We live in one of the country’s (and maybe the world’s) best ski resorts. We can claim the very first chairlift, the historic Roundhouse, ski racers, snowboard champions, and an epic terrain park. We have some insane vertical, near-perfect grooming, a mover-and-shaker new GM and a brand new gondola.
But sometimes there is a little something to skiing without all the glitz, without the glam, without the technology, and without the crowds. So here, we did a roundup of all the “little mountains” around Sun Valley. Four mountains that are seemingly small in size, in glitz and glam, but are big in character. And while it is finally snowing in Sun Valley this week, you might find us at the Slope Style blog hitting up these slopes very soon.
Pomerelle
500 inches of annual snowfall. Almost zero lift lines. (The resort only averages 70,000 skiers a year.) Family-owned Pomerelle is a hidden gem amongst the mountains of Idaho. Located 12 miles from the town of Albion, with a base lodge at 8,000 feet, Pomerelle is the unsung hero of southern Idaho. It is a resort geared towards families with a ski school, terrain park, glade skiing and as one local skier remembers, “tons of huge moguls and a rocking nightlife in nearby Burley.” Pomerelle has 23 expertly groomed runs (seven of which are classified as Black Diamonds) and 1,000 feet of vertical. The mountain is open for skiing seven days a week and open for night skiing five. They have already hosted a “Big Trick” competition this winter and is hosting a nighttime, under-the-lights rail jam, Hot Iron Night, in early March. Lift tickets are a mere $38 for adult day and night skiing, which means this little big resort might just be one of the best deals in Idaho. This blogger hasn’t skied there in years, but check back in a couple weeks, we might just have to go check it out.
Bogus Basin
Ok, ok, Bogus Basin, Boise’s favorite ski resort, isn’t exactly little in size. In fact, Bogus Basin Mountain Recreation Area has 2,600 skiable acres and 53 in-bound runs. Yes, that says 2,600 skiable acres. While it doesn’t really have the vertical that Baldy has, that is 546 MORE skiable acres than Sun Valley. That’s a lot of skiing. And let’s not forget to mention that Bogus is located only 16.5 miles from downtown Boise, making it the perfect, close-enough location for the masses of ski bums living in the Boise area. It has night-skiing seven days a week, an epic backside especially on powder days, two high-speed quads, 37 kilometers of groomed Nordic trails (that are also lit up for night-skiing), three mountain lodges, a tubing hill and three terrain parks. A couple things not to be missed at Bogus: if you buy a 12-pack of Pepsi product from the Jackson’s convenient store at the bottom of Bogus Basin Road, you get $10 off your night ticket. That means night skiing for 10 whole dollars. Sweet. Also if you manage to make it to Bogus on a powder day, catch the first chair the Superior Quad and head straight for the Backside. Powder turns. All day long.
Rotarun
A local tele-ski bum said to me recently, “Rotarun is now my favorite mountain. I night-skied on a nearly empty hill last Friday and I could tailgate with my skis on.” While being able to ski to one’s parked truck to drink a beer is not even close to the best thing Rotarun has going for it, it is definitely a bonus. Rotarun is a small hill located two miles west of Hailey, out Croy Canyon. The location of the locally-famed Arkoosh Cup, Slush Cup and Snow Box Derby, it is family friendly, small, local, and the perfect place for learning to ski or enjoy a Friday night. It is serviced by a single poma tow (And let’s face it, when was the last time you used a poma tow?! It has a simple 441 feet of vertical and after a remodel, the donation of the old Sun Valley Heli Ski building will provide the hill with a perfect base-mountain lodge. Started in 1947 by the local Rotary Club, it is now community-owned and run by a non-profit. Open Friday for night skiing only from 6-9pm, Saturday 10-4 and Sunday 12-4, whether you are feeling nostalgic for a t-bar, hankering for some night-skiing, or hoping to tailgate with your skis on, Rotarun is definitely worth a visit. (Call 208 788 6204 for more information.)
Soldier Mountain
To boast zero manmade snow is a brave thing to do these days in the ski industry, but make no mistake, Soldier Mountain is worth boasting about. The fact that there is no snowmaking at Soldier bolsters their claim to be “Southern Idaho’s premier powder experience”. With 1,150 skiable acres and some of the best backcountry skiing and cat-skiing (Author’s note: Their cat-skiing operation is down for the 2010/2011 season but they hope to have it up and running again next season.) in Idaho, Fairfield’s Soldier has provided even long-time Sun Valley locals some of their best powder turns ever. Two lifts service the pretty epic glades, bowls, and 15 groomed runs with names like “Shoo Bop Drop” and “Wang Dang Doodle." And if a sense of humor, and a reputation for good skiing and good vibes wasn’t enough to get to you Fairfield, their “Thrifty Thursday” deal, which offers two-for-one lift tickets on Thursdays, must just do it. Open Thursdays to Sundays, I might see you there on the next powder day.
Parting shot: Getting air at Pomerelle.
