BOZEMAN — I think we can all agree, this winter has been odd.
“In the 20 winters that I have been here, we have never seen a winter with so little snowfall,” said Weikert, executive director of Crosscut, a year-round outdoor recreation, education and sports training center.
In winter, Crosscut is typically a hub for snowshoeing, Nordic skiing, and even fat biking. But this year, the records they’re breaking aren’t the good kind.
“This year’s lack of snowfall is historic,” Weikert said.
WATCH: Montana ski areas battle historic snow drought - see how Crosscut and Bridger Bowl are adapting
Last season, Crosscut maintained a snow base of more than 5 inches for the entire winter. This year, nearly half the days have had a base under 1 inch.
Peak snow depth in past years has reached up to 57 inches; so far this season, it has topped out at just 6 inches.
“In the past couple of weeks, we have unfortunately needed to close our Nordic and trail center and reduce our operating hours as a result of the lack of snow,” Weikert said.
Despite the challenges, Crosscut is trying to stay open.
“We’ve done our best to stay open for as many days as we can. For us, that means farming snow from in the trees to bring it onto the trails,” she said.
Nearby Bridger Bowl has also felt the impact. Erin O’Connor, the ski area’s marketing director, said conditions have been unusual but manageable.
“You know, it’s obviously been high and dry a little bit. But to be fair, we have been open 100% the entire time we’ve been open,” O’Connor said.
Recent snowfall may make things look better now, but Bridger Bowl experienced dry spells earlier this season where warm weather left the base area looking “a little bit grim.”
As of Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, Bridger Bowl’s base depth stood at 42 inches — 30 inches less than the same date in 2025, when the base was 72 inches.
When asked if that drop affected attendance, O’Connor said, “Yeah, for sure. In December, we had less people than normal. January, we were definitely below average, but I think this snow we just got is helping to pick up business.”
The shortage of snow hasn’t just impacted locals. The NCAA, which has hosted eight skiing championships in Bozeman, announced last week it would relocate this year’s event to Park City, Utah.
The decision came despite hopes for redemption after the 2020 championship in Bozeman was canceled due to COVID-19.
“Unfortunately, they decided to pull the plug on it. I think we had enough snow and we were ready to go. Crosscut was hurting a little bit,” O’Connor said.
Weikert added, “We were really looking forward to hosting the NCAA races this year. Unfortunately, because of the lack of snow, we just couldn’t guarantee enough depth in the snowpack to be able to host the competition in March.”
Although the NCAA moved this year’s competition, both Crosscut and Bridger Bowl hope to host again soon — all they need is a little more snow.
“We’re just hoping that winter shows up, and when it does, we’re so excited to fully open back up,” Weikert said.
O’Connor is optimistic, too: “Utah’s getting snow right now, California obviously has a lot of snow right now, so it seems like the places that were really dry are starting to get some. Hopefully it’ll come our way like it did just a few days ago.”
Bozeman received 5 inches of snow this past week — and local ski operators are hoping for more.
