What’s New for the 2022/2023 Season – Idaho Edition
With the La Niña weather pattern developing thousands of miles away in the Pacific Ocean for the third consecutive winter, the Northwest should expect a cold, wet winter with heavy mountain snow. That means another great ski and snowboard season in Idaho.
It’s not just the snow – for the first time in history, SKI Magazine named three Ski Idaho destinations to its list of the top 30 ski resorts in the West, and two have been nominated as part of USA Today’s “10Best”list.
So here’s all that’s new this season in Idaho, by region.
Northern Idaho
Lookout Pass Ski & Recreation Area – In northern Idaho, near the historic town of Wallace and straddling the Idaho-Montana border and the Mountain and Pacific time zones, this multi-use area opens highly anticipated Eagle Peak Expansion this winter, with a new fixed-grip quad. It adds 500 acres of new terrain, nearly doubles the resort’s footprint to 1,023 skiable acres and adds 14 named runs, raising its total to 52 trails. With a summit elevation of 6,150 feet, Eagle Peak offers 1,650 feet of total vertical — 500 feet more than the original Lookout Pass summit. The new chair stretches just under a mile at 5,640 feet and can move at least 1,500 people uphill per hour.
Eagle Peak will deliver more and drier snow than Lookout’s already snowy reputation thanks to the 500 feet in elevation gain. Lookout Pass also regraded its Success beginner learning terrain to offer a more consistent pitch ideal for learning to ski and snowboard. It upgraded its trail cameras to streaming video, and also improvements to the main lodge, rentals and additional parking.
Schweitzer – near Sandpoint, Idaho’s northernmost ski resort, skiers and riders will enjoy better access to the tree skiing and long groomers in The Outback Bowl thanks to 14 new chairs on the six-pack Stella. This will boost total uphill capacity on the lift by 25 percent, allowing it to carry 600 additional riders per hour. The resort also has expanded its children’s center — a fully licensed childcare facility serving guests ages 4 months to 6 years old – with age-appropriate indoor and outdoor programming.
Schweitzer also opens its new spa, Cambium, in the village in a new building adjacent to Selkirk Lodge. The 3,600-square-foot retreat includes a relaxation with outstanding mountain views. Schweitzer’s boutique, 31-room hotel, Humbird, which opened in February, will officially reach completion with the new 12-person rooftop hot tub. Construction continues on Schweitzer’s new $22 million employee-housing project in Ponderay, with 84 apartments and a full-service daycare facility for employees with young children.
Silver Mountain Resort – South of the Border terrain is now within the borders, with the destination expanding its boundaries to include the popular pow stash. Off Chair 2 to left of Skyway Ridge just past Sunrise, SOB is naturally gladed, holds tremendous powder, and now boasts a new marked trail graded to get skiers and boarders back to the lift. The resort, in the historic North Idaho mining town of Kellogg, also opens the new Jackass Snack Shack at Midway Chair 4. It is on the original site of the ski lodge back when the mountain was named Jackass Ski Bowl in honor of Bill the $12 Million Burro, who accidentally assisted in founding the Bunker Hill Mine underneath Silver Mountain. The structure will have a restroom.
North Central Idaho
The three destinations encircling the Camas Prairie — Bald Mountain Ski Area near Pierce, Cottonwood Butte Ski Area near Cottonwood, and Snowhaven Ski & Tubing Area near Grangeville — have not announced any upgrades for the 2022-23 ski season beyond usual maintenance and upkeep. They offer throwback experiences where it’s all about snow riding, family, and happy vibes with adult lift tickets costing only $20.
Central Idaho
Renowned for its glade skiing, Lost Trail Ski Area on the Idaho-Montana border between Salmon and Missoula has thinned more than 80 acres of its intermediate and expert tree-skiing terrain served by Chair 2 and Chair 4. It also completed micro grooming on its beginner and intermediate runs to help ensure an early opening.
Three miles west of Hailey, Rotarun Ski Area heads into its 74th ski season with key infrastructure improvements including new snowmaking that supports early and late-season programming. It also celebrates winter sports and mountain-town culture with free public skiing under the lights on Wednesday evenings.
