Try the new Rideshare to Bogus car-pool program - cool prizes await top car-poolers

Hi all,

On behalf of Valley Regional Transit, we launched a new car-pooling program to Bogus Basin on Thursday. It's called Rideshare to Bogus.

I thought I'd devote my outdoor blog to this topic this week to help spread the word ... because getting on the bandwagon of this car-pooling program is a good thing for you, a good thing for the Boise community, and a good thing for the environment.

Why car-pool? Parking at Bogus can be challenging, and traffic on Bogus Basin Road is often congested, so it's always a good thing to car-pool . Plus, car-pooling reduces our carbon footprint, decreases air pollution, reduces wear and tear on vehicles left in the garage, and ultimately, it'll save you money!

How does the program work? We've set up three options to make it easier for skiers, riders and xc skiers to find people to car-pool with.

1. Sign up to car-pool on the new Rideshare to Bogus web site. This is a super-cool site that's patterned after the Rideshare program for Lake Tahoe-area ski resorts. Search for people to car-pool with by age, gender, skier type (alpine skier, snowboarder, Nordic, "tele" skier, etc.), ability levels, smoking preference and more. Once you sign up for a ride on a certain date at a certain time, you'll receive emails from people offering rides on the same date and time. Pick a place to meet and go.

2. Become a fan of the Rideshare to Bogus Facebook page and offer rides or request rides on the page. Facebook profiles help discover more about people you might be riding with.

3. . Join the Rideshare to Bogus Yahoo group and offer or request rides to Bogus. Watch for fellow Yahoo users whom you may already know from other Yahoo groups.

OK, car-pooling sounds kind of fun, and of course, many people have been doing it for years.

But to really get you excited about it, we have created some incentives in the form of really sweet prizes. Car-poolers who log the most car-pooling activity in late January and February will win a GoPro HD Hero video camera ($300 retail value). In March, the winner will receive a BCA Tracker avalanche beacon ($299 retail value). Thanks to our local ski and snowboard shops for supporting the program.

There's no catch. You just have to document your car-pooling trips with our scorecard, and submit the scorecard at the end of February to be eligible for prizes. Hey, why not?

Sorry to say, we tried to get preferential parking for super car-poolers, but that didn't work. Bogus Basin officials noted that they don't have enough parking marshalls to enforce preferential parking spaces. They've tried it before.

We also tried to line up a park and ride lot at the base of Bogus Basin Road, but that didn't work out either. So when you line up a ride, pick a place to park that works for all concerned. ValleyRide does have park and ride lots throughout the Treasure Valley that can be used anytime. And Bogus Basin has a park and ride lot at 11th and Bannock downtown Boise (open on weekends only).

So there you have it. Riders should bring some gas money to contribute. Print out the scorecard, put it on a clipboard in your vehicle, and document your trips. Seize the day.

Who knows? You might even meet some new friends to ski or ride or cross-country ski with, or maybe meet someone you'd like to date.

Have fun!

- SS