Here comes the snow! Yee-haw! Where to go downhill skiing, xc skiing and snowshoeing

Big storm coming our way today and thru the weekend (courtesy NOAA) 

Brundage forecast today and tomorrow Winter Weather Advisory Woo-Hoo! 

Targhee has gotten a ton of snow in the last week ... 

Pomerelle Mountain Resort near Declo is opening on Friday

Anthony Lakes is looking good! They open Friday to season pass holders,
and on Saturday for the general public. 

Hi all,

I was watching the weather on the 10 p.m. news last night, and I heard Scott Dorval with KIVI-TV say that we should get 1-3 feet of snow in Idaho's Central Mountains in the next week! That put a smile on my face, I'll tell you what! It's been a bit of a slow start to the ski season, but now things are catching up! Bring it on!

Here's the latest information as of Thursday, Dec. 8th on ski area openings and conditions:

First, here are the resorts that are open now or plan to open this weekend:

• Sun Valley is open for top-to-bottom skiing on man-made and natural snow. Tickets are cheaper now than they will be all season. 16-inch base at the top and bottom with snow coming down as we speak. 
• Pomerelle Mountain Resort near Albion is opening Friday and will continue operations Saturday-Sunday with at least 80 percent of their terrain open for skiing and riding. Reporting a 12-inch base at the bottom and 16 inches at the top, with more snow coming today, tonight and tomorrow. 
• Anthony Lakes near Baker, OR, is opening Friday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for season pass holders and then it opens Saturday and Sunday for the general public. Reporting a 30-inch base. 
• Bogus Basin is opening Deer Point Chair and Showcase slopes Saturday, plus the beginner chair. They will open more terrain as new snow allows. Reporting a 21-inch base, and it's snowing as we speak. 
• Brundage Mountain is opening it's beginning hill, Easy Street, and the Bear Chair on Saturday, and may open up more terrain as new snow allows. Lots of backcountry skiers have been climbing Brundage to ski fresh *pow* while they wait for the Bluebird and Engen lifts to open the rest of the mountain. Reporting 13 inch base at the bottom and 16 inches on top, with lots of snow on the way. 
• Gateway Parks in Eagle Island State Park opens on Friday. They've got plenty of snow and lots of park features for folks to enjoy. 
• Grand Targhee opened last week, and they've been getting a ton of snow ever since. "Over 5 feet in 7 days," is the headline on the front page of their web site. If you've got it, you might as well flaunt it! Reporting a 60-inch base. 

Gateway parks at Eagle Island State Park opens tomorrow. 

Boise is supposed to get several inches of snow today, so I'm sure people will be out playing in the snow locally. Snow biking on foothills trails will be excellent until it warms up and starts raining tomorrow. 

Dog owners will be pleased to know that Ann Morrison Park and Esther Simplot Park are official off-leash areas for the winter months. See the off-leash dog areas on the Boise Parks & Recreation web site for more locations. 

You could go snowshoeing at Bogus Basin, Idaho City Park n' Ski Areas,
Ponderosa State Park or Bear Basin in McCall 

As for Nordic skiing and snowshoeing: 

• Bogus Basin is opening the Nordic highway on Saturday, and Sappers and other Nordic trails will be groomed for xc skiing. Stay tuned on snow bike trails. It may take a little more time to get those ready to roll. 
• Idaho City Park n' Ski area parking lots were plowed in the past week, so you could go xc skiing or snowshoeing in the Park n' Ski areas. The trails to Banner Ridge and Stargaze are best-marked, according to Idaho Parks and Recreation officials. As previously reported, none of the xc ski trails will be groomed this year because of the Pioneer Fire. 
• Pondersosa State Park in McCall has rolled a few of their trails including the dog loop and other trails near the trailhead. Park officials report they need another 9 inches of snow to run their groomer and open all of the terrain. But people are out xc skiing and snowshoeing today. 
• Bear Basin trails near McCall are open and signs are going up to prepare for the weekend. They're reporting an 8 inch base prior to the storms coming today, tomorrow and this weekend. 
• For people who like to go tubing, the Activity Barn in McCall will be opening on Friday, Nov. 9 in McCall. They'll have one tubing lane open on Friday, and more will open as snow permits. 

Enjoy this early Christmas gift of wonderful snow snow snow! Have fun!
- SS 

Choices for skiing, riding in SW Idaho are increasing as snow gets deeper inch by inch

This is why we go to Grand Targhee ... 

