Alright folks, I’m gonna say it. We need to talk about the price of gas around here. Every time I pull up to the pump, I feel like I’m taking out a second mortgage just to get to Bridger for first chair. It’s like they know we have to get up the canyon, so they price it accordingly.

I work hard. I save up all summer, sometimes take on an extra shift at the brewery and at the gear shop, just to make sure I can afford my season pass and enough gas to actually use it. A gallon of premium, for my rig? It’s getting to be a luxury purchase.

I just don’t understand why our gas prices are always a good twenty, thirty cents higher than, say, Belgrade. We’re all in the same valley, right? We’re all trying to make ends meet. It feels like this town is turning into one big Yellowstone Club for gas prices. I keep hearing about “supply chain issues” and “global markets,” but it just seems like some places manage fine.

A guy like me, living the dream, just wants to pay a fair price to get to the mountain. Is that too much to ask?