The Gem State is feeling the stoke of the new season with special anniversaries, new terrain and lifts, expanded parking lots and more RFID technology at the 19 member resorts of Ski Idaho.  Here’s what to expect, so get those skis and boards tuned and ready for some fun in the snow.

Here are the details – starting with Idaho’s most famous, even legendary, resort, and then alphabetically for the others.

Premiering amidst an array of upgrades during Sun Valley Resort’s 90th season, there are 90 acres of newly gladed terrain for advanced skiers between Canyon, Exhibition, and Olympic.

Developed through the resort’s Bald Mountain Forest Stewardship Project with the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and National Forest Foundation, the effort reduces fire risk and improves forest health while providing heating firewood to local indigenous communities like the Shoshone Bannock at Fort Hall and the Shoshone Paiute in Duck Valley. The project also unlocks some of the most exciting advanced terrain on the mountain and has led Sun Valley to develop more than 350 acres of glades over the last 5 years.

The family owned Central Idaho ski area — renowned as America’s first destination resort and the birthplace of the chairlift — is introducing RFID technology across all base areas of Bald and Dollar mountains to improve guest experiences and efficiency.

Sun Valley is also launching new ski and ride clinics — including multiday adult camps — as part of its award-winning ski school programming. Plus, Dollar Mountain will debut Sunny’s Adventure Park, a whimsical addition with fun terrain-park-style features.

Alphabetically now for the rest of Idaho’s downhill and XC destinations –

Bogus Basin Mountain Recreation Area in Southwest Idaho near Boise thinned undergrowth and opened more gladed terrain across Pine Creek and Bitterroot Basin. Plus, it graded two aspects off the top of the Morning Star Express chairlift for a more direct, beginner- and intermediate-friendly path toward the Bitterroot and Morningstar sides of the mountain.

The big news is that guests will be skiing on snow from last winter, because it’s been piloting innovative snow-storage technology from Finland in use only at three North American ski areas. The system stored approximately 11 acre-feet of snow over the summer with a 70 percent to 80 percent retention rate regardless of temperature, elevation, or aspect. Dubbed a clear success, the effort preserved roughly. 2.6 million gallons of water in snow form on Lower Coach’s Corner.

The nation’s largest nonprofit ski area, Bogus Basin undertook a major remodel of the Pioneer Lodge, turning it into a modern, multi-use hub. Upgrades include a new elevator, providing full ADA access to all lodge floors. The mountain also upgraded and expanded lighting in the Pioneer Parking Lot and launched a new e-commerce platform for online sales.

Brundage Mountain Resort added a new 1,800-square-foot emergency services building to house the ambulance and fire engine it added in 2024 to support its independently operated fire protection agency and emergency medical service. The resort once again offers its popular preseason 4PAK Sale and is celebrating its 65th season with $65 Tuesday Tickets, and other weekday tickets for as little as $70.

North Central Idaho destinations Bald Mountain Ski Area near Pierce and Cottonwood Butte Ski Area near Cottonwood — both nonprofits run by local ski clubs — have not announced any significant upgrades beyond maintenance and brush cutting.

Grand Targhee Resort — rated #5 in SKI Magazine’s list of the top 30 ski resorts in the West for 2026 — is not introducing any significant upgrades this winter. Just four miles across the border in “Wydaho,” the only way to reach the resort is through Driggs, Idaho, either over the Teton Pass from Jackson Hole, Wyoming, or from elsewhere in Idaho.

In Eastern Idaho near Ririe, Kelly Canyon Resort cleared and graded a new cat track between the tops of Lift 2 and Lift 4 for easy access to more terrain, including a whole new glade. The resort also installed a new rope tow to serve its terrain park, which will boast 13 new features, including dancefloors, F-boxes, spines, and 10-inch-diameter tanker tubes. And Big Jud’s, a small but popular Idaho chain of burger joints, has taken over the lodge restaurant.

Little Ski Hill in Southwest Idaho near McCall hasn’t announced any significant infrastructure improvements this winter.

