The Grizzly Ridge: Bridger Bowl’s End of the Day Hangout

By Alison Grey, 12-10-07

Once the final lift at Bridger Bowl closes for the day, The Grizzly Ridge prepares itself for the influx of local skiers and boarders that faithfully make their way to the little base area bar and café to wind down with booze and grub.

It’s a laidback place, a basement dwelling, just below the Roundhouse Ski Shop. The music is always playing, the beer is always flowing, and the big screen TV is probably playing ski movies, unless it’s game day. Without much of a ski village at Bridger, the Griz, privately owned, is the only place to chill much past closing and partake in après activities, and it’s here where you’ll find the cheapest food and booze on the hill.

It’s Friday, the opening day at Bridger, and in come the dirtbags, Sixer, Tommy Boy, Tully, Tony V. and all the other regulars, recognized by an assortment of nicknames, that have earned themselves a coveted spot in owner Don Bockhahn’s book of tabs. A tab gets you a monthly bill instead of paying daily, and to get one, you have to know the owner, and you better keep the payments on time, at least somewhat.

The taps begin flowing, and pitchers of Bozone, Pigs Ass Porter and Kokanee begin making their rounds, and the crew is back together again for another winter season. The shit talking commences, the pitchers come back for refills and it’s just like the place never closed down for the summer.

“At Bridger, you know everybody, it’s like a family,” said Bockhahn. “I like the good karma here. People are positive. I mean, who’s gonna be in a bad mood after skiing all day? The Griz is kinda like my clubhouse. It lets me ski everyday and it keeps me young.”

Of course, while the Griz attracts the hard-core following of Bozeman area skiers, it’s not a ‘locals only’ hangout. There’s plenty of welcome bar space for newbies and visitors. The only unwelcome thing here is a haughty-taughty Aspen-esc attitude. This is a place to hangout and talk about the day, give your friends a hard time and meet new people. Don’t look here for designer duds, swanky cocktails or delicate appetizers. Here, the après scene is more about the greasy pizza, PBR tallboys and monstrous plates of cheesy nachos.

“It’s just a fun place to be,” said Sara Raterman, one of the Griz’s new employees and a snowboarder who has made her way to Bridger Bowl after bumming around Utah ski hills for the last couple years. “It’s all the ski bums here. There’s just a really positive attitude and it’s a place I wanna hangout.”

This year, Bockhahn and his wife Andrea, who have owned the Griz for 12 years, have expanded the place, gutting out the old locker room to give way to a whole other room, adding some much needed space. There’s also another addition, a big screen TV. 

The couple originally met on a blind date in the flatlands of Nebraska, and while it wasn’t exactly love at first sight, Andy gave Don a second chance. The two eventually moved to the snow-peaked mountains of Montana.

The Griz Ridge was born when the Roundhouse suggested that Don use the space to serve up coffee, food and booze. The self-confessed ski bum jumped on the opportunity, turning it into a hobby businesses where he could make a lifestyle out of carving and cruising, living and breathing that sweet white powder (snow, of course).

The couple has raised their two kids, Carson, 15, and Chase, 9, in the outdoors, taking full advantage of the area’s powder and whitewater. Skiing has become a family affair, with their son Carson competing on the Bridger Ski Foundation Freestyle Team and Bockhahn being a coach on it.

The new space coincides with the end of a scary battle with bone cancer that their little girl, Chase, bravely fought for the past two years. It’s a new year for the Griz Ridge and for the Bockhahn family, and Don is betting that with all the good will and good vibes that seem to define the place, the future will be filled with health, snow and the shit-eating grins that accompany another great line through Bridger’s epic cold smoke powder.

Cheers to that!