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Going out with a bang: Bridger chair lift’s last day one to remember

E-mail Ben Pierce

By BEN PIERCE Chronicle Outdoors

BRIDGER BOWL – One word: epic.

There’s not much more to say about the last day of the Bridger Bowl ski season or the last stand of the Bridger chair lift.

For 46 glorious seasons the Bridger lift ushered skiers and snowboarders to the heights of the Bridger Range with access to the North Bowl, Bronco Face and the famed Bridger Ridge.

With a resounding climax, those days came to a close on Tuesday. Nearly 40 inches of snow dumped on the Bridgers over the past week including more than 6 inches on Tuesday. That capped Birdger’s 2009-2010 season with the highest snowpack of the year at 89 inches. Skiers and boarders reveled in the powder, many dressing up in costumes to celebrate the occasion.

“The last day of the season is always a big party,” Bridger Bowl general manager Randy Elliott said when the announcement of the new lift was made in February. “Bridger has been a great lift for us for a very long time.”

The Bridger lift will be replaced next season by a Doppelmayr CTECH triple chair lift and a new era at Bridger Bowl.

Until then, here’s to you Bridger lift.

Thanks for the memories.

Picture 1 of 8

Skiers dressed as Mario and Luigi from the Nintendo Entertainment System's classic video game "Super Mario Bros." line up for a ride on the Bridger chair lift. Photo by Ben Pierce.

Keywords: Bridger chair lift, Bridger Bowl, powder, Randy Elliott, skiing

BDC online extra: For a video featuring the Super Mario Brothers, a caveman and the Bridger chair lift, visit www.chronicleoutdoors.com.

Going out with a bang

Bridger chair lift’s last day one to remember

By BEN PIERCE

Chronicle OutThere Editor

BRIDGER BOWL – One word: epic.

There’s not much more to say about the last day of the Bridger Bowl ski season or the last stand of the Bridger chair lift.

For 46 glorious seasons the Bridger lift ushered skiers and snowboarders to the heights of the Bridger Range with access to the North Bowl, Bronco Face and the famed Bridger Ridge.

With a resounding climax, those days came to a close on Tuesday. Nearly 40 inches of snow dumped on the Bridgers over the past week including more than 6 inches on Tuesday. That capped Birdger’s 2009-2010 season with the highest snowpack of the year at 89 inches. Skiers and boarders reveled in the powder, many dressing up in costumes to celebrate the occasion.

“The last day of the season is always a big party,” Bridger Bowl general manager Randy Elliott said when the announcement of the new lift was made in February. “Bridger has been a great lift for us for a very long time.”

The Bridger lift will be replaced next season by a Doppelmayr CTECH triple chair lift and a new era at Bridger Bowl.

Until then, here’s to you Bridger lift.

Thanks for the memories.

Ben Pierce can be reached at bpierce@dailychronicle.com and 582-2625. Follow him online at chronicleoutdoors.com and twitter/BGPierce.

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About The Author

Ben Pierce lives, works and plays in Bozeman, Montana. He blogs about the outdoors for Chronicle Outdoors. Catch him on the river, in the mountains or at bpierce@dailychronicle.com.

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