Go play in the snow! Big powder days coming through MLK weekend with 2-feet of new!

Powder day at Brundage Mountain this morning! I felt blessed to be there! (Courtesy Brundage Mountain) 

Hi all,

I snuck up to McCall last night so I could ski some fresh *pow* this morning, and it was a great morning at Brundage Mountain. It was bombing snow relentlessly, perhaps at 1-inch an hour or more, and by mid-day Brundage had 10 inches of new, including 4 inches overnight.

Every run I took was virgin *pow* all the way ... I didn't want to stop for anything! My legs felt strong!

It might be 50 degrees and gray in Boise, but it's full-on winter in the mountains! And this particular weekend, all of our regional ski areas are supposed to get a big dose of snow. Not only today, but continuing through the MLK weekend.

According to Open Snow, here are the expected snow totals for the next 5 days:

Nearby 5-Day Forecasts

Brundage

28"

Schweitzer

27"

Bogus Basin

24"

Silver Mountain

23"

Snowhaven

23"

Lookout Pass

22"

Tamarack

20"

Pebble Creek

19"

Pomerelle

17"

Magic Mountain 16" 

I watch the weather pretty close, and you don't see those kind of numbers in the forecast for SW Idaho very often. If you have the time and flexiblity, might be time for a powder road trip! Bogus Basin, Tamarack, Brundage, Sun Valley, Solder Mountain, Pomerelle and Magic Mountain are all in close range!

I wrote about taking a road trip to ski Soldier, Magic and Pomerelle a few years back, and I thought I'd share that with you ... All of those ski areas are reasonably priced, and they're kind of like taking a step back in time in terms of the down-home friendly atmosphere around the base lodges. 



But with Bogus Basin projected to get 2 feet of snow over the MLK weekend, you might not need to go anywhere! Ditto if you're planning to be in McCall to ski Brundage or Tamarack. Brundage is having a beer and gear festival on Saturday and Sunday. 

Sun Valley is getting its fair share, too. All of this will be great for Idaho's snowpack, which has been lagging in the 70 percent zone in recent days (Boise, Payette and Salmon basins). 

Backcountry skiing and snowshoeing this weekend could prove to be challenging because of the deep snow for breaking trail, but be safe and careful out there! Check on avalanche conditions at the Payette or Sawtooth Avalanche Centers.

Have fun!
- SS