
Montana Snowbowl's summit reaches 7,579 feet, dropping 2,600 vertical feet to a base at 4,980 feet across 37 runs spread over 950 acres roughly 12 miles from Missoula, Montana. The resort carries no major multi-resort pass affiliation and operates under a Special Use Authorization on National Forest land. Specific lift configuration details beyond the resort's core chairlift network are not confirmed in available resort information.
When Montana Snowbowl opened in December 1962, it was promoted as offering the most vertical drop of any ski area in the Pacific Northwest region at the time, a distinction that has remained a point of pride for the resort ever since. Its proximity to Missoula, a considerable university city, gives Snowbowl a distinctly local, no-frills character relative to Montana's larger destination resorts. The mountain hosted the National Alpine Championship in 1967, a notable early marker of its standing among serious ski racers.
The resort's origins trace to a facility known as Snow Park on TV Mountain, developed with connections to the Thorsrud family, who had earlier been involved with the smaller Diamond Mountain ski area near Potomac, Montana. By the early 1960s, a single chairlift served the mountain, supporting the area's opening in December 1962 and its rapid rise in reputation given its considerable vertical drop.
By the mid-1980s, the resort faced closure, and Brad Morris and his family purchased Snowbowl to save it, installing the LaValle chairlift around 1985 as part of their investment in the mountain's future. Specific current ownership and adult daily ticket pricing are not confirmed in available resort information.
Montana Snowbowl spreads 37 runs across 950 acres skiable of terrain. It leans intermediate at 40%, with 7 beginner runs to find your feet and 15 advanced or expert runs when you want to push.
The 2025-26 season at Montana Snowbowl ran through the winter months, with the resort's considerable 2,600-foot vertical drop and elevation supporting reliable conditions across the season. Specific opening and closing dates for the 2025-26 season are not confirmed in available resort information.
Midwinter, from December through February, typically brings the most consistent conditions to the mountain's varied 950-acre terrain. Given Snowbowl's proximity to Missoula, roughly 12 miles away, the resort draws heavily from the university city's population, giving it a distinctly local, accessible character relative to Montana's more remote destination resorts.
As an independently operated resort without major pass affiliation, Snowbowl's visitor base skews toward Missoula-area locals and University of Montana students and staff seeking convenient, nearby skiing. Weekend crowds draw primarily from the Missoula region, with the resort's considerable vertical drop attracting skiers seeking a genuine mountain experience close to the city.
Specific event programming beyond the resort's historic hosting of the 1967 National Alpine Championship and standard operations is not confirmed in available resort information. Since Brad Morris and his family's purchase in the mid-1980s, which saved the resort from closure, Snowbowl has continued operating under Special Use Authorization on National Forest land. The mountain's considerable vertical relief remains central to its seasonal appeal for Missoula-area skiers.
Montana Snowbowl sits roughly 12 miles from Missoula, Montana, with a base elevation of 4,980 feet and a summit at 7,579 feet across a 2,600-foot vertical drop over 950 acres of National Forest land. This proximity to a considerable university city makes Snowbowl one of the more accessible mountains in Montana relative to its scale.
Missoula, home to the University of Montana, provides the resort's primary lodging, dining and visitor base, with the ski area functioning as a genuine local mountain for the city's population. The broader Missoula Valley combines the resort with extensive additional outdoor recreation options across the surrounding region.
Local roads connect Missoula directly to the resort, a relatively short drive given the mountain's proximity to the city. Winter driving conditions on the approach can include snow and ice, though the route is well travelled given the resort's role as Missoula's primary nearby ski destination. Specific public transport service to the resort is not confirmed in available resort information.
Missoula International Airport, within the city itself, is the nearest airport with commercial service, making Snowbowl notably accessible for fly-in visitors given its short distance from both the airport and downtown Missoula. This combination of proximity and considerable vertical drop distinguishes Snowbowl among Montana's ski areas.
Hotels and lodges near Montana Snowbowl, powered by Stay22.

Dolomiti Superski is spending around €100 million across its 12 areas before winter. Kronplatz gets a new 10-passenger gondola with a middle station, 3 Zinnen gets Helmissimo, and Val di Fassa swaps a chairlift for a gondola above Col Valvacin. New water-storage basins and upgraded snowmaking follow, and construction has started on the San Martino to Passo Rolle link. A peak adult day pass is €89.

Brian Head is targeting 6 November, though last year it aimed for 7 November and did not open until the 25th. Park City, Alta and Solitude are pencilled in for 20 November, Snowbird and Snowbasin for 27 November, and Deer Valley for 5 December. Eagle Point will stay closed after the Cottonwood Fire. A super El Niño is forecast, but the big snow is not expected until January.

Hintertux became Austria's second glacier to open for 2026-27 on Friday 2 October, after the Pitztal Glacier. Twelve kilometres of piste are running around the Olperer and Gefrorene Wand, served by one gondola and two drag lifts, with the Betterpark also open. Lifts officially run 8:15 am to 4:30 pm, but skiing stops at 2 pm for now.

A historically poor western winter cut Vail Resorts' annual net income from $280 million to $147.5 million and skier visits by 13.4 per cent. Now 2026-27 pass units are down 12 per cent as of 18 September, worse than the 10 per cent flagged in spring. Vail blames the weather and thinks some buyers are simply waiting, and it forecasts a rebound if the snow behaves.

Arizona Snowbowl advertised eight $1 lift ticket days this winter. Go looking and only three are showing - 10 March, 1 April and 10 April - so the rest may already have gone. The consolation is a calendar full of $9 days, including all but one day in April. Opening day is 20 November, weather permitting, and opening weekend is $19.

For years, Whitewater's Short Side was where you ducked a rope and hoped for the best: unmapped, ungroomed and unpatrolled. This winter it's inbounds. Six new runs of glades and fall-line skiing add 190 acres (about 77 hectares), taking the resort past 1,400 acres in total. F2 Logging spent a month in the trees to make it happen, and opening day is pencilled in for 4 December. Bonanza now needs less snow to groom, too.

Mammoth got its first snow of 2026-27 on Monday 28 September - and promptly lost it by Tuesday morning. Barely an inch fell at McCoy Station, but with opening day pencilled in for Friday 13 November, it's the first sign the Sierra is waking up. Last year's date slipped from 14 November to 20 November, so nobody's booking flights on a dusting just yet. Here's where California's early openers stand.

Four connected areas, 70 lifts and a World Championship course, yet Saalbach Hinterglemm still runs like a family holiday. Two days on snow and a Worlds Super-G later, here is who it suits, what the Ski ALPIN CARD covers and why Epic Pass holders should pay attention. Big on blues, light on steeps.
Live open status isn’t available right now.
Scroll for the full outlook · Open-Meteo
Days 1–7
1.3"
Days 8–14
1.5"
Live snow from the resort feed; forecast from Open-Meteo, via Supabase.
Snow depth at Montana Snowbowl is tracked at both the base and summit, since the two elevations often see different totals — roughly a 792m difference here. We report fresh snowfall over the last 24 hours and 7 days alongside the running season total, in both metric and imperial units.
Wind and temperature swings matter as much as fresh snowfall. Cold, calm conditions hold snow quality well, while wind-loading or a warm-up can change things quickly — especially given the elevation spread between Montana Snowbowl's base and summit.
We pull Montana Snowbowl's conditions from on-the-ground mountain reporting, then layer in forecast data so you get a fuller picture than either source alone. The mountain is served by 5 lifts in total.
Conditions can change overnight, so mornings and late afternoons are the best times to check back on Montana Snowbowl.