This winter will go down as the worst in many decades. In southwest Montana and the other areas I've been tracking, it was consistently warm with low snow depths in the backcountry and at the ski areas, and area monitoring stations reporting record or near record lows throughout the season. Snow storms, especially those lasting more than a day, came sporadically, and temperatures ran several degrees above average for extended stretches. Numerous rain events and melt offs added to the agony.
Bridger Bowl opened on December 12, it's projected opening date. By March, we were wondering if the snow would ever come. The NCAA ski championships, expected to be held at Bridger Bowl March 11-13, were moved to Utah, and Bridger Bowl closed on March 22, three weeks early. Ever fickle Mother Nature bestowed numerous storms on Bridger Bowl in April with backcounty skiers flocking there for easy access and possibly the best conditions of the year.
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Big Sky’s higher elevation and overall colder weather helped provide more consistent ski conditions, but the season was still far from epic. Big Sky was able to open as planned on November 26, and Mike and I were down there for three nights. With below zero temperatures on our last night and new snow on the last day, the conditions got better each day we skied but it was a still a marginal opening. Big Sky was able to hold on to their expected closing day, April 26, with a multi-day storm arriving on March 31 and several more storms, and even some cold weather, throughout April. Big Sky skiers were happy for an uplifting end to a disappointing ski season.
Colorado weather and snowpack were even more bleak than Montana, and this article about the shrinking Great Salt Lake and the resulting dust storms that are expected to impact skiing makes for somber reading. I won't get into minutia, but you can check out SNOTEL sites to look at the stats. And as always, you can always check out Wasatch Weather Weenies, atmospheric science professor Jim Steenburgh's website, for a deeper look at the science of skiing.
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| Conditions like this were especially fleeting. |
Close to home, backcountry ski spots closest to town (IE: The old ski area up Bear Canyon) were never in condition, and the tours up Hyalite Canyon offered marginal conditions requiring determination and low expectations.
Mike and I ended up making the long drive to Powder Belt several times throughout January and February as the area received several storms that did not reach Big Sky or Bozeman, and we were quite happy with the backcountry ski results. The Bracket Creek area in the Bridger mountains produced some okay turns, and we were able to marvel over large swaths of downed trees, the aftermath of a large wind event in late December.
Bozeman in-town cross-country skiing venues offered limited terrain and an extremely short season.
Here is the beta...
2025-2026
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| April storms hit Big Sky! |
- Big Sky - Season total snowfall not reported (Closing day, April 26, 24" base)
- Bridger Bowl - Season total snowfall, 138" (Closing day March 22, 43" base)
- Alta - Season total snowfall, 313" (Closing day April 26, 79" base)
- Crested Butte - Season total snowfall, 143" (Closing day April 5, 42" base)
Historic Figures
Big Sky Bridger Bowl Alta Crested Butte
Figures = Ski area base depth, snow fall year-to-date
February 19, 2025 57” (NA) 72” (188”) 121” (337”) 69” (172”)
February 19, 2024 37" (NA) 37" (86") 142" (414") 65" (195")
February 24, 2023 66-70" (NA) 74" (177") 153" (536") 57" (216")
February 24, 2022 27"- 49" (NA) 43" (147") 89" (283") 61" (199")
February 18, 2021 56"- 63" (NA) 77" (171") 120" (332") 59" (150")
February 21, 2020 56"- 96" (NA) 78" (227") 125" (416") 51" (156")
February 17, 2019 48"- 89" (NA) 70" (192") 133" (386") 71" (186")
February 19, 2018 63"- 95" (NA) 77" (210") 76" (183") 48" (112")
February 14, 2017 48"- 72" (188") 45" (143")
February 12, 2016 43”- 65” (277") 56” (209")
February 17, 2015 42”- 63” (294") 56” (228")
February 12, 2014 57”- 85” (236") 76” (166")
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