Bear Paw Ski Bowl to open Saturday

The Bear Paw Ski Bowl’s opening day is Saturday, after last week’s final snow showers and some quick grooming of the slopes were completed.

The ski bowl sits south of Havre in the Bear Paw Mountains just south of Beaver Creek Park on Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation. It is about 29 miles south on Beaver Creek Road.

The ski bowl is owned by the Chippewa Cree Business Committee and managed by a nonprofit organization called Snow Dance Ski Association. The organization runs the mountain through volunteer work.

Last season, Dave Martens, the mountain manager of Bear Paw Ski Bowl, said “if it wasn’t for the tribe and the Chippewa Cree Business Committee, we wouldn’t have it. It’s kind of a gift to the community that we get to go out there and ski. (The tribe) doesn’t get a lot out of it.”

The slopes are patrolled by an all-volunteer, fully-certified ski patrol. The patrol takes turns watching the mountain and running the concessions stand, which sells items like hot dogs and hamburgers.

The slopes open at 10:30 a.m. Saturday.

Lift tickets for the general public are $20 for adults and $18 for students. Tickets for Chippewa Cree tribal members are $15 for adults and $12 for students. Children 8 and under and people 80 or over ski for free.