

Powder Hog typically has many moguls but is definitely manageable. I would classify it as an easier black diamond if you are accustomed to moguls. Then you will eventually connect to Porcupine trail, which is an easy blue.

North Bowl

Bridger Lift will take you to the top of North Bowl. You can take the T-bar to the ridge, and I have seen some people hike up when the T-bar is not working. I would not recommend this for intermediate skiers like myself.

North Bowl Road is definitely a good one! I am unsure why its classified as a black diamond as it is not very steep and is relatively easy groomer. My only thought is that it’s rather a narrow path as you navigate around the bowl. If you are good with turns, you should have no difficulty descending.

North Bowl Run can be somewhat intimidating due to its steepness and abundance of moguls. I have not tried it when the snow is harder, but when there is a lot of powder, it is more manageable because you are not fighting with the crusty moguls.

North Bowl will connect you to several different blue trails, including Powder Park, Freedom, Easy Money, and Bridger Run. All these trails are great groomers, allowing you to either weave in and out of the trees or remain on the trail.

I have not ventured to Hanton’s Hollow and Powder Horn because accessing them requires taking a black diamond run from the Bridger chair lift, which may be too challenging for an average intermediate skier.

South Bowl

Pierre’s Knob Lift, referred to as PK, is typically popular as it provides access to excellent South Bowl skiing and also leads to Schlasman’s Ravine, which offers a backcountry skiing experience.

Emil’s Mile and Pierre’s Road are typically my preferred routes when skiing South Bowl. Upon disembarking from the ski lift and proceeding towards Emil’s Mile, you can continue traversing to reach the opposite side the bowl where there’s several double black diamond runs, favored by Jake, are located. If you’re an intermediate skier, please be aware not to traverse past the drop-in section of Emil’s Mile, or you’ll end up in terrain that is far too advanced. Emil’s Mile can be challenging, as it starts with a steep incline leveling out to a typical blue trail.

Pierre’s Road will guide you to Bitterroot, Thunder Road, Sacajawea, and Missouri Breaks, which are really fun groomers. It can be somewhat confusing, as it is quite open before you reach those trails. Therefore, I typically stay to the left eventually finding myself on one of the trails.

I advise against taking Southern Drawl as it will lead you to Pierre’s Return, which essentially feels like a catwalk. Jake made that mistake, and on a snowboard, catwalks are not enjoyable. Taking Bitterroot will require traversing a catwalk for a short distance, but with skis it is manageable as you can push your way back to the lift.

That is Bridger Bowl in a nutshell for an intermediate-level skier. I hope you found this review enjoyable, as I have appreciated reaching a level where I can review a mountain!

I am uncertain about what next week will bring, but I assure it will be an fantastic read so stay tuned.