Is 2 Days @ Bridger Bowl Enough?

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007

New member
.....for an advanced skier that enjoys groomers + bumps but WILL NOT be hiking the Ridge or riding the new Schlusman lift/terrain. Or is 1 day enough?

Have never skied Bridger. As a reference I can ski most of Aspen Highlands save for Highlands Bowl and much of Temerity in a single day. Am wondering about the size/scale of Bridger excluding the Ridge?

Thanks for any feedback, as I'm considering a 6 day combi trip to Bridger, Big Sky and Moonlight Basin (2, 3 and 1 day each respectively)
 
Bridger is all about The Ridge. IMO, to ski there without accessing The Ridge, especially if you've skied Highlands Bowl, etc., is a crying shame. Without the Ridge terrain, however, 2 days is more than enough IMO.
 
007":as8sfemf said:
.....for an advanced skier that enjoys groomers + bumps but WILL NOT be hiking the Ridge or riding the new Schlusman lift/terrain. Or is 1 day enough?
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Not sure about you, but I think based on what you've said, 1 day is definitely enough.

007":as8sfemf said:
Am wondering about the size/scale of Bridger excluding the Ridge?
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Size isn't everything, but besides on the top part (even less so if you removed the hike), I found the ski area is pretty flat.

007":as8sfemf said:
Thanks for any feedback, as I'm considering a 6 day combi trip to Bridger, Big Sky and Moonlight Basin (2, 3 and 1 day each respectively)
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Tony and I did 2 days at BS/MB and 1 day at Bridger which was part of a larger trip.

I would have spent more time at BS and MB, but only a bit more at Bridger (got a late start on day 1 and Tony was freezing - soft Californian :lol: . Plus we hiked the Ridge). I mentioned that 1 day was enough for BB, however considering the fact that you're planning 5 days at BS/MB...going 2 at BB and 4 BS/MB would be to bad either.

Admin":as8sfemf said:
Bridger is all about The Ridge. IMO, to ski there without accessing The Ridge, is a crying shame. Without the Ridge terrain, however, 2 days is more than enough IMO.
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Ditto.
 
I concur with most of the above comments.

I agree that with no Ridge or Schlusman one day is enough. BUT the addition of Schlusman cuts down a lot of the grunt work needed to access some of the upper expert terrain. So if it were me I would plan on renting/borrowing the avy gear and spending a fair amount of time on Schlusman.

Size isn't everything, but besides on the top part (even less so if you removed the hike), I found the ski area is pretty flat.
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There is a sharp demarcation between a fairly flat lower half of the mountain and very expert upper half. However Big Sky and Moonlight have exactly the same terrain split, if not more so. If the Ridge/Lone Peak/Challenger/Headwaters terrain is beyond your ability, none of these areas are a good destination choice. If you can ski some of this stuff but just don't want to deal with the avy gear, then Big Sky/Moonlight should be OK but you should just do one day at Bridger.

Bridger gets somewhat more snow than Big Sky/Moonlight, so in an average January it probably has better coverage. In March Big Sky/Moonlight might have better snow preservation with the extra ~2,000 feet of altitude. Moonlight faces north but Bridger and Big Sky have sunnier exposures.

I'm considering a 6 day combi trip to Bridger, Big Sky and Moonlight Basin (2, 3 and 1 day each respectively)
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Don't forget there are advantages to the combined Big Sky/Moonlight ticket that can be worth the price premium.
1) The range of exposures
2) It's the only way to ski North Snowfields from Lone Peak into Moonlight
3) Challenger and Headwaters lifts are adjacent at the top, easy to alternate between them with the combined ticket.
 
Thanks for the useful info....it comfirmed my suspicions about the relative size of Bridger (minus the Ridge).
 
it's amazing what stuff you can find with the search feature! :bow:

This was a question I'm considering (albeit, a little different circumstances as I'm an advanced rider (though am fine with blue/black groomers/mild off piste if there's no fresh-, but my girl is an intermediate skier) for our 8 day trip to Montana the first week of March... (specifically, Bridger, BS/MB and Red Lodge.)

Right now, it's looking like 1 day Bridger, 3 days BS/MB, 1-2 days at Red Lodge...

