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Bogus, Brundage and Tamarack:
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The holiday season has officially arrived and tagging along is the start of a new ski/snowboard season. Local ski areas are watching the snow gradually pile up. Some are offering new excitements and services while others are simply upholding their original standards of excellence.
The only concern preventing skiers and snowboarders from hitting these slopes right away is snow, a necessity that could never be too plentiful in the early weeks of the ski season.
“We don’t make a whole lot of snow,” Bogus Basin Spokeswoman Gretchen Anderson said.
“We’re very limited on our water and power supply. We don’t make our own snow except for in the loading and unloading areas of the lifts.”
The ski areas have not experienced excessive early snowfall. And as the snow accumulates, so does the excitement. In any case, the situation in uncontrollable and patience becomes a highly practiced virtue.
“We’ve had forecasts of five inches of snow where we get two feet and we’ve had forecasts of two feet of snow where we get five inches,” April Russell, of Brundage Mountain, said.
“Mother Nature is in the driver’s seat here.”
Bogus Basin has received only a couple inches of new snow in the last week and Brundage has not added much either. While Tamarack makes a lot of snow by machine, the mountain has slowly been receiving more natural snow and has built up a base of more than 29 inches at the summit.
Not many additions were made at Bogus for this ski season. However a “moving carpet” in the learning area will provide less frustration for first-time skiers and boarders.
At Brundage, modifications to the lodge will be the most noticeable improvement. The work that has been done will ensure faster lines in the rental shop and will get customers on the mountain quicker. The bar area has also been remodeled, a change that will give more entertainment after a day of recreation.
“We’ve expanded our bar to most of the second floor of the restaurant,” Russell said.
“We’re going to have live music every single Saturday in there. It should be a real fun place to come up, ride all day and then hang out in that area for a little after-skiing entertainment.”
Tamarack has made the most recreational additions, including 5,000 acres of backcountry terrain and 265 acres of new lift-accessed runs. The resort also added a 1,700 square foot snowmobile shed at the summit of the mountain for community and guest storage.
There are many special deals for the public as well as college students this year. At Bogus, Boise State University students can buy a season pass for only $229 at any time during the season.
Another discount that may attract students is a night skiing deal. If anyone fills up with at least eight gallons of gas at a Chevron station, they will receive a voucher for two-for-one night skiing. That comes to about $10 each for more than five hours of fun. Brundage is offering a package deal called the “Ski Bum Special.” Starting at $67 per day, this special includes a lift ticket, three meals and bunk lodging at the University of Idaho campus in Ponderosa Park.
College students can also buy a season pass for only $199. Tamarack is also offering discounted prices for college students, including season passes for $299 and daily passes for $38 - $20 off the regular price of $58. Remember that for most of these deals, a current college ID is required. So don’t forget it at home.
All three of these ski areas are sure to provide a thrill for the Boise community.
Their Web sites provide daily snow conditions as well as information on ticket prices and upcoming events.
With weather systems quickly moving around the Northwest, it is sure to be a season full of excitement so get geared up, be safe and have fun.
BRIAN LUPTAK
Sports Writer