For the third consecutive year, SKI Magazine named Sun Valley Resort — the birthplace of the chairlift and American’s first destination resort — the top ski resort in North America in its 2022 Annual Resort Guide. Sun Valley ranked no. 1 in the West for overall satisfaction, lifts, dining, apres and nightlife, family-friendly, and local flavor.
The resort is also a leader in sustainability, with the Bald Mountain Stewardship Project to improve forest health, reduce fuels and associated fire risk, and preserve the recreational experience on and around Bald Mountain. As a result, the resort will open up 79 acres of new gladed terrain in the Warm Springs area in advance of two new lifts being constructed this summer — including a six-pack chair — slated to open next season. Sun Valley also hosts the Alpine Skiing National Championships for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons.
Southwest Idaho
Bogus Basin Mountain Recreation Area – Near Boise, Idaho’s capital city, installed additional chairs on the Morning Star and Superior Express lifts, which will increase uphill capacity on those lifts by 30 percent. There also are two new trails — Independence and Blackbird – with 11 acres of additional terrain. Blue and black runs, respectively, the new trails return riders from the backside of the mountain to the frontside. The nonprofit ski area also expanded night-skiing terrain by 15 acres, lighting the Sunbeam and Superior runs off the Superior Express lift, bringing the number of lit trails to 21.
Several beginner runs and cat tracks have been widened and improved, including Buttercup Cat Track, Shamrock, Sleepy Holly, and Sunshine has been regraded to improve learning progression. New and extended snowshoe trails have doubled the distance of mapped snowshoe trails, and Bogus Basin will offer regularly guided and special-themed snowshoe tours. It is also introducing RFID ticketing technology for hands-free access to lifts. It also paved the main parking lot and added 50 new paved parking spots.
Brundage Mountain Resort – Between McCall and New Meadows, the resort added a 2,800-square-foot ski and bike patrol first-aid facility. This is the final season for nostalgia-minded visitors to ride the Centennial Triple Chair, a fixed-grip lift installed in 1990. A new Doppelmayr CTEC high-speed detachable quad will debut in its place next winter, cutting ride time from 14 minutes to 6 minutes and offering two high-speed quads on the front side of the mountain. The resort also purchased and transformed a historic building in New Meadows into its newest employee-housing facility.
Just outside McCall, the Little Ski Hill has lit a third trail, Race Run, and added more lights to the base area and lodge face. The Payette Lakes Ski Club will finish lighting the ski area’s terrain park next summer. Only the top quarter of the terrain park is currently lit.
The après ski scene at Tamarack Resort near Donnelly gets a boost with the opening of Seven Devils Tap House. Located next to The Village’s grand staircase, the 5,000-square-foot restaurant and bar is large enough for more than 300 guests with indoor seating, a mezzanine for more intimate dining, and covered and uncovered outdoor seating overlooking the snow front and West Mountain.
Save time and money by pre-purchasing day tickets with 24-hour advance online purchase — only $55 for midweek and $75 weekend tickets — and through Tamarack’s expanded system of ticket-pickup kiosks and automated ticket-scanning lift gates. New features include RFID-enabled snow-front ski check and heated seasonal lockers along with paid seasonal access to prime ski-in, ski-out parking via RFID gates. SOUTHERN IDAHO
Although Magic Mountain Ski Resort near Kimberly has not announced any major upgrades for skiers and snowboarders this winter, it is promoting a new Kosmik Tubing experience on Friday and Saturday evenings. Private group bookings are available on those evenings and other nights, and weekday afternoon group tubing will be available on a limited basis by reservation only. The mountain’s Saturday and Sunday daylight tubing will continue as normal.
Pomerelle Mountain Resort near Albion has upgraded grooming with new PistenBully 400 Park Pro groomers. The rental shop sports a new fleet of ski and snowboard gear from Rossignol and Burton, respectively.
