Category Archives: Around the Bozone

Around the Bozone

Iconic Affairs

by Cordelia Pryor

Year-round, the Bozone bustles with things to do, for every outdoor inclination. Here are some of the most iconic annual events, where you can experience the Bozeman community and have fun doing it. For many, many more, check out outsidebozeman.com/events.

King & Queen of the Ridge – Bridger Bowl
Think you have what it takes to hike the Ridge more times than anyone else? Give it your best shot at this annual fundraiser for the Avalanche Center, and you could be crowned local royalty. Last season’s Queen bagged 26 laps, and the King scored 29—so get ready to suffer. bridgerbowl.com.

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Spring Fling – Spire Climbing Center
This low-key competition is about bringing the climbing community together for a great evening with friends, while watching some of the strongest climbers in Montana throw down. Whether you participate or not, this fun event is gripping—literally. spireclimbingcenter.com.

Pond Skim – Big Sky
After another long season of shredding, it’s time to kick up your boots and welcome the spring with one last hurrah. On closing weekend in late April, watch local crazies on their skis or boards skim across a manmade pond at high speed—or, more often, face-flop into the water. You don’t need a pass for this party, and if you’re loco enough to try it out, just remember: tips up. bigskyresort.com.

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Summer Trails Challenge – Bozeman & Beyond
From the beginning of June through the summer solstice, the Gallatin Valley Land Trust challenges Bozemanites to get out and use our trails. For every mile you run, hike, or bike, GVLT gets a buck for area trails. They set a lofty goal each summer, so every mile counts. gvlt.org.

Bridger Ridge Run – Bridger Bowl
With August comes the big Bozeman sufferfest: 20 miles across the exposed ridge of the Bridger Mountains, from Fairy Lake to the M. Once among the most rugged trail runs in America, it’s still one of the most technical—and it’s a rite of passage for local runners. winddrinkers.org.

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Bridger Raptor Festival – Bridger Bowl
In October, witness the breathtaking migration of hundreds of raptors along the Bridger Range. With experts from the Montana Raptor Conservation Center leading nature walks, spotting raptors, and explaining this unique migration event, the Raptor Fest should not be missed—especially if you’ve got kids. raptorfest.bridgerbowl.com.

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Christmas Stroll – Downtown Bozeman
Get your Christmas shopping out of the way before the holidays and save some dough while you’re at it. In early December, Main Street stores stay open late to offer great deals, and there’s plenty of cocoa and hot food to keep the bitter cold at bay. The Stroll brings Bozemanites out of the woodwork for a fun, festive night downtown. downtownbozeman.org.

Ice Climbing Festival – Hyalite Canyon
Cold weather doesn’t have to keep you indoors. To experience some major below-zero baddassery, check out the annualIce Fest in mid-December. Get your heart pumping at the on-ice clinics, or just enjoy second-hand adrenaline watching the pros on the big screen; either way, the Ice Fest has it all. bozemanicefest.com. 

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Around the Bozone

The Bridger Bowl Cloud

by Christine Rogel

Why Bridger gets so much snow.

Every so often, a blue light flashes on top of the Baxter Hotel, alerting anyone within view of the tallest building in Bozeman that snow is falling at Bridger Bowl. The light—a repurposed airport runway strobe that flashes for 24 hours when the ski area receives at least two inches of snow—was installed in 1988 and played an important role before the era of the Internet. It’s related to an isolated weather phenomenon affectionately called the BBC, or Bridger Bowl Cloud,which descends like a blanket over the east-central Bridger Mountains and leaves behind a prodigious amount of snow.

“Because of the BBC, we’d get these isolated snowstorms and get a Screen-Shot-2013-12-10-at-2.03.07-PMbunch of snow in the mountains, but nothing was going on in town, so people wouldn’t know,” says Doug Wales, marketing director for Bridger Bowl. “So in the ‘olden days,’ the flashing blue light is how people would become aware it was snowing at Bridger.”

According to Eric Knoff, an avalanche specialist with the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center, the BBC is a “sneaker” and can drop up to 36 inches of snow at Bridger, while only one or two inches end up in town. Don’t be fooled by the clouds pouring over the ridgeline and seeping into the valley—the true BBC is the one that drops loads of snow,” says Knoff.

It’s hard to predict when the mysterious cloud and its revered powder-pouring abilities will occur, but January tends to be a good month for the cloud. During some seasons, the BBC appears half a dozen times, and during others only once or twice, according to Knoff. Last season, despite the thick cloud that frequently obstructed the view of the mountains from town, there was only one cycle of the BBC, when a white blanket fell over the mountain and the Bridgers saw 30 inches of snow in just a few days. It’s times like these, says Knoff, laughing, that “Big Sky has BBC envy.”

The BBC’s beloved snow load is actually not caused by a cloud at all, but rather a weather event called “upslope precipitation,” says Megan Vandenheuvel, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Great Falls. The snow starts to fall when a cold, moist northwestern air flow moves through the canyon and is forced upward by the unique geography of the mountains, creating precipitation in the higher elevations.

Regardless of how it forms or what it’s called, the BBC and its isolated snow showers are, at least in part, responsible for the current location of Bridger Bowl. The weather pattern was considered when the ski area moved from its lower elevation at Bear Canyon in the mid-1950s. It’s a unique phenomenon related to the particular geography of the mountains, and interest in the “cloud” is representative of the enthusiasm locals have for the landscape and the outdoors.