The long-awaited opening weekend for those skiers on the Hi-Line has finally come, as Bear Paw Ski Bowl opened on Saturday.
It's the latest in the season that they have ever opened - but there have been a few years where they weren’t able to open at all.
Mountain manager David Martens says that high temperatures delayed the opening: “Last week it was about 60 up here in the mountains and it stayed like that for about a week so we would get a snow base and then we would lose it and we would get a snow base and then we would lose it."
Bear Paw is a one-lift ski run on the Rocky Boy's Reservation.
Groundskeeper Les Kaercher noted, “We only have four employees, and they are members of the reservation, but the rest is by volunteers.”
Being such a small ski location in addition to running on low funding, the ski resort has found a way to keep growing.
“We have never had rentals before, but just recently neighboring ski resorts have given us their older ones,” said Martens.
He noted that Showdown, Big Sky, and Teton Pass resorts have all been very generous when it comes to helping Bear Paw: “Yeah, the ski areas around here really help each other out."
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