Montana Original · Places
Bridger Bowl
Opened with one employee. One.
The Story
Bozeman's nonprofit ski hill in Bridger Canyon, open to the public since January 16, 1955. Staff on opening day: one employee. One.
A community nonprofit hill since 1955, with a community board. When the blue light on the Baxter comes on, plans change.
Bridger Bowl opened to the public on January 16, 1955, with one employee. One. The Bozeman State Park Recreation Association had formed the year before, and the Bridger Bowl name didn’t come along until 1971.
It’s still a nonprofit. The money goes back into the hill instead of out to owners somewhere else. There are multiple chairs and lodges now, but the idea is still community skiing, not resort packaging.
And Bozeman still watches the blue light on the Baxter Hotel downtown. When it’s on, fresh snow has hit the canyon, and a lot of plans for the day quietly change.
It’s seasonal, obviously. If there’s an old Bridger pass in your junk drawer, send us a photo.
Still Here.
- Address
- 15795 Bridger Canyon Rd., Bozeman, MT, 59715
- Phone
- 406-587-2111
Sources
Got a Story About This Place?
You're Old School Montana if... you picked up ranch pants and fence clips in the same aisle and called it running errands
You're Old School Montana if... you checked for the blue light on the Baxter before anybody started arguing about Bridger snow
What do you say?
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