HELENA — The flowers are blooming, tree buds are popping, the birds are singing, the bees are “bee-ing”, and the ski lifts are shutting down for the season.
Montana’s snow sports industry continues to grow, adding more than $80 million to the state’s economy each year. While skiing can be affected by the weather, this year’s La Niña largely delivered for Montana’s ski areas. In fact, many of the state’s slopes had a banner year.
Showdown and Bear Paw Ski areas had tremendous seasons that started out strong and stayed that way to the end. Showdown finished the season with 340 inches of snow, including a stretch mid-winter with over 50 inches in just a few days. Bear Paw Ski Area enjoyed way more than their annual average of 140 inches, and even had so much snow with one storm in January that no one could get to the lifts.
Bridger Ski Area’s season got stronger and stronger, finishing with 28.5 feet. Big Sky had a ton of snow for their first season with the new tram to the top of Lone Peak.
Red Lodge got its typical big storms, especially late in the year, and that area closed with nearly a 5-foot base of snow still on the ground.
Great Divide Ski Area had some great days, especially during that cold stretch of February. Teton Pass ski area had a great season with plenty of snow, and even had a University of Montana Ski Club telemark takeover back in February.
Maverick Mountain near Polaris had a fun year with timely snow, topping their average seasonal snowfall. Discovery Ski Area had frequent light snow accumulations that brought their season total up to 200 inches with many happy skiers and riders. Lost Trail finished its season with nearly 300 inches. Montana Snowbowl by Missoula had so much snow that they extended their season one extra weekend.
Blacktail Mountain ski area had some funky times, but overall had a great year. Whitefish was Whitefish, even without a ton of snow, the good skiing is always there. Turner Mountain near Libby rebounded this year to have a lot of snow and finish strong.
And last but certainly not least, Lookout Pass shut their lifts down yesterday and totalled 451 inches at their summer, by far the most snow.
There may be one more chance to ride a lift with Beartooth Basin ski area, aiming to open once the Beartooth Pass is cleared.
