“The Bridger Mountain range received 43 inches of snow in the past 24 hours. While that might be tempting for skiers, the snow is heavy, wet and unstable. A very bad combination. Today we were lucky, nobody was hurt or worse. Late season skiers need to keep those conditions in mind.” – Sheriff’s Incident Commander Deputy Mark Hernandez
A 35-year old male backcountry skier triggered an avalanche on Sunday on Saddle Peak in the Bridger Mountains of Montana. This zone is just south of Bridger Bowl ski area near Bozeman, Montana.
The initial avalanche triggered only took the skier 50 feet down slope. But, that avalanche triggered a much bigger avalanche that slide another 1,000 feet down the hill.
That secondary avalanche was noticed by two nearby skiers who alerted the authorities when they saw tracks skiing into the initial slide.
25 rescue personnel, snowmobilers, search dogs, and a helicopter were ready to roll in the Bridger Bowl ski area parking lot when they learned that the skier was uninjured.
Saddle Peak is located just beyond the boundaries of Bridger Bowl ski resort. You can access Saddle Peak from Bridger Bowls chairlifts easily.
One day earlier, on Saturday, another skier was caught in a slide close by in the Bridger Mountains near Fairy Lake. This skier received only minor injuries.
This avalanche season is NOT over yet. Let’s all be careful out there.