My ski trips are not always about skiing every single day as I like to take in the local beer flavor of the area I'm visiting and do a few other things.

That being said, any other tips on the area/resorts/towns, etc... would be appreciated.

O:)
 
Intermediate is a nebulous definition, but typical advanced intermediates fit squarely into the ability gap of both Bridger and Big Sky/Moonlight.
Red Lodge is quite a detour and does not have great snow reputation. I would check on conditions closely before making that detour, as there are numerous other Montana areas no further that might be better. Find one of q's or JSpin's analyses of Montana ski areas.
 
Ok, my new GF hadn't been on skis in 18 yrs... until last week in Mammoth. She did fine, and even made it down a couple blue blacks on the backside, which I took her on by "mistake". :mrgreen: anyway, she's probably going to be skiing once a week or more, so by March, I suspect she'll be happy doing mostly the groomer blues and maybe a few blacks.. but probably not much more than that.

As far as ski areas within striking distance of Bozeman, the only other one that looked appealing to me was Discovery, but then I saw they only get 215 avg a year... which is even less than Red Lodge, although I suspect the terrain can handle less snow at Disco since it doesn't appear as rocky as RL. Great Divide looked sorta fun, but that's starting to get a bit too far. Enlighten me if there is anything else in that 2-ish hour radius from Bozeman.

As I alluded to, we are there for 8 full days, so after a few days of BS/ML and 1 at Bridger.... it'd be fine to travel a couple hours from Bozeman... but if we go somewhere else, it'd be nice to have a cool town to piddle around with in addition to decent skiing. I've heard nice things about Philipsburg, so maybe I'll look more into that.

The thing that will likely also be to our advantage, is with the exception of the airline tickets, we're probably not going to be making many room reservations and wing it as we go... since early March in MT is apparenty not terribly busy. (again, correct me if i'm wrong)
 
snowave":2s7o35e8 said:
Ok, my new GF hadn't been on skis in 18 yrs... until last week in Mammoth. She did fine, and even made it down a couple blue blacks on the backside, which I took her on by "mistake". :mrgreen: anyway, she's probably going to be skiing once a week or more, so by March, I suspect she'll be happy doing mostly the groomer blues and maybe a few blacks.. but probably not much more than that.

As far as ski areas within striking distance of Bozeman, the only other one that looked appealing to me was Discovery, but then I saw they only get 215 avg a year... which is even less than Red Lodge, although I suspect the terrain can handle less snow at Disco since it doesn't appear as rocky as RL. Great Divide looked sorta fun, but that's starting to get a bit too far. Enlighten me if there is anything else in that 2-ish hour radius from Bozeman.

As I alluded to, we are there for 8 full days, so after a few days of BS/ML and 1 at Bridger.... it'd be fine to travel a couple hours from Bozeman... but if we go somewhere else, it'd be nice to have a cool town to piddle around with in addition to decent skiing. I've heard nice things about Philipsburg, so maybe I'll look more into that.

The thing that will likely also be to our advantage, is with the exception of the airline tickets, we're probably not going to be making many room reservations and wing it as we go... since early March in MT is apparenty not terribly busy. (again, correct me if i'm wrong)
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The thing about Red Lodge is not the amount of snow they get, but rather the consistency, or lack thereof. They can get crushed with a big storm cycle and then go more than a month with nothing. In a similar manner, they can have really dry years and really wet years - a big standard deviation. While you would think they would benefit from the La Nina pattern, their location right on the Front Range, and in the shadow of the very tall Bearfoots, creates some unique dynamics in terms of where the best flow comes from for them.

I wouldn't call the terrain there especially rocky. It doesn't compare the the rockiness you'll find at BB, let alone at BS/MB. It's much more like a Colorado style resort in that manner, with everything below treeline and nothing too hairball.
 
Wait... I heard a rumor you drink all the bear and steal all the women.. should I believe anything you say? =P~

gotcha on Red Lodge... we'll keep that info in mind.. thanks. O:)
 
If you wander from the Bozeman area I would think about Targhee. One of the best places anywhere for your intermediate GF to learn powder. The West Yellowstone entrance to the national park is on the way. I know it's closed most of March but may be open the first week.
 
