Community News

Winter fun comes in all shapes and sizes, and fortunately, we are blessed to have many top-notch offerings within a short distance from Bozeman.  We are increasingly becoming a nationally recognized winter vacation spot, from world-class ice climbing to the unmatched beauty and wonder of Yellowstone National Park to the “Biggest Skiing in America” at Big Sky.  Let’s take a look at our latest travel list kudos and explore a few of the recreational opportunities and recent events in our area.    
 
An article in the March 2012 edition of Travel Leisure listed Bozeman among America’s Prettiest Winter Towns along with Blowing Rock, NC, and Jackson, WY among others.  Though often winter enthusiasts fly into Bozeman and quickly head to their ultimate destination, the editorial encourages sticking around in our “eclectic community of artists, outdoorsmen, and college students” to enjoy what we have to offer.  The towns featured are credited because “the passion their residents pour into cold-weather pursuits is contagious.”
 
The 2012 NCAA Skiing Championships were recently held at Bridger Bowl and Bohart Ranch.  The 59th annual competition was hosted by the Montana State University Bobcats and featured 74 men and 74 women participating in both Nordic and Alpine races.  Eleven MSU athletes were among those competing in college skiing’s “big dance”.
 
West Yellowstone just hosted the 33rd annual Yellowstone Rendezvous Race which is the finale of area cross-country ski racing annually and has drawn over 800 skiers in the past.  All ages and abilities have an opportunity to compete in 2K, 5K, 10K, 25K classic, 25K, and 50K events.  In addition to the races, the weekend is a family-friendly event including ice skating and sledding.
 
Yellowstone National Park visitation for 2011 was reported at 3,394,321 which was the fifth year in a row that the numbers topped 3 million and was also the second-highest year ever recorded.  To give some additional impact to those types of visitation numbers, in 2010 (highest visitation ever at 3.64 million) over $334 million was spent by those visitors both in the park and in adjoining towns.  This spending is also responsible for almost 4,900 jobs in several categories.  Less than 2%, or only 88,000 visitors, come to see the park during the winter season.  On any given day there are less than 1,000 humans in the 2,221,766-acre park, which translates to a density of 2,000 acres per visitor per day.  Our family just completed a snow coach trip to Canyon and hiked the Norris Geyser Basin area…what a spectacular natural feature we have in our own backyard.
 
 A more recent seasonal phenomenon is ice climbing.  Bozeman Ice Climbing Festival celebrated its 15th anniversary in December 2011, and according to their website… “with more than 200 pitches of naturally forming, reliable and accessible ice, Hyalite Canyon is a premier ice climbing destination in the US”.
 
All of these offerings add up to increased tourism and contribute greatly to our local economy.  From higher hotel occupancy and busy restaurants to shopping in historic and robust downtown Bozeman, we all benefit greatly from those who choose to enjoy our scenery and recreational attributes.  So whether your passion is downhill skiing, snowboarding, Nordic skiing, ice climbing, snowmobiling, ice skating, hockey, or maybe just taking a relaxing sleigh ride, spend a day as a tourist in our amazing winter wonderland and enjoy.