Dreaming of Slushman's
It’s official: Bridger Bowl recently purchased a 1976 Dopplemayr double chairlift from Snowbird with the intention of installing it in the Slushman’s drainage the summer of 2008. The new lift will bring skiers approximately 1,700 vertical feet above Pierre’s Knob and drop them off just 100 feet below the ridgeline. It will run at a capacity of 500 skiers per hour and will be the highest lift on the mountain. This is big news for Bridger Bowl, a mountain that has staved off growth for the last several years.
Randy Travis, a longtime local skier, is ecstatic about the future addition. “We have been waiting for this for the past 20 years,” he raves. “This is a really big deal.” The new lift will double the amount of accessible expert terrain and spread skiers throughout the mountain. Who can complain about shorter lift lines and more freshies?
“Our intention is to provide more options for local skiers,” says Bridger Bowl general manager Randy Elliot, “and the purchase of this chair was a great way for us to do it without going into debt.” With increasing competition for local skiers from Moonlight Basin and Big Sky, Bridger Bowl is struggling to keep pace. But with the opening of Slushman’s for the 2008-09 season, Bridger is sure to keep their loyal customer base.