I've been to Targhee... took my ex- wife there when we did our JH trip :shock: ....good suggestion, under most circumstances..... but want to go somewhere I haven't been as well... which is pretty much anywhere else in MT, except Big Mtn/Whitefish... or whatever they call it these days.. of course, that's a long way from Bozeman anyway.
 
Sounds like you should spend most of your time at Big Sky. Lots of long cruisers to keep everyone happy off of Andesite. Got 5 days in there this year and they are off to a great start, although the peak has been wind blasted and only the Big C is open. The Bowl and Challenger are skiing great. Lone Peak Brewery in the meadow has some good brew.

From your description, 1 day at Bridger is definitely enough. Do it mid week. It gets pretty crowded on the weekends. As your trip gets closer, I can let you know how Discovery is doing. They have some long cruisers and an almost all double black north facing backside bowl that is pure bliss on a pow day.
 
coldsmoke":2zb0v7wq said:
Sounds like you should spend most of your time at Big Sky. Lots of long cruisers to keep everyone happy off of Andesite. Got 5 days in there this year and they are off to a great start, although the peak has been wind blasted and only the Big C is open. The Bowl and Challenger are skiing great. Lone Peak Brewery in the meadow has some good brew.

From your description, 1 day at Bridger is definitely enough. Do it mid week. It gets pretty crowded on the weekends. As your trip gets closer, I can let you know how Discovery is doing. They have some long cruisers and an almost all double black north facing backside bowl that is pure bliss on a pow day.
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yeah, i realize Big Sky is probably going to suit us best for the pure skiing/riding aspect... but, 8 full days in the general area is alot.. I get bored easily... and more than anything, we don't want to spend all our money on the much higher lift and lodging at BS/MB for probably more than 3 days (which will still be the most time we spend at any area on this trip)... even though I realize the size and terrain advantages.... plus, I want to see other areas and towns. So at this point, trying to decide between Red Lodge and Discovery is looking to be the decision maker.

Thanks for the input... and yes, keep me posted on Discovery!
 
snowave":2rhugpei said:
So at this point, trying to decide between Red Lodge and Discovery is looking to be the decision maker.
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Red Lodge and Philipsburg are both neat towns. And when Red Lodge does get big dumps, they usually happen in late Feb. - March. You should definitely make it a last minute decision as lodging availability shouldn't be an issue in either town. If I had to bet, I would say Discovery will have the better conditions, but you never know.

Here's some brewery links:
http://bozemanbrewing.com/ (downtown Bozeman)
http://lonepeakbrewery.com/ (Big Sky)
http://www.madisonriverbrewing.com/ (this one is real close to the Bozeman airport)
http://www.redlodgeales.com/ (Red Lodge)
 
ahhh... brewpub links. [-o<

ok, another general question... we are renting a car in Bozeman.. obviously, I'd prefer an SUV/4WD... but it's like $300 more a week for that... I'd rather spend that money on beer. Is it really necessary for our travels to have 4WD? (I know most car rental companies do not legally allow you to put chains/cables on).

Where I live in CA, you HAVE to have 4WD.. as the snow is wet and gets icy. When I lived in CO for a season in Summit CO, although most locals has 4WD, many others coming up from Denver did not, and seemed to be fine most of the time... mainly due to the low water content in the snow, it rarely got icy.

Thanks
 
snowave":3ej97da4 said:
ok, another general question... we are renting a car in Bozeman.. obviously, I'd prefer an SUV/4WD... but it's like $300 more a week for that... I'd rather spend that money on beer. Is it really necessary for our travels to have 4WD? (I know most car rental companies do not legally allow you to put chains/cables on).
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Can't commit to that query, that is such a weather dependent question. Considering the travel you have planned, I'd lean toward the 4wd. The extended trip to Red Lodge or Discovery; and the canyon between bzn and big sky can be treacherous during a storm. The canyon has been white knuckle for me during many a dump.
 
Thanks... I think where I was going with the question more than anything was, does MT typically have chain control areas for passenger vehicles in poor weather like we do here in the CA mtns.
 
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