Lookout Pass Ski & Recreation Area in North Idaho near the historic town of Wallace upgraded several runs, including removing all the stumps on two black diamond trails on Chair 3, smoothing and grading Big Dipper and Hercules, and removed large, exposed rocks on Whitetail, Keystone, Cloud 9, and Sundance.

Lookout Pass, which straddles the Idaho-Montana border and the Pacific and Mountain time zones, also regraded its Success beginner area, conducted additional grading on the recently opened Eagle Peak terrain, mowed virtually all the slopes on Chairs 1 and 2, and removed standing dead wood in several glades.  Other upgrades include repainting Chair 3 and expanding the lower parking lot.

Plus, it is offering a new, affordable Lift Ticket 3 Pack for $179 if purchased by Dec. 1.

Lost Trail Ski Area is launching RFID ticketing this winter. Events planned at the family owned mountain, one of two that span Idaho and Montana, include ski clinics with Olympian Deb Armstrong in January and Smash Life Banked Slalom, which blends freeride fun and avalanche awareness.

Family-owned Magic Mountain Ski Resort in Southern Idaho near Kimberly, doubled its surface lift capacity with a second magic carpet to serve an expanded beginner area. It is also expanding the Twilight Tubing Hill with new beginner/child area and new private weekday tubing sessions for groups.

For the first time, guests can rent Magic Mountain for private full-day events on its non-operational days (it is typically closed Mondays-Wednesdays except holidays). It will begin selling single-ride lift tickets for backcountry and Nordic skiers, and snowshoers desiring a “lift bump.”

Plus, Magic Mountain is new to the Indy Pass this winter, bringing the total number of Idaho ski areas accessible via the multi-resort pass to eight.

Pebble Creek Ski Area in Southeast Idaho near Inkom, completed a major overhaul of the Aspen Beginner Lift and upgrades to its snowmaking system and rental shop. Plus, Pebble Creek installed two brand-new fryers in the kitchen to keep cranking out its world-famous, homestyle (i.e. skin-on) fries from spuds sourced from a local potato farmer.

Pomerelle Mountain Resort added $30,000 worth of new gear to its rental fleet and replaced the conveyor belt on its magic carpet, which at 440 feet is one of the longest in the West. The family- owned resort also upgraded the lodge with new high-tech, energy-efficient windows.

Rotarun Ski Area is installing a magic carpet, which will be free to all users, although a lift ticket will be required to ride the Poma lift (for guests ages 5 and up). Adult lift tickets increase to $20, with Wednesday nights still free from 6-9 p.m. Weekend hours have changed to 11am to 3pm  New and returning events include monthly Friday Night Silent Discos.

Schweitzer is launching a themed pre-fixe early breakfast series called Summit Sunrise Breakfast at Sky House on select Saturdays and Sundays, and Sky House Snowcat Dinners return on full-moon evenings.

Expanded Ski & Ride School offerings include new full-day group lessons for kids ages 6-12 and a multiweek Freestyle Camp to teach kids freestyle and freeride skills in terrain parks and natural terrain. Families will enjoy Kids Ski Free Week Dec. 6-12 when children 17 and under can ski or ride at no cost with pre-registration online.

Silver Mountain Resort in Kellogg in North Idaho, thinned out new areas of the North Face Glades, yielding additional steep, fall-line tree skiing and reducing the need for traversing, and also expanded adjoning Sheer Bliss. The resort also trimmed and gladed traverses throughout the mountain to improve flow and access and updated signage with more accurate run status updates and links to backcountry forecasts at backcountry gates.

Tubing sessions are now extended to seven days per week, and Silver Rapids — Idaho’s largest indoor waterpark – now offers extended midweek hours. Plus, a new partnership brings the Rossignol Experience Center to Silver Mountain Sports, including expanded demo experiences.

Silver Mountain features North America’s longest single-stage gondola.

Snowhaven Ski & Tubing Area completely overhauled the T-bar. Owned and operated by the City of Grangeville, the North Central Idaho ski area is celebrating its 80th birthday in 2026.

