Skiing Bridger Bowl : The Ridge.gif)
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| Some
of the Terrain available from "The Ridge" at Bridger
Bowl |
As wonderful
as the skiing is at Bridger Bowl in its lift served portions,
what makes Bridger Bowl “stick out” in
the minds of expert skiers has to be the non-lift served
portion of the ski area. This portion of Bridger Bowl ski
area is known as “The Ridge.”
The
Ridge is accessed by taking the Bridger Chair up to its
end and then by trekking
up 500 vertical feet to the very top of the mountain. Once
to the top of the mountain, or the ridge as it is known,
you can then make your way either South or North along
the top of the ridge – dropping down into anything
either the North Bowl or South Bowl - through a dizzying
variety of advanced skiing terrain.
Click
to See Map
of the Ridge
Skiing
the “Ridge” at Bridger Bowl ski area
is true advanced level skiing in every sense of the word.
If you do not feel comfortable skiing on exceptionally steep
slopes, skiing through narrow chutes and occasionally plowing
through some thick wooded areas that also have lots and lots
of rocks, then skiing off the “Ridge” is not
for you! Moreover, once you are at the top of the “Ridge”,
you are committed. There are no easier ways down.
For
advanced level skiers, the “Ridge” provides
some of the finest – if not the finest – advanced
skiing in Montana – easily stacking up to the advanced
skiing found at Big Sky Resort. Yet, unlike at Big Sky Resort,
none of this terrain is lift-served – as you first
have to hike up to the “Ridge” and then traverse
down the ridge to access such famous places as “The
Nose” and “Bridger Gully,” among others.
For
this reason,
Bridger Bowl requires that any skier who plans on skiing
off the “Ridge” have a partner,
an avalanche
receiver ,
be an advanced skier and have good knowledge of the terrain.
One
look at the terrain from below makes the reason for these
restrictions obvious. Huge blocks of snow overhang
along the top of the “Ridge” – meaning
that avalanches can and do happen, despite the best efforts
of the ski area to reduce their number. Moreover, the terrain
off the “Ridge” is not patrolled. Having a partner
can literally mean the difference between life and death
should something nasty happen to you on the way down – like
hitting a rock, taking a 500 yard tumble through the trees,
or worse.
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| The "Nose" at
Bridger Bowl - Radical Terrain for Advanced Skiers |
Above
all, having a good knowledge of the terrain is absolutely
essential. While there are many ways down from the top of
the “Ridge”, there are also more than a few ways
to get “stuck”, or standing at the top of some
terrain that is either closed or which really isn’t
skiable due to rocks, trees, lack of snow, steepness or all
of the above. And because the terrain off the ridge is so
steep – if you manage to get “stuck” you
are sort of in between a rock and a hard place – as
working your way back towards the top of the mountain isn’t
really a viable option in many cases.
In short,
the “Ridge” at Bridger Bowl provides
some of the finest advanced level skiing in Montana. But,
before you begin your trek up to the ridge, be brutally honest
about your skiing abilities. Remember, once at the top, there
is no way back down except by skiing down double-diamond
terrain that consists of chutes, trees, rocks and virtually
everything else an advanced skier wants.
Bridger Bowl Ski Area : Summary
Overall,
Bridger Bowl is a wonderful ski area located on a beautiful
mountain just a short hop from one of Montana’s
prettiest towns – Bozeman. Lift tickets are affordable,
the terrain at Bridger Bowl is incredible and the snow piles
up high and deep allowing for a substantial snowpack – even
during lower snow years.
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| Bridger
Gully seen from below. Bridger Gully is accessed
from "The Ridge" |
Bridger Bowl is, to put it simply, one of the best ski areas
in Montana. The ski area has excellent beginner trails, decent
intermediate ski trails and absolutely wonderful expert and
advanced level skiing. All at an affordable price.
And
even more interesting, Bridger Bowl may soon be growing.
Bridger Bowl is in the process of procuring the permits needed
for an expansion of the ski area. This expansion would extend
the ski are to both the North and South of existing boundaries – adding
6 new lifts and hundreds of new acres of ski terrain. Tentative
plans also call for making the “Ridge” lift served.
 
Next Page : Bridger
Bowl Lodging
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