For those who are going to be traveling to Bogus Basin this winter, changes to the resort’s health and safety guidelines in response to the pandemic have been made.
The ski resort is a popular destination for many people across the Treasure Valley and for Boise State students during the season.
“[Bogus Basin] is very family friendly. They have a lot of different levels of runs. It’s really inviting unlike other resorts which can get really pretentious, but there it’s very welcoming,” said Bronwyn Jones, a senior history major.
There are smaller changes being done, such as facial coverings and social distancing requirements. One of the most significant changes that they are making is a change to ticket sales.
On peak capacity days, during the weekends and during holidays, ticket sales will be limited until 3 p.m. and the number of lift tickets will be determined based on current conditions.
Season pass holders will maintain priority over daily pass holders for access to the area throughout the season. They list this as another perk of purchasing the season pass.
As a way to encourage attendees to visit the resort outside of peak hours, Bogus will be expanding night skiing hours from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m.
“If people want to come up and go skiing, the lifts will be running as they normally do, ”said General Manager Brad Wilson. “We will be opening normally and will be open until 10 at night, so if you want to come park and go for a ride you won’t see a difference.”
There will be some services of the resort that will be closed or discontinued for the entirety of the 2020-21 season. Public transportation will be discontinued, overnight camping on Friday and Saturday nights will not be allowed and the Glade Runner Mountain Coaster will not be available.
Photo by Mati Mango | Pexels
“I think all of those changes are very important. Limiting lines of people and close contact is exactly what they needed to do. I’m glad they put the extra time in to stay open. It makes me feel valued as a guest and a season pass holder,” said Brad Walden, a senior marketing major.
Bogus Basin management, employees and attendees alike all hope that the resort will stay open throughout the 2020-21 season.
“You want to ski and we want to provide that to everybody, so my biggest concern is really the unknown,” Wilson said, “You know, are we going to have another spike? With the flu combined with COVID- 19, who knows. That’s the stuff that keeps me awake at night.”