Soldier Mountain in southern Idaho near Fairfield opened 250 acres of intermediate and expert terrain last season; this season it will be open for guided excursions aboard the resort’s TRAX side-by-side UTV. Guests with the necessary skills and equipment also can reach the Bridge Creek Sidecountry Project’s steep, north-facing ridges and trees by foot on established bootpack trails or by skinning up in alpine touring gear. The resort is also adding Ladies Backcountry Days and Intro to Backcountry Days to an expanded, world-class cat-skiing program.

Improvements include a reforestation project with the US Forest Service, expanded snowmaking, new restraint bars on chairlifts and the return of its tubing park.  Once owned by actor Bruce Willis, the resort now is run by the Alden family, and hosting several major competitions, including U.S. Ski & Snowboard Cross Training in April.

Turning lemons into lemonade after this summer’s Rock Fire scorched 80 acres of forest near its boundary, Tamarack Resort is transforming more than 60 acres south of Bliss into terrain for advanced skiers and riders. The fire began with lightning less than two miles from Tamarack in August,  and burned nearly 2,800 acres across Idaho’s West Central Mountains.

Tamarack also enhanced its main green run, Waltz, to allow more room for progression and learning, and added snowmaking to ensure early opening conditions and consistent coverage throughout the season. The resort also added specialized Aebi mowers to cut brush on Tamarack’s most popular runs, including Serenity, Showtime, and Encore, for earlier openings and to provide smoother, more manicured surfaces all winter.  New loading and unloading ramps at key chairlifts, including Discovery Chair, Tamarack Express, and Summit Express, ensure smoother transitions for skiers and riders of all ability levels.

The resort, in Southwest Idaho near Donnelly, plans to limit day ticket sales on peak dates — a measure adopted by other ski areas to minimize crowds and improve the on-mountain experience. Tamarack also is expanding Nordic rentals, lessons, and programming, too, and it’s taking après to new heights, introducing a mobile DJ Snowcat to bring high-energy experiences to different areas of the mountain. Plus, the mid-mountain lodge, which debuted last winter, will offer expanded dining offerings, live music, and enhanced outdoor seating overlooking Lake Cascade.

The Tamarack Sports School has been relocated to a new, centralized location in the Village, along a new Central Reservations and Lodging Check-In center in the Village. A new Elevation Studio offers a range of fitness and wellness classes from yoga and mobility to guided stretch and recovery sessions.

Expansions to Tamarack’s upper and lower Village parking lots will ease congestion during peak weekends, and the new Aspen lot will significantly grow capacity. The new lot offers more than a dozen camping spots large for Class A and C motorhomes and for Sprinter and Class B camper vans.

See you on the slopes – in Idaho.

Last season I was fortunate to be skiing in the French Alps. One day I was skiing a crowded feeder trail to a lift and was about 200 yards from the maze. As I was making my way down, using the eyes in the back of my head I saw a snowboarder on an intercept course with me. Within seconds he was threatening my space. As he closed on me, I instinctively resorted to my defensive tackle days and gave him a straight arm to avoid an impact. He fell. I stopped and asked if he was OK. He said yes and apologized for nearly hitting me. I saw this scenario repeated over the week I was there. In fact, one afternoon while having lunch I couldn’t help but notice that about every 20 minutes or so, the ski patrol was bringing another person down in a sled escorted by a snowmobile. The rate of injured skiers seemed as steep as some of the trails there.

Of course, not everyone in France skied like a nut (in fact, French skiers in general were quite courteous). But every day, on every run there were skiers heading straight down the trail at excessive speeds, making no turns and never, ever saying ‘on your left” or “on your right”. They just flew by you in a flash. Our guide told us, for reasons he didn’t understand, teaching that particular safety rule had fallen out of vogue. It shows.

Seniorsskiing.com is a proud supporter of Snow Angels, an organization that promotes skier safety and Ski Guardians, a company producing a safety device consisting of banners on your poles that help you claim the space immediately around you as you ski down the mountain. Of course, they have their work cut out for them here in the US but if they saw what I saw in France they would cover their eyes and cringe.

