DONNELLY, Idaho — Mother Nature has turned back on the faucet in a big way as Tamarack Resort has received 44 inches in less then a week and the conditions are epic.
"The station has been up over forecast every day since it snowed," said Kara Finley of Tamarack Resort. "The feedback has been the terrain is awesome, the conditions are awesome and Mid Mountain Lodge is a really nice addition if you want to lap the summit all day."
Ski resorts in Idaho didn't get much snow in January, but the powder has arrived. Ski resorts benefited from a strong December and Tamarack is on pace for record visitation.
Finley told me that will help the resort continue to invest in infrastructure on the mountain as they plan on expansion — they anticipate a big weekend, but it also made me wonder if it's possible to have too much snow.
"The short answer is no, keep the snow coming," said Finley, who told us crews have been out grooming every day only to have their work blanketed in snow. "It's a challenge, but we have an amazing team that works around the clock to make sure the experience is always dialed in."
The conditions on Monday were one of the best days of skiing I've had in a while. It snowed all day and has continued to snow, but that means people also need to be safe. It's a good idea to ski in a group, look out for each other, and avoid tree wells.
Brundage Mountain Resort has received 48 inches of snow in the storm cycle and that would be another good choice for skiers and snowboarders.
I also made it up to Bogus Basin on Wednesday afternoon, however, the warm day on Tuesday with some rain followed by cold temperatures made it pretty icy. Hopefully, the next storm on the way will fix that. Sun Valley got 32 inches and Soldier Mountain received 24 inches in the past 72 hours.
If you venture out of the resorts be careful out there this week as the avalanche danger is high. Avalanche Alley on Highway 21 has been closed since Friday and the Idaho Sled Dog Challenge had to cancel mid-race because of avalanche danger.
