In the winter of 2024-25, Bridger Ski Foundation and Zero Zone completed their second season running the Sunset Hills Jib Park. This terrain park, located off of Highland Boulevard next to the Sunset Hills ski trails, has proven to be an asset to our community and is a great example of BSF’s core values in action — emphasizing accessibility, learning, winter culture, and collaboration.
The freestyle skiing and snowboard community in Montana has a rich history. In the early days, Montana ski areas didn’t have much for terrain parks, so skiers and snowboarders were left to do it themselves with a shovel and a dream. BSF’s Jib Park preserves a little piece of that history and showcases the grittiness that skiers and riders from Montana are so proud of.
This project has been the result of passionate skiers and snowboarders who wanted to create something for our community that was unique and helps instill a lifelong love of our sports.
Making this park accessible is a huge priority. The park is free to anyone, which we believe is important during a time when resort riding has become such a financial commitment for families.We have also offered free clinics to help break down some of the barriers to entry of terrain park riding. One of these clinics was an all-girls clinic, where girls of all ages and abilities could come learn new tricks or learn to hit a feature for the very first time in a safe and inviting space.
Something that BSF has always done well is put on community events. Throughout the winter, we host FUNSKI races on our groomed Nordic trails, bringing the community together in a format that encourages fun and well-being through winter sports. This year we included a Valentine’s Rail Jam at the Jib Park, run concurrently with the popular Valentine’s FUNSKI Relay. We saw over 50 skiers and snowboarders show up to this rail jam event. We were overjoyed to see the way kids supported each other, no matter their ability, and the overall stoke of this event. That is exactly what winter culture is, and what this space is all about.
This project truly is a labor of love with a lot of hard work that brings it to life. To see it used and taken care of is so rewarding. From February 12 to April 5, the Jib Park was open seven days a week during specific hours. It was run on 90 hours of volunteer time.
The Sunset Hills Jib Park would not be possible without the support of sponsors and community donations. The last two years, this park has been supported by Jay Moore, owner of World Boards, a local board shop and a staple of our ski and snowboard community. Jay is an industry skateboard and snowboard legend and started setting up rails around Bozeman in the early 90s. Laura Opstedal, physical therapist and owner of Build Physio, is on the cutting edge of ACL rehabilitation in athletes and also supported this project. Having the support of these businesses means everything.
As the Jib Park continues to grow, so will our need for financial support. The minimum operating budget of this park is $10,000. This goes toward snowmaking and grooming by the BSF Trails program, maintenance, and building new features for our riders.
If you are a business owner or an individual that would like to help support this project, please contact cody.ling@bridgerskifoundation.org.
Cody Ling is the BSF Freeski Program Director.