There is no doubt advancements in equipment have made skiing safer. Skis are now designed to be more stable, enabling skiers to maintain control and allowing them to carve turns more efficiently and reach higher speeds. When combined with crowded slopes, this can be a recipe for disaster. Even skilled skiers may have difficulty reacting in time to avoid a collision in such conditions. Design innovations in ski bindings, which release more effectively during falls, help prevent leg injuries, particularly ACL tears (There was a time when a boot-top break was the #1 ski injury.) Helmets are now considered essential gear, significantly reducing the severity of head injuries. Despite these improvements, accidents still occur at an alarming rate, leading some to question whether other factors are offsetting these advancements.

Given the popularity of the corporate resort passes one undeniable change in the ski industry is the increasing number of people hitting the slopes at the same time. Resorts are experiencing higher visitor numbers, leading to more crowded conditions. This congestion can result in a higher risk of collisions, especially when skiers of varying skill levels share the same slopes. Beginners may struggle to control their speed and direction, while more experienced skiers may weave through crowds at high speeds, increasing the likelihood of accidents.

Climate change has also played a role in ski safety, altering snow conditions in ways that make skiing riskier. Warmer temperatures and erratic weather patterns have led to a more unpredictable snowpack, increasing the chances of avalanches and unstable skiing surfaces. Ice patches, slushy snow, and thinly covered areas with hidden rocks or tree stumps all pose hazards to skiers, making falls and injuries more likely. Moreover, inconsistent snowfall patterns mean that ski resorts rely more heavily on artificial snowmaking. While artificial snow can provide coverage, it often creates a harder, icier surface than natural snow, increasing the likelihood of high-speed falls and injuries. Skiers who are accustomed to powdery snow may struggle to adjust to these conditions, further contributing to the risk factor.

Data on skiing injuries provides mixed insights into whether skiing has become less safe over time. While overall injury rates have remained relatively stable, the nature of injuries has changed. Fatal accidents, often linked to high-speed impacts or avalanches, continue to occur, though at a low frequency relative to the total number of skiers. Head injuries have decreased due to increased helmet use, but severe leg injuries, including fractures and ligament tears, remain a concern.

Some studies indicate that collision-related accidents have become more common due to crowded slopes and high speeds. Additionally, backcountry accidents have seen a rise as more skiers venture off-piste without adequate preparation. Despite safety advancements, these emerging trends suggest that skiing’s risks are evolving rather than diminishing.

So, is skiing becoming less safe? Unfortunately, the answer is not straight forward. Here are some current statistics on ski safety in the United States:

• In the 2022–2023 season, there were 46 fatalities, 37 of which were skiers. The common cause? Excessive speed, loss of control, and collisions with stationary objects.
• Snowboarders are 33% less likely to be killed in a crash than skiers.
• Most fatalities occur on more difficult “intermediate” terrain.
• More men are victims of skiing accident deaths than women.
• Skiing and snowboarding have similar injury rates. There are about 1.2 injuries per 100,000 participants and around 2-3 injuries per 1,000 skier days.
• Fractures are the most common injury, followed by strains and sprains.
• Fatalities from chairlift and aerial ropeway mechanical malfunctions are rare.

Some studies show a significant rise in ski-related emergency room visits over recent years, indicating a potential trend towards more accidents. Approximately 200,000 skiing and snowboarding related injuries are treated in US emergency rooms annually. While most skiers with injuries are discharged the same day roughly 7,000 or 1% of those cases requiring hospitalization each year.

For skiers looking to stay safe, the key lies in awareness and responsibility. Choosing appropriate slopes, wearing protective gear, following resort safety guidelines, and avoiding reckless behavior can help mitigate risks. While skiing will always carry an inherent level of danger, mindful decision-making and respect for safety measures can help keep the sport as safe as possible.

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“Carpe Ski’em”,  the seventh and latest in the popular ski themed mystery novels by long time television journalist Phil Baily,  has hit the book stores this month (November 7).  