New adventures and an improved on-mountain experience will greet guests at Soldier Mountain, near Fairfield. The tubing hill which opened last winter returns, plus key runs at the top of Chair 2 have been cleared of brush, which will allow the snow to stick better and enable the resort to open trails earlier and keep them open longer. In addition, Soldier Mountain deployed three SNAPD action cameras — one at the top of the magic carpet, one as skiers and riders unload Chair 1, and a third near the top of Chair 2 with a picturesque mountain backdrop.
The camera systems are designed to work like those at amusement parks that automatically capture guests as they pass by. They leverage RFID technology to identify guests and allows them to access their pictures online or via a smartphone app. SNAPD day passes at Solder Mountain will cost $10 and a SNAPD season pass will run $25. Soldier Mountain is already booking seats on the snowcat for its renowned backcountry experiences
Eastern Idaho
Grand Targhee Resort — which lies four miles across the border in “Wydaho”, across the Teton Pass from Jackson Hole, and affiliates with Ski Idaho because the only way to reach it is through Driggs, Idaho debuts the brand-new Colter Lift on Peaked Mountain. The new lift can transport up to 2,000 people per hour, gain 1,815 vertical feet in just over 5 minutes, and provide 30 percent more skiing and riding with the addition of the new terrain on Peaked Mountain. These 600 acres used to be accessible only via snowcat bootpacking when the gates were open. Now, skiers and riders can access varying types of terrain, including awesome tree skiing and steep pitches.
This is the first major terrain expansion at Grand Targhee since 2001, when it opened the Sacajawea lift. Grand Targhee also has renovated the slopeside Teewinot Lodge, and is introducing RFID ticketing technology to allow guests to access lifts hands-free via smart gates.
Kelly Canyon Ski Resort near Ririe as added new snowmaking and upgraded its trail lighting system. The new owners also have upgraded the lodge and transformed its cafeteria into the Half Cab Grill with an expanded menu.
Pebble Creek Ski Area, near Inkom has replaced the haul rope on the Skyline Lift and gave the rental shop a facelift.
Noteworthy Milestones
Amid all these improvements, Ski Idaho, which counts 19 ski areas among its member destinations, is celebrating its 40th anniversary, Bogus Basin is turning 80, Soldier Mountain is turning 75, and Silver Mountain is turning 55 this season.
Multi-Resort Passes
Sun Valley has joined Schweitzer as partners with the IKON Pass.
The Indy Pass has a new, seventh Ski Idaho member with Kelly Canyon joining Brundage, Lost Trail, Pomerelle, Silver Mountain, Soldier Mountain, and Tamarack.
Grand Targhee and Sun Valley are members of the Mountain Collective.
Lost Trail joins Bogus Basin and Silver Mountain as partners in the Powder Alliance.
Sun Valley offers a Sun & Snow Pass with Snowbasin in Huntsville, Utah, that allows up to three days at each resort.
About Ski Idaho
Founded in 1982, the Idaho Ski Areas Association, a.k.a. Ski Idaho, is a nonprofit association funded in part by the Idaho Travel Council via the state’s 2 percent lodging tax paid by travelers and collected by hotel, motel, private campground, and vacation rentals owners.
Boasting 29,000 feet of vertical spanning more than 21,000 acres, Idaho is home to America’s first destination ski resort, the birthplace of the chairlift, and often considered the soul of skiing. Its 19 family friendly alpine ski areas offer trails and backcountry for skiers and snowboarders of all ages and skill levels, breathtaking views, hundreds of inches of fresh powder, affordable passes, and short lift lines. Many Ski Idaho destinations open for the summer season, as well, to provide lift-served mountain biking, scenic chairlift rides, hiking and trail running, disc golf, horseback riding, and more.
Visit skiidaho.us for more details.
What’s your favorite destination in Idaho? We love your comments
What’s New for the 2022-23 Season—Southeastern Edition
Massanutten Resort
Terrain expansions and technology upgrades are routine at the seventeen ski resorts south of the Mason-Dixon Line. This year, that trend continues.
Here’s what’s new for the 2022/2023 season in Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee.
