“The Secret Stash,” as it’s sometimes called, was first discovered eight years ago by former professional snowboarder Cory Smith. Nestled in a secluded spot in central Idaho, Cory found an ideal place to shoot snowboard movies. After getting permission from the owners to use the perfectly-pitched, private land while it was snow-covered, Cory called up his moviemaking buddies at Robot Food. They showed up, were blown away, and ever since that first day of filming, the industry has been flooded with movies and breathtaking photos from a place usually referred to simply as “Somewhere in Idaho.”
“It was a secret,” explained J.P. Collett, Smith’s Board Sports Promotions manager. “But it’s tough to keep something this cool a secret for long.”
“The Spot,” as it’s also called, is situated on an old mining claim in Smiley Creek, and offers 1,500 vertical feet, over 890 acres, and is usually ride-able for about two months each winter. It’s full of technical lines and tends to get a lot more snow than other spots in the Northern Rockies. “It’s in a snow belt. It gets way more snow than we do in Ketchum,” Cory said.
Last year, Smith Optics was allowed to bring in a snowcat, so snow terrain park builder, Pete Colombo, came in and built 35 jumps for them. “That place was just ridiculous,” Pete laughed. Smith then invited some of the world’s finest winter athletes to come for photo and film shoots, and the result has been the stuff of legends.
The Smith Crew was back at again this year, and with an epic winter in the Northern Rockies, you can count on seeing a number of shots from “The Spot” in films and magazines next fall.