Like his others, Carpe Ski’em ( a take on the Latin phrase for Seize the Day) is a hefty novel of more than 300 pages, this one located in Colorado Ski Country where a death from a fall from a chair lift is the start of the latest adventure for TV journalist JC Snow. Once again Bayly offers up a plot with lots of textured narrative and local color framed by crisp dialogue. 

A lifelong skier and competitor beginning in college and continuing through masters competitions, ski settings became the natural environment for Bayly’s work. An Evanston Il native, he learned to ski on the modest slopes of southern Wisconsin, where he developed a love for the sport that led him to Colorado State University where he was on the ski team his senior year. He was also active on the college radio station which led him to work on air in Denver then a transition to television in Fort Collins. From there it was a stint in TV news in central Pennsylvania then, in 1986, to upstate New York where he admits that one of the appeals of the area was the proximity of downhill skiing.  

 THE BEGINNING

The Murder on Skis series made its debut with a novel of the same name published in 2019, a year after he retired as a reporter and long time morning anchor for WNYT in Albany NY. Like many of us, Bayly, now 71, had wondered what he would do in his post employment years. He found his calling in a re-write of a novel he had drafted in his spare time some 25 years earlier. Thus began the series that since has featured an annual release every November, just in time for holiday reading. 

Having worked as a journalist for more than four decades, the writing part came naturally, said Bayley recently. As someone who has skied lots of places over lots of years, choosing the settings for this work has been an important part of the process too.  “I have always like to travel. And with a story in mind, I pick a location and make a plan to go there. When I do, I like to read about it before I leave,” he said recently.”  When I started, I couldn’t find much fiction that matched my interests.  That’s when I pulled out my old manuscript and began re-writing.” 

People have liked what they read. While not intended for skiers only, Bayly acknowledges the connection with many of his audience.  “There is skiing in all the books. And skiers relate.”

In addition to Colorado in his first and his latest, other books feature ski locations in Montana, Wyoming, Vermont, Wisconsin, and the Adirondacks of New York. He knows them all. 

Bayley is an inveterate note taker. In the den at his home in suburban Albany, next to drafts of three more books in the series he has already completed, is a big box filled with notes from trips he has taken that will become the basis for his next project. 

NEAR CATASTROPHE

While he expresses no doubt about it, that there is a next project for Bayly is remarkable.

In past years, when not at his desk writing, weather permitting, he skis. As a long time AM TV anchorman, he is accustomed to getting going early in the day  so last March 18, he was on one of the first chairs up the hill to catch first tracks at West Mountain, half an hour north of where he lives. West, a medium size hill in the southern Adirondacks, has a growing reputation for its racing program and Bayly, the ex-racer, likes to ski fast. 

That morning, however, his first run was a warm-up on a groomed intermediate trail, easy stuff for an experienced skier. 

The surface at the top was firm, softening up as he went down the hill.

Or so he has been told. 

The next thing he recalls is after two weeks in the the intensive care unit at The Albany Medical Center, 40 miles away,  where he had been medivaced by helicopter after the accident. He had been found off the trail, unconscious, in the rocks, one ski off and blood on his helmet, with a serious concussion, lung damage,  and multiple broken ribs. From intensive care he went to a rehabilitation facility for two more weeks before going home in mid April. Since then he has had regular therapy, especially for memory and vision issues. Months later he still is not allowed to drive a car, or even ride a bike. 

While he has made remarkable progress in returning to a normal routine, wife Carolyn, who is also the designer of Bayly’s books, carefully watches over her husband’s daily activity. After an ambitious schedule of book signings this fall, he is hoping to get back to writing by the end of the year.  

WHAT’S NEXT  

As a skier now for more than 60 years, given the circumstances it might seem like a good time to reassess plans for this winter. 

Not Bayley.

“The morning  I was injured I had bought my pass for this coming season. No question I’ll ski this winter. It is too big a priority. I’m looking forward to getting out on the hill once again by the end of December.” 

Carpe Ski’em, Phil