Pomerelle earlier this week ... 

Magic Valley skiers were happy at Pomerelle last weekend ... 

Everyone was all smiles at Bogus, too ... 

Easy Street is groomed and ready to roll at Brundage Mountain. 

Gateway Parks in Eagle over Thanksgiving weekend.

Hi all,

Well, we're still in the transition to full-on winter. We need more snow storms to really get all the ski areas running full-bore and provide deep enough snowpack for excellent backcountry skiing in SW Idaho. That said, it's totally possible to plan a skiing, snowboarding, xc skiing, snowshoe or fat biking adventure this weekend.

Don't forget that the closest place to go play in the snow is right here in the valley at Eagle Island State Park. It's called Gateway Parks. They've got tubing, snowboarding, skiing and a terrain park.

Most of the downhill areas will be open open this weekend, and with a new storm moving in on Friday, there should be a few inches of new snow to enjoy. Check the resort web sites for early-season pricing and lodging deals.

Here's the skinny on the alpine areas:

Pomerelle - got 13 inches of snow this week! This is your best pick for *best pow.* They'll be open Friday-Sunday this weekend, with fresh powder for all to enjoy! Plus, more on the way! They're reporting a 21-inch base on the summit, with 13 inches of fresh this week. No one has been skiing there all week!

Bogus Basin - will be open Saturday and Sunday, with the Deer Point and Coach lifts running. 17-inch base as of Thursday. The tubing hill will be open as well. Be sure to make advance reservations for the tubing hill. Nordic ski trails and the Nordic lodge will be open Saturday-Sunday.

Brundage Mountain - is opening Saturday for a sneak peek. 20-inch base. They'll be running the Bluebird quad, Bear and Easy Street lifts on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. I heard the Activity Barn tubing hill just opened for business as well. Three tubing lanes will be open this weekend.   

Sun Valley - has a bunch of groomers open thanks to their robust snow-making capabilities. Go get some thigh-scorching runs on the groomers and get your legs broken in for ski season.

Magic Mountain - yes, Magic Mountain in the South Hills near Twin Falls is opening Saturday. It's a cool little homespun resort with about 750 vertical feet of drop. They're reporting a 22 inch base. Lift tickets are cheap!  

Pomerelle - got 13 inches of snow this week! This is your best pick for *best pow.* They'll be open Friday-Sunday this weekend, with fresh powder for all to enjoy! Plus, more on the way! They're reporting a 21-inch base on the summit, with 13 inches of fresh this week. No one has been skiing there all week!  

Grand Targhee - is a great pick. They're reporting a base depth of 29 inches. Seventy-four of 97 trails are open. A few inches of new snow is predicted over the weekend. It's Global Fat Biking day on Saturday, with free demos. 

As for cross-country and backcountry conditions:

• Mores Creek Summit has 15 inches of snow according to the Snowtel web portal. Backcountry conditions are still brushy, but you could definitely tour up to Pilot Peak or Sunset Mountain on the main roads and then tuck into the backcountry once you reach the higher elevations. After Friday's storm, there could be 4-5 inches of new snow to enjoy.  
• Bear Basin in McCall has excellent cross-country skiing conditions. Wendy and I skate skied there several days last week. They have a foot of snow and 1 inch of new. Right now, they're the only Nordic destination that's open in Valley County. The annual Snow Ball is Saturday night. Great fund-raiser for Bear Basin and the Little Ski Hill.
• Wood River Valley - The Blaine County Recreation District has more K's open than any other area for Nordic skiing. Galena Lodge trails, the Harriman Trail, Prairie Creek are all open.  
• Idaho City Park n' Ski Areas - are reporting 4-8 inches on the lower trails, up to 12 inches at the higher elevations. It's still not enough snow to groom. They've done a little grooming at Gold Fork and on the Banner Ridge Trail. Call the snow line for the latest conditions: 208-514-2423. Might be OK conditions for snow biking, depending on how packed the trails are by human use. 

There you have it on the snow conditions! 

With the weather warming up this weekend, it's likely that the Boise Foothills trails will get muddy and gummy in the lower elevations. Please avoid the trails when they're in that condition. Check with the Ridge to Rivers web site or Facebook page to check on the latest trail conditions. 

Have fun! 

- SS