New cold snow this week has freshened the mountains and ski areas - Go play in the snow!

Fresh tracks ... (Courtesy April Whitney, Brundage Mountain Resort) 

Hi all, 

You might have noticed with the dramatic shift to winter weather this week, even in Boise and the Treasure Valley, that winter is not over yet. 

Not by a long shot! 

I've been in McCall since last Sunday, and we've been getting a series of these sweet little storms with a few inches of cold snow falling very slowly ... it's been so long since we had fresh powder that I have really been enjoying the heck out of few inches of new snow each day. 

So my outdoor tip this week is to get out and play in the mountains, play in the snow! 

I feel kind of like Mr. Obvious on the Bob & Tom radio show by saying, hey, we just got a great dose of new snow this week -- so get out and enjoy it! 

Rent a cabin! High-season is over everywhere. It should be easy to book a place right now through whatever means you like to use.  

Hit a hot spring! 

On the downhill skiing front, Bogus Basin got 4" of new snow on Thursday to freshen the base. 

Brundage Mountain got 2" in the last 24 hours, 6" in the last week. Tamarack Resort is reporting 0" of new (hard to believe), but the skiing there has been great! Sun Valley has gotten 2" in the last 24 hours. 

I feel kind of like Mr. Obvious on the Bob & Tom radio show by saying, hey, we just got a great dose of new snow this week -- actual snow depths depend on location -- so get out and enjoy it!

Atmospheric river event coming next week ... blue hues indicate 180-200% of normal moisture.

See my latest snow forecast on the Idaho Daily Snow. There's a major atmospheric river system approaching Idaho next Sunday-Tuesday, then another storm system, Thursday-Saturday. So like I said, the show isn't over yet! 

Cross-country skiing/snowshoeing: See my comprehensive blog post on more than 15 locations for xc skiing and snowshoeing in Idaho. Check it out! 

Xc skiing at Bear Basin 

All of the Nordic trails are in great shape in McCall. I've been xc skiing Bear Basin on a regular basis, and the grooming there is immaculate! The xc skiing is great at Ponderosa State Park as well. You can go xc skiing or snow biking at Jug Mountain Ranch. That'd be a great call this weekend! Tamarack also has multiple K's of xc ski trails that are open to snow-biking as well.   

See Steve Dent's Backroads report with me about Nordic skiing at Bogus Basin and beyond. 

Go tubing at Bogus Basin or the Activity Barn in McCall. I think Garden Valley may have a tubing venue too. Advance reservations are required for tubing at Bogus. Plan ahead.

Please! Give the Ridge to Rivers trails a brake! And go play in the snow. 

- SS