There is little doubt that Bozeman is a skiers’ paradise; we were after all voted #2 in Powder Magazine’s recent Ski Town Throwdown. If living here for you has nothing to do with skiing then you probably don’t want to read this article because it is all about our little gem of a ski area: Bridger Bowl.

My love affair with Bridger Bowl started seventeen years ago when I thought I wanted to become a snowboarder. When I first moved to Bozeman to attend Montana State University it seemed as though every other person I met said they had moved here to ski. It was annoying at first, until I got hooked myself. Gearing up with a borrowed board and snow boots (not snow board boots) that were several sizes too big for me, my friend and I headed to the parking lot of Bridger Bowl before the season began and just before dusk. Since it was my first time on a board we weren’t about to hike to the Ridge. Far from it, we made our turns on the small hill below the Jim Bridger Lodge. It was an exhausting first outing, but piqued my interest enough to get me to buy a lift ticket during the regular season and give it a fair shot. With the same pathetic gear it took me about 45 minutes to get from the top of the Quad to the bottom of Alpine and there were tears involved. I made it through that first day of snowboarding at Bridger Bowl and about three more that season before I decided that two sticks were better than one and hung up the board for good. I continued attending the University of Bridger Bowl throughout college with a mid-week pass, Salvation Army skinny skis, too long for me shape skis, and a lot of good memories.

Graduating to shape skis my size I continue to make memories at Bridger: numerous powder days, lots of new lifts, fun with friends and on my own. My favorite places at BB are Alpine and Peirs Knob, followed closely by the more challenging runs off the Bridger lift. I’ve skied Schlasmans minimally, but not enough to say too much about it. As for the Ridge I’m not a hiker, so more powder for you all.

2013-2014 is slated to bring two new lifts to increase access to the current Alpine area at Bridger Bowl. I am very excited that the 46 year old two seat Alpine chair is going to be replaced, and am thrilled at where the two triple chair replacements will be reaching–one reaching to the north of where Alpine now unloads, and the other north of north bowl accessing some of my favorite runs: the brush run, powder park and awesome tree skiing.

Not only is the skiing at BB world class the people aren’t half bad either. The staff will answer any of your questions, and a ride up the chair with a local is sure to be fun and informative. Bozemanites are at their best on the slopes; friendly, kind and generous. A February post on the BB facebook page included a letter from an Alberta Canada skier that had recently visited the area for the first time. The skier said that Bridger was “by far the friendliest mountain I have been to” and went on to describe several chair rides with different locals that made their day a great experience. They ended by saying they would treat visitors to their local mountain differently because of the way they were welcomed at Bridger Bowl – that just about says it all.

Angie Ripple is the publisher of Bozeman Magazine, and a passionate skier whose ski life is   currently a bit stalled by small children.