"In my time here, we haven't had to close early. We've had to open late, but we haven't had to close early," Bridger Bowl marketing and communications director Erin O'Connor told KBZK in April, after the 2025-26 season ended three weeks ahead of schedule.
Bridger's projected first chair for 2026-27 is Friday, December 11. The dates that decide what this winter costs come sooner. Over Halloween weekend, Bridger's season pass prices go up, payment plans close, and the online family discount ends. In the same stretch, Bozeman holds its ski-film nights, a fundraising gala, a talk by an Olympic Nordic skier and the biggest gear swap of the fall. If you ski Bridger, the next two weeks matter more for your season than the first snowfall.
Bridger usually gets about 300 inches of snow in a season. Last season it got 138. O'Connor told KBZK the mountain still stayed 100% open the whole time, and she credited the groomers and snowmakers for that. In March, Explore Big Sky reported that March 21 and 22 would be the last operating weekend, with Bridger pointing to warm temperatures. Bridger's nonprofit page puts the 2025-26 season at 248,030 skier visits.
Bridger has also made progress on its longer-term plans. Its Master Development Plan was accepted by the Forest Service in February 2026. The plan lays out potential projects over the next 10 to 15 years, and each one still needs final Forest Service approval. So the plan is a framework for future work. It doesn't mean new lifts are running this December. KBZK's spring report said Bridger was moving ahead with the next phase of the plan and hoping for a better winter.
Bridger set the pass calendar below with all of that in mind, and it's the same for everyone whether this winter brings heavy snow or another thin year.
Bridger's 2026-27 season pass page lists three price tiers. The first ended July 31. The second has applied since August 1. The third starts Sunday, November 1. Here's what that change does to the most common passes:
| Pass | Price now, through Oct. 31 | Price starting Nov. 1 | Increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full, adult 25-69 | $1,100 | $1,250 | $150 |
| Full, young adult 19-24 | $1,050 | $1,200 | $150 |
| Full, junior 13-18 | $605 | $680 | $75 |
| Full, child 7-12 | $325 | $375 | $50 |
| Full, senior 70-79 | $605 | $680 | $75 |
| Value, adult 19-69 | $925 | $1,050 | $125 |
| Value, junior | $420 | $445 | $25 |
| Value, child | $265 | $320 | $55 |
| Midweek, adult | $570 | $620 | $50 |
| Midweek, senior | $450 | $480 | $30 |
Preschool and Super Senior Full passes cost $15 in every tier, so the date makes no difference for those.
Two other deadlines fall on the same weekend:
The deadlines add up quickly for a family. Take two adults, one junior and one child, all on Full passes. At current prices that's $3,130, or about $2,754 with the 12% discount. The same four passes bought on November 1 cost $3,555 with no discount, about $800 more for the same winter. Bridger's homepage puts the message more simply: "Lower price available thru October 31st!"
Two rules on the pass page are worth knowing before you buy. Pass type is based on age on the day you buy, which matters if a child is close to an age cutoff. And season passes are non-refundable and non-transferable. If you're choosing between Full and Value, the Value pass is blacked out December 26 through January 1, January 16-18 and February 13-15.
Bridger Bowl Bash on October 17 kicked off the fall. It was a free afternoon at the Jim Bridger and Saddle Peak lodges with a clothing swap, gear repair, music and a pass raffle. Most of what follows lands within a few days of the pass deadline:
The Warren Miller screenings fall on Friday night, the evening before the family discount ends and two days before the price increase. By Saturday morning, the current pass prices and the family discount have less than a day left.
The BSF Ski Swap comes the weekend after the price change. The schedule:
You can buy skis, boards, boots and outdoor clothing, and checkout takes cash or credit cards. All sales are final, so inspect gear before you pay.
When you go, it's a good chance to find this winter's bus stop. Bridger's getting-here page calls its fairgrounds pickup the "new" Bridger Bowl Park N Ride. It sits midway through the fairgrounds, across from the Gallatin County Extension Office and next to the ballfield entrance. You can drive in from Tamarack and Black or from Oak Street. If you've parked at the fairgrounds stop before, check the new spot during the swap rather than at 8:30 on a December morning.
Things get quieter after the swap. Bridger Bowl's Fall Membership Meeting is Tuesday, November 17, at 7 p.m. at the Hilton Garden Inn in Bozeman. For a nonprofit ski area that is working from a newly accepted development plan, that meeting is the public update on what comes next.
Next is the projected opening on Friday, December 11. Bridger labels the date "projected," and how much snow falls between now and then will decide whether it holds. The free Bridger bus is scheduled for the same day and runs through April 11, 2027. The posted midweek schedule runs Monday through Friday, except December 25:
| Stop | Departures |
|---|---|
| Fairgrounds, Tamarack St. entrance | 8:30 a.m., 10:20 a.m., 12:45 p.m. |
| MSU, Strand Union Building roundabout | 10:00 a.m., 12:25 p.m. |
| Bridger Bowl, from Saddle Peak Lodge | 11:35 a.m., 1:20 p.m., 3:30 p.m., 5:00 p.m. |
Weekend, peak-season, holiday and spring-break schedules are posted separately on the same page. Skiers with disabilities can request the Bridger Bowl Accessibility Shuttle on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. If you drive, Bridger's posted policy is free, first-come parking with lot shuttles on weekends and holidays. Lot A is limited to vehicles with three or more people, youth ski-school participants and skiers with disabilities.
If you're thinking about it in order: buy passes by October 31, catch the films and the gala that last weekend of October, find gear at the swap November 7-8, and try the new fairgrounds stop on December 11.
Some of Cheryl's clients split their time between Bozeman and elsewhere, and a winter on Bridger is often part of why they're here. If you're thinking about how a home near the fairgrounds, the MSU bus stop or Bridger Canyon would fit your ski season, Cheryl Ridgely is happy to talk it through over coffee before the first chair. Let's Connect.
Cheryl leads with passion and professionalism and specializes in second homes, vacation rentals, investment, commercial, and development properties. If you’re looking for local market knowledge and insight, connect with Cheryl as a trusted resource.
CHERYL RIDGELY
1805 W Dickerson St Bozeman, MT 59715