Tag Archive for: Idaho

Jon Weisberg

Short Swings!

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SeniorsSkiing.com Needs You!

…especially if you’re willing to write articles that would be of interest to our readers.

Articles can cover prepping for the season (exercising, nutrition, personal accounts, etc.); thoughts on equipment, gear, clothing; technique; profiles of older skiers (well-known or not), destinations, planned trips, nostalgia, ski/board/snowshoe history, skiing with kids and grandkids, etc.

We prefer articles no longer than 500 words and like them to be accompanied by pictures.

Articles don’t need to be Pulitzer Prize ready. We edit as needed.

If you’re not ready to draft something but have an idea you think might interest readers, feel free to send it along.

Sorry that we’re not in a position to pay. But there are other perks: the opportunity to receive products for review, occasional skiing privileges (some areas will comp your lift ticket if you’re on assignment), and the personal pleasure of contributing to an online magazine read by thousands of skiers/boarders/snowshoers worldwide.

If interested, drop an email to jon@seniorsskiing.com or mike@seniorsskiing.com.

GOOD NEWS FROM NOAA?

Good News: NOAA predicts wetter-than-average conditions across most of the northern US, extending from northern Rockies to eastern Great Lakes, and western and northern Alaska.

Less Than Good News: NOAA’s caveat reads Snow forecasts are generally not predictable more than a week in advance because they depend upon the strength and track of winter storms.

CYBER BULLYING A FEMALE SKI MOUNTAINEER

Caroline Gleich is a professional ski mountaineer and adventurer based in Salt Lake City. An advocate for social and environmental justice, she works on issues such as climate change, clean air and cyber harassment. She is committed to inspire people to experience and protect the out-of-doors. Caroline is the first woman to ski all 90 lines documented by Anrdrew McLean in The Chuting Gallery, the back-country steep-skiing guide to Utah’s Wasatch range. Unfortunately, those and other accomplishments have been accompanied by cyber-bullying and harassment. REI produced this thoughtful video about her. It’s well worth watching.

IS SKIING THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH?

Salomon produced a nice video of a late 40s American skier who traveled to northern Japan to learn about the relationship between skiing and longevity. He spent time with a father and son who summited Everest together when the dad was 80. The son is a microbiologist specializing in aging. He concludes that skiing adds years to life. (We know it adds life to years.) Among the reasons: proper technique = less impact on joints. He believes there’s a relationship between lower body strength and longevity.

IDAHO

Grandkids in 5th and/or 6th Grade ski free or at steep discounts at all 18 of Idaho‘s ski resorts. Idaho residency not required. More info at skiidaho.us/programs/passport. There’s a $15 processing fee.

UTAH

If your plans take you to Utah mid-November, consider attending the BMW IBSF Bobsled and Skeleton World Cup, Friday/Saturday November 17/18 at Utah Olympic Park in Park City. Bobsled and Skeleton athletes from 20+ countries will participate in Women’s Skeleton, Men’s Skeleton, Women’s Bobsled, and 4-Man Bobsled.  Admission for spectators is free. While there, don’t miss the Alf Engen Ski Museum. It’s a real treat!

VERMONT

Members of the Hermitage Club, the private ski resort at Haystack Mountain, are being assessed a one-time $10,000 fee. The fee is needed to cover cash flow problems related to state permitting delays, poor weather in the 2015-2016 winter season and a slow membership drive.

Killington is installing several new solar projects. They are expected to generate more than 3,300,000 kWh of annually for the resort and sister property, Pico Mountain.

R.I.P.

Morrie Shepard died Thursday, Oct. 12. He instructed at Aspen, before joining Vail in 1962 where he was its first ski school director. His other titles while at Vail; building inspector, fire chief, building coordinator; professional funster. He was born July 2, 1925.

OTHER

All Adventure Camp Blankets are the first modular three-part blanket system. Each of the lightweight components can be used to stay warm and/or protected in variety of situations from camping to sitting on the beach. The manufacturer, Kammok, is raising funds via Kickstarter. Their home-made video explains the system.

 

Yvette Cardozo

SeniorsSkiing Guide: Bogus Basin Not Your Usual Local Ski Hill

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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.

Trail Map click here

Webcam and Conditions click here