Montana Snowbowl, located north of Missoula, is gearing up for the ski season with a strong focus on safety. With a special use permit from the Lolo National Forest valid until 2044, the resort is committed to providing a safe and enjoyable experience for all visitors. However, resort skiers and snowboarders might not be able to enjoy it unless Snowbowl fixes their chairlifts.
Safety as a Top Priority
Snowbowl representative Megan Morris emphasized the resort's commitment to safety, stating, “Safety’s paramount. We wanna have a great, happy, healthy, safe ski season this year.” She added, “I put my kids on these lifts, I definitely want them to be safe.”
The Forest Service and Snowbowl are working together to ensure safer chairlifts. “We do have some experts in ski area operations and in chairlift operations from the Forest Service who will be on the mountain with their engineers looking together at all of the lifts and the operations to ensure that the standards are being met," Upton shared.
Recent Inspections and Improvements
To ensure the highest safety standards, Snowbowl has undergone multiple inspections and implemented several improvements:
- Third-Party Lift Inspection: Earlier this year, a third-party lift inspector conducted a thorough examination of the lifts, providing comments and recommendations that have since been addressed.
- Independent Tramway Engineer: This spring, an experienced independent tramway engineer was hired to inspect all lifts, ensuring compliance with the new American National Standard Institute B77.1 standards.
- Incident Evaluation: The engineer also evaluated the cause of the incident involving the Snow Park lift last March, and all recommended corrections have been completed.
Morris explained staff have been busy on the mountain lately due to chairlift inspections. “Earlier this year we had a lift inspector come, a third party lift inspector come, and they inspected the lifts and did comments and recommendations which we’ve done." She detailed, "Then this week we had more lift inspectors come and we haven’t gotten the reports yet. "
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Snowbowl took advice from Forest Service experts. “We’ve added extra training for our staff, changing in protocol for the procedures of loading, and we’re also gonna use new tools and technologies so that we’re able to see and document the loading process. Know we’re doing every step to make [chairlifts] safe as possible," Morris stated.
Enhanced Training and Protocols
In addition to inspections and repairs, Snowbowl has taken steps to enhance staff training and loading procedures. These include:
- Additional Staff Training: Providing extra training for staff to ensure they are well-prepared to handle all aspects of lift operation.
- Revised Loading Procedures: Implementing changes in protocol for the procedures of loading to improve safety and efficiency.
- New Tools and Technologies: Utilizing new tools and technologies to monitor and document the loading process, ensuring that all steps are as safe as possible.
Morris believes that Snowbowl will be open weather permitting on Dec. 8, 2023. If they do not open, Snowbowl shared in a release, "Naturally, we will refund, in full, all pass and coupon purchases if the Forest Service does not allow us to open for the season."
The ski area maintains, "The safety of our employees and public is always our first and foremost concern.
Snow and Slope Conditions
Montana Snowbowl is ranked No. 128 and slope aspects. Montana Snowbowl has no detail snow data, 250 inches snowfall, due to its location leeward of the Idaho/Montana divide. Accumulation and PreservationMontana Snowbowl's early season accumulation is probably about average for western destinations.
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Snowbowl is the poster child for the impact of predominant south exposure on steep terrain. A personal visit saw widespread corn snow on a sunny day in early February. Sometimes the effect is mitigated by midwinter overcast or very cold temperatures. Visitors should check the past several days weather to estimate the likelihood of melt/freeze conditions.
Upcoming Events
Snowbowl has a variety of events planned for the upcoming season:
- October 26, 2025 - SOS Fair.
- December 1, 2025 - Last Day to Save up to $16 on Day Ticket Coupons: Save up to $15 on every day ticket by purchasing day ticket coupons before December 1-Adult, Student/Senior or Child.
- December 25, 2024 - Closed for Christmas.
- January 9, 2026 For Women Only Begins- FWO was designed by women skiers for women riders! Friday afternoons for six-weeks.
- January 10 & 11, 2026 Kids’ Six-Week Program Begin- Six consecutive weeks of lessons with your choice of half-day or full-day lessons. All participants receive a full-day lift ticket.
- January 22nd to February 21st , 2026 Telemark Evening Dual Slalom Race Series. Seven races on Thursday evenings starting at 7pm until ~10 pm, with final race and party on last night. This is the 37th year and the longest running telemark race series in the nation. Teams and individual racers, experienced or new-to-telemark skiing are welcome.
- January to February 2026 pending: Rando Radness Series Begins. Thursday nights starting Jan until February.
- February 21 & 22, 2026: Snowbowl Cup Gelande Championship- Registration begins at 8:30 AM on Friday February 21st in the main lodge. All non-skier spectators on Sunday February 23rd will have a $5 admission fee per person. We highly recommend car pooling, any vehicle with less than 3 people, will be charged $3, with part of the proceeds going to Missoula Avalanche. We recommend brining a lawn chair for the afternoon.
- February 28, 2026: Girls on Shred.
- March 3, 2026: Open 6 days a week.
- March 8, 2026: Best of the Bowl!
- March 10, 2026: Three for Two Promotion-Get a Free Day Ticket for This Ski Season!
- March 15, 2026: Vertical Challenge Compete in teams of two for an all-mountain challenge to see who can ski the most vertical bell to bell. Any team that skis/boards 10,000 vertical feet will be entered into a raffle to win a pair of Atomic skis courtesy of Big Sky Brewery. Other prizes for various categories. Registration is free.
- March 16, 2026: Spring Pass Sale - get the best deal on a season pass for the 2025-26 winter season.
- March 29, 2026: North Dakota Downhill. Slide and glide contest on the North Dakota Downhill trail. Registration is free; there are lots of prizes and fun for all ages and abilities. Sponsored by Pepsi and Summit Beverage.
- April 5, 2025 : Official projected last day?- or will there be more??
- June 26, 2026: Start of the Summer Season .
School Programs
For several seasons Snowbowl Ski School has been excited to have most of our business come from the local and surrounding school districts. The school children in Missoula and the surrounding communities have had the fortunate option to spend the day at Snowbowl as a portion of their gym class. The students enjoy a two hour lesson in the morning and then have the rest of the day to free ski/snowboard with their classmates. It is a wonderful program that allows the student an opportunity to have fun and learn a great sport in a setting different from their everyday environment. Due to the nature of this program, groups need to be affiliated with a school from the districts in surrounding Missoula communities.
Apart of a Homeschool coalition? Give your child the chance to learn or enhance their skiing and snowboarding skills with Snowbowl’s Homeschool program! Flexibility: We offer 3 separate sessions that include 3 weeks of lessons. Expert Instruction: Our experienced instructors create a personalized experience for each student, whether they’re hitting the slopes for the first time or working on advanced techniques. Chaperones: Each student must have a designated chaperone (18+), either skiing or supervising from the lodge. Chaperones are welcome to participate for $50 per lesson. Rental Gear: Rental equipment is included with every lesson. Snowbowl offers ski and snowboard equipment, including boots, poles, and helmets. Arrive early (9:15 AM) on the first day to ensure a proper fit. Please indicate if you will be using rental equipment during registration. Register Online: Click the links below to select your session(s) and provide participant details. Registration closes one week before the session begins. Registration closes 1 week before the first lesson. Complete the Waiver: Fill out the online waiver before the first lesson (link below).