Virginia –
Massanutten – 2022-23 marks the 50th year of skiing inside the “Kettle” bowl of Shenandoah Valley landmark Massanutten Mountain. In 1990, the resort joined the regional “big list” jumping to its present 1,110 feet of vertical by opening two major slopes and a summit quad.
This year, Mueller’s Mile adds a third run from the summit, along with two other new slopes, a black connector to Mueller’s Mile called Slot, and Ridgecrest, a blue from the upper mountain along the craggy crest of the Kettle. The expansion finishes up next winter, replacing the old fixed quad with a detachable, and turning the lift line into the resort’s only double black diamond run.
The requisite snowmaking expansion started five years ago with a two and a half-mile pipeline tapping a new water supply, and finishes this year with 21,000 feet of new snowmaking pipe on the mountain. Director of Skiing Kenny Hess, says “this expansion will be a game changer for Massanutten, especially next year. With a double black lift line trail, Mass will ski much bigger than in the past.”
Bryce Resort, near Basye, Virginia, has converted its legacy double chair to a fixed grip quad. And Wintergreen Resort, near Charlottesville, makes a big snowmaking upgrade to its Upper Dobie and Lower Diamond beginner slopes and The Plunge snow tubing park.
West Virginia –
Timberline Mountain – After being closed for two pre-pandemic seasons, Timberline Mountain in Canaan Valley (pronounced kuh-NANE) was purchased in 2019 by Indiana’s Perfect North Slopes. The reinvention of a great southern ski area is picking up speed as COVID issues ebb.
The new owners have made “a complete do over on the snowmaking, quadrupling capacity,” says Paige Perfect. Two new lifts went in, West Virginia’s first six-pack detachable, to the summit, and a fixed grip quad to mid-station with a loading conveyor. New lighting to mid-station brings back night skiing this winter.
The summit, where two-mile Salamander starts, the South’s longest run, stays dark for now to protect the Cheat Mountain salamander. Flanking the alpine-like Dolly Sods Wilderness Area, the slope is the only one in the region on US Forest Service land. In fact, Perfect says, “we saw Salamander and knew Timberline was it.” The slope’s beginner pitch, few intersecting runs, and expansive width make it a regional favorite.
Snowshoe Mountain – Even with nearly 200 inches of annual southern snowfall covering its 1,500-foot vertical, this Alterra Mountain Company resort added 15 automatic fan guns on the revamped Skidder beginner slope beside the summit village, creating a longer, wider learning slope with consistent pitch. There’s also additional snowmaking at Progression Park and at the Silver Creek area, the ridge top run and adjacent easy routes get the same snow gun expansion as Skidder.
To reduce traffic on the Ballhooter lift, the usual route back up to the village from The Boat House eatery on a lake below, Skidder’s carpet lift has been realigned to access the village from the top of the Grabhammer lift.
Winterplace – The only southern ski area located five minutes from an interstate highway celebrates its 40th anniversary this season. The resort has redesigned its rental process and expects a 75% decrease in the time required to rent from a ski and snowboard inventory that this year is all new. There’s also a new Progression Terrain Park with a double chair located beside one of the area’s favorite easier slopes, Highland Run.
North Carolina –
Appalachian Ski Mountain – This area, in Blowing Rock, becomes the latest of the South’s slopes to embrace the RFID ticketing system based on an easy, radio verified lift ticket purchase that’s reloadable online.
Beech Mountain – In the northwestern High Country corner of the state near Boone, this is the East’s highest ski area at 5,506 feet, one of two major ski areas flanking Banner Elk (town license plates read “Ski Capital of the South”). This season, Beech’s far left legacy double chair has been upgraded to a fixed grip quad with a loading conveyor. he mountain’s former terrain park becomes a new beginner trail, Carolina Caribbean, named after the resort’s original development corporation back in the late ‘60s that paired the ski area with a resort in the US Virgin Islands. That new green gets an enclosed conveyor lift.
New terrain parks are being built, for advanced riders on the former Powder Bowl slope, and for beginners on the Meadows run, both with new LED lights and fixed SMI tower Polecats (among Beech’s ten new guns for this year). An interesting new Latitude L60 All Weather Snowmaker is being installed in the tubing area.
