Boise County, Idaho- If you haven’t heard of Bogus Basin yet, it’s probably time to add this place to your bucket list. The non-profit ski resort has been putting the money generated by guests back into the mountain, leading to recent improvements like new trails, an expansion to their night skiing operations, snowmaking upgrades, the introduction of RFID gates, and more.
Yesterday, the Idaho ski resort announced what major projects are coming up next. Bogus Basin has announced that they are replacing the Coach Chairlift and Bitterroot Chairlift this summer. Both fixed-grip double chairlifts will be replaced by new fixed-grip quad chairlifts. While high-speed chairlifts were considered, the cost, along with the smallish lengths of both chairlifts, made them decide on the Skytrac fixed-grip chairlifts.
The Coach chairlift services beginner and intermediate terrain, and is known as their beginner chairlift. This new chairlift will have a vertical rise of 323 feet, a length of 1412 feet, and a ride time of 2.9 minutes. The top terminal will be further up the mountain compared to its predecessor.
Two new runs are planned as part of this chairlift. One green route will go from the top of the chairlift to the bottom of it, while another piste will go from the top of the lift to around the middle of the new beginner run.
The Bitterroot chairlift services beginner, intermediate, and advanced terrain. The new chairlift will have a ride time of 4.9 minutes, a 538-foot vertical rise, and a length of 2462 feet. The new alignment will allow for easier access to the Pioneer Lodge and the Morning Star Express terrain pod. This new chairlift sets the stage for opening Bitterroot during the Midweek and potentially night skiing. They will also be adding a new beginner trail, which will be updated by readjusting the entrance & exit to Snoozer.
While some people are bummed that they aren’t adding new terrain or replacing Pineview, it seems like Bogus is going to keep growing in the years ahead.
Click here for a more thorough breakdown of the announcement, which includes the history of the chairlifts that are being replaced, along with the full reasoning behind picking new fixed-grip chairlifts as their successors.
Image Credits: Bogus Basin
