Is Bozeman the Next Jackson Hole?

Most alpine skiers know the big names in ski resorts around the United States:Jackson Hole, Big Sky, Grand Targhee. But could Bridger Bowl be added to that list? Most people who have lived here a few years know that Bozeman has begun to rapidly grow as more people move here. 

In 2024, Policom, an economic analysis website, ranked Bozeman as the fastest growing micropolitan city, a city between 10,000 and 50,000 people, in the United States for the 5th year in a row, with Kalispell in 3rd and Helena in 4th. Bozeman's population grew from 53.5K in 2020 to 57.3K in 2023, a 7.0% percent growth according to the United States Census Bureau. As Bozeman grew, so did the number of tourists coming here, not only in the summer for Yellowstone National Park, but also in the winter to ski. In a study done in 2018 by University of Montana, 43% of visits to all ski resorts in Montana were by nonresident skiers and snowboarders, generating almost $177 million dollars in economic contributions. Specifically, for Bridger Bowl in the 2018 season, nonresidents contributed 6.9 million. 

When tourists were asked what their main reason for visiting, 43% said location, 20% said price, and 13% said recommendation from friends. Most nonresident skiers visiting Bridger Bowl were from California followed by Minnesota and Washington. In the 2023 season report published by Bridger Bowl, the resort said that 67% of Bridger Bowl visits were by season passholders, or people who are predominantly Gallatin County residents. There were 377,633 overall visits to Bridger Bowl in the 2023/2024 season; this 377,633 visits well exceeded that of last year, with only 291,000. Day pass revenue was up 1.5M and season pass revenue was up 500,000 compared to last year.

Beside these facts and figures that help us visualize the growth of not only Montana ski areas but also Bozeman, there are more tourist exposures and attractions going around Montana and in Bozeman. Free People is now offering a Yellowstone collection inspired by a “rugged,” “classic” Montana look; many other stores are selling “vintage” Montana shirts that are being eaten up by consumers. New chain stores have been popping up around downtown Bozeman like Lululemon, Backcountry, Athleta and FjallRaven. New houses are being built near Crosscut Mountain Sports Center and Bridger Bowl property to help give visitors an “authentic,” mountain experience. Tourists are also using Bozeman as a basecamp for skiing at Big Sky.

In that same 2018 study conducted by the University of Montana, most tourists who visited Bridger Bowl also visited Big Sky while they were here. This could be to escape the steep prices that accompany visiting Big Sky, such as the cost of lodging and dining (again, 20% of people said that their main reason for coming here was the price). In the Bridger Bowl report they highlighted that the national average for lift tickets is $182, while Bridger Bowl’s in the 2023 season was $92 at the window and $72 online. This combination of lower prices and more tourist attractions are allowing tourists to flock to the Bozeman area.

But not all of Bozeman’s change has been growth. In an interview with PhD Skis, a ski shop, service, and rental store here in Bozeman, they told me that last season was especially tough on their rental sales.

Stu Lange, the Managing Partner of PhD Skis, told me that the early snow we got last year was great for ski and boot rental early season, but after little snow for months, rental sales slumped off. Between the 2022/2023 season and the 2023/2024 seasons, the store had a 63% decrease in rental sales. Stu told me that the erratic weather patterns made it difficult for people to plan trips here and instead went to places that are more reliable in the intermountain west, such as Jackson Hole, Vail, and Park City. Based on this information that PhD Skis gave me, I would guess that if we have good snowfall this year, their number of rental sales will go up again. With not only the facts and figures about the increase of tourism taken into account, but also the increase in tourist attractions, I believe that Bozeman will continue growing their ski tourism. Maybe one day, we will graduate to “ski town” status.