On the “back side” of the mountain, the Oz slope’s new name is West Bowl, and its Lift 7 has gotten an electrical upgrade.
Sugar Mountain – The other ski area near Banner Elk, Sugar Mountain adds its second new high speed detachable quad chairlift in three years, on intermediate cruiser Oma’s Meadow. The first opened on the Easy Street beginner run in 2019, and a new fixed grip quad went in on intermediate Big Birch in 2021. There’s also a six-person Summit Express servicing the rousing Gunther’s Way advanced run.
With all the new high-speed lifts since 2014, and lift configurations since the mountain has literally reinvented its slope system, dramatically improving the ski experience at one of the region’s top ski areas. Snowmaking improvements will help cover the expanded base of the Oma’s slope and on adjacent upper mountain runs from the mile-high summit. The resort’s conveyor lift gets an enclosure to shelter skiers and new electronic lockers make ski storage easier in the lodge.
Cataloochee – The snowmaking system has been fully automated at North Carolina’s first ski area (1961) and an additional twenty-seven guns added. The lodge has a new menu with gluten free and vegetarian options, along with authentic, on-site smoked North Carolina pulled pork barbecue. Hand-crafted ski racks have been installed on many walls and railings.
Tennessee –
Ober Gatlinburg – The state’s oldest (1962) and only ski area has changed hands, with original owners the Anders family selling to local investors led by Joe and Jessi Baker, founders of Ole Smoky Distillery and Yee-Haw Brewing. The name means “over Gatlinburg” in German, and Eastern America’s largest tram lifts skiers to the slopes from the streets of the Great Smoky Mountain tourist town. The area’s new name will be Ober Mountain.
Alaska Airlines Offers a Monthly Subscription for Flights to SLC
Alaska Airlines, the only U.S. airline to offer a pay-by-month flight subscription service, is expanding its popular program to Salt Lake City less than a year after its launch.
Just in time for ski/snowboard season, subscribers to Flight Pass can fly between Salt Lake City and San Francisco or San Diego, in addition to 18 other routes throughout California and select cities in Nevada, Arizona and now Utah.
The service allows passengers to book six, 12 or 24 roundtrip flights at a fixed-monthly rate starting at bargain $49 a month that includes six roundtrip flights a year, which works out to as low as $15 per flight – plus FREE checked bags. Subscribers lock in main cabin deals for a full year and pay taxes and fees when booking flights.
Since its launch earlier in 2022, Flight Pass has grown steadily among frequent travelers on the West Coast, particularly from Northern California. The most booked Flight Pass routes connect between the major metro areas in California, while the most popular plan among the Flight Pass options is the $49 per month service that includes six roundtrip flights a year. Flight Pass is currently offered in select cities in California, Nevada, Arizona and now Utah.
Through Nov. 30, new Flight Pass subscribers also will earn complimentary Mileage Plan MVP status for 12 months, while new Flight Pass Pro subscribers l automatically earn MVP Gold status, if eligible.
For existing subscribers enrolled in qualifying Flight Pass plans, Alaska Airlines is upgrading subscribers to complimentary MVP or MVP Gold status through 2023.
Find additional information on the Alaska Airlines website, including terms and conditions – because there are always rules with a deal this good.
Company statements
“Utah is a popular ski and outdoor recreation destination among our California subscribers, and we’re happy to now make those trips more affordable and accessible with Flight Pass,” said Neil Thwaites, Alaska Airlines regional vice-president of California. “We’re also excited to introduce Flight Pass to Utah and provide Salt Lake City travelers with an affordable option for their frequent travel to California.”
“To thank subscribers for their commitment to Alaska Airlines, elite benefits that would normally be earned after flying for a year can now be enjoyed from the very beginning,” said Thwaites. “Flight Pass members will be able to enjoy the perks of being Mileage Plan elite members throughout their subscription, including upgrades to First Class and Premium Class, earned bonus miles and free checked bags.”
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