Bridger Bowl sold more summer scenic lift passes than winter ski passes for the first time in resort history this July, according to numbers released Tuesday. The Saddle Peak lift carried 12,400 uphill hikers last month compared to 9,800 skiers in January.

“I drive up from Belgrade at 4:30 a.m. to beat the crowds,” said Dale Hemmert, 34, who works nights at a distribution center and hikes the Ridge Trail three times a week. “The lift saves me two thousand feet of climbing. That’s two more beers I can have at the end.”

Resort officials attribute the spike to a new $89 summer pass and the growing popularity of “downhill hiking” — taking the lift up and walking down. The Ridge Trail drops 2,600 vertical feet over 3.2 miles to the base area.

“It’s just efficient,” said Maya Cho, 29, a physical therapist who moved from Seattle in 2022. “I get the views without the suffer. My knees thank me.”

Longtime ski patrol director Frank Oldenkamp, 61, watched the shift from the patrol shack. “Used to be you earned your turns,” he said. “Now folks earn their descents. Same mountain. Different calculus.”

The resort added a third summer lift operator and extended hours to 7 p.m. on weekends. Parking lots still fill by 8 a.m. Shuttle service from the fairgrounds runs every twenty minutes.

Hemmert plans to buy a winter pass this year too. “Might as well,” he said. “Already paid for the pictures.”

The lift stops spinning September 14 for annual maintenance.