New England Ski Industry And Climate Change
The Facts Are Tough To Face, But The Ski Season In New England Is Getting Shorter.
Spring Skiing 2016, somewhere in New England.
Credit: Mike Maginn
This story comes via the New England News Collaborative, and was first published by Maine Public. It aired on WBUR Boston, March 15, 2017.
Two years ago during the infamous 2014-15 season, there was enough snow, it seemed, in New England to cover Mt. Washington many times over. The 2015-16 season was the opposite; we were lucky to get a string of decent days and many resorts closed early. This season, it was on-again, off-again, with an on-again storm at the beginning of March that will definitely extend the season.
This up-down trend is part of a bigger picture that is reported here in a WBUR Boston NPR Radio segment that we are passing along. Although the tone is frank and a bit foreboding, the entrepreneurial spirit of mountain business people is encouraging, especially when they talk about plans for the dealing with what’s coming.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE SEGMENT OR TO READ THE TRANSCIPT. It’s about five and a half minutes long, or you can read a transcript in the link.
What do you think? Will summer activities on mountains run by ski resorts be viable business alternative and money maker?
SeniorsSkiing Guide: Bogus Basin Not Your Usual Local Ski Hill
This Non-Profit Ski Area Is Community Owned And Prices Reflect It.
View from the top at Bogus Basin, the ski resort outside Boise, ID
Credit: Yvette Cardozo
Bogus Basin outside Boise, ID, is the local ski hill. But it’s not your usual tiny, rustic, over run local hill.
“What you get here is destination skiing at local prices,” said General Manager Brad Wilson. “Our lift tickets are $59, our ski rental package $30, our burgers are $7. We’re able to do that because we are non-profit. It’s community owned.”
Skiing couple takes a selfie at Bogus Basin outside Boise, ID.
Credit: Yvette Cardozo
Indeed, the size might make it a destination hill in many places. It is second largest in Idaho after Schweitzer. But the vibe is definitely local, families doing box lunches, school buses loaded with local kids, night skiing seven days a week.
“We see people from Texas, from Florida but this is not our focus because we have so many local people to draw from.
“The quality of our skiing is equal to destination areas but there’s no granite in the bathrooms, and our chefs aren’t wearing tall hats.” Wilson added.
Why, then ski Bogus as a visitor? Because it’s 40 minutes from Boise. If you are flying in to ski elsewhere, say, Brundage and Tamarack near McCall, or Sun Valley, odds are you come through Boise, a vibrant, fresh new city. So it makes sense to spend a day or two, and also perhaps a day skiing Bogus.
Snow, Terrain And More
Location: Bogus Basin is 16 miles north of Boise, ID, which is towards the southwest end of the state. It’s about a 40 minute drive from downtown. The city is in the midst of a construction boom with 800 new hotel rooms expected by next summer. The ski area draws from the entire “Treasure Valley,” some 700,000 people from Boise and surrounding towns.
Snowfall: 200 – 250 inches a year. Four “fan guns” fill in where snow is sparse in early season.
Terrain, lifts: Three detatchable high-speed quads, a triple chair and three doubles, along with a conveyer belt for beginners, serve the 2,600 skiable acres. There are 78 named runs. Eighteen percent are easiest, 42 percent intermediate, 40 percent expert. Free mountain tours are offered weekends at 10:30am and 1:30pm.
Vertical: 5,800 feet at the base, 7,582 at the top, resulting in just shy of an 1,800 foot vertical drop.
Nordic & more: 37 km of groomed Nordic trails for day skiing, 7 km for night, 12 km for winter fat bikes and snowshoes. Frontier Point Nordic Lodge has a gas fireplace, equipment rental, ticketing office and waxing bench.
Lot to Lift Access: Seven parking lots with ski in-ski out access, more with shuttle service.
Public transportation: Roundtrip buses with stops in Caldwell, Nampa, Middleton, Star, Eagle, Meridian, Boise State and various Boise locations through bogusbasin.org or Caldwell Transportation Co. (208) 459-6612
Accommodations: No on slope lodging.
Culture:
The Vibe: This is a local hill on steroids. Not wild and crazy but, rather, casual, friendly, but much larger than you expect. Since most skiers here are locals, they ski well and know the mountain. Ride a lift with one, and he/she will give you tips on getting good snow.
Dining: Of the three lodges, two have grills, bars or some sort of food. These include the J.R. Simplot Lodge at the base and Pioneer Lodge on the upper mountain.
Mountain Life: Snow, snow and more snow. Alpine and nordic skiing, fat tire cycling. You don’t come here to lounge in front of a fireplace in expensive duds. You get out and go, then come in to rest, then get out and go some more.
Three Lessons Learned From 157,906 Vertical Feet In Six Days
No, This Is Not Bragging.
Marc, 71, left, and brother Scott, 60, at top of Snowbird Tram
My brother and I have proof through an app we used to track our movements. More important than the great early March skiing at Snowbird, Solitude, Park City and Deer Valley, were three takeaways that should interest senior skiers…
Lesson #1. We found lift ticket bargains in two flavors – military discounts and over 70. It was a race to which one was cheapest. Snowbird sold me a Monday thru Thursday all area lift ticket for $53 ‘cuz I’m over 71. Solitude’s rate for military active duty and retirees was about half off the full price. Just make sure you bring your ID cards for both service member and dependents.
Senior only passes were equally cheap. When I walked up to the window, I asked which was cheaper, military or over 70? In one case, I got a little of both. Corollary A to lesson one is that these tickets were cheaper than what we could get on-line or at ski shops in the local area. Corallary B is that Park City doesn’t offer much of a discount.
Lesson #2. Through AirBnB, we rented a two bedroom, two bath house within spitting distance of the main routes to the resorts for about $160 a night. It took 25 minutes to get to the areas. We picked the area each morning based on weather and road conditions.
Lesson #3. Ski lodge designers don’t take old joints and tired legs into account when designing facilities. How do I know? Bathrooms are rarely on the same floor you enter and elevators are rare. Fortunately, the new Summit Lodge and Restaurant at Snowbird and the Roundhouse at Solitude have convenient bathrooms.
Conditioning, as I’ve noted before, helps. We averaged ~26,300 vertical feet per day despite my brother having to take time off on Day 2 to get new boots after the bladder in his elderly Nordicas died.
Here’s the most important takeaway from the trip: Airfare, lifts, ski rentals, lodging and food cost us each for six days about $335/day. Granted, we didn’t eat out a lot, but still, 335 bucks a day is, at least for a ski trip, reasonable. According to the ski tracker app on my brother’s iPhone, we skied a total 157,906 vertical feet at four different areas. That’s $.013 per vertical foot. An absolute bargain!!!
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