Brundage Mountain Resort has already received more snow this year than they did all of last year. It has snowed every day in February except for three days; the cumulative total is more than eight feet.
It's a perfect storm of conditions because in addition to all the snow, cold temperatures have kept the powder soft and fluffy.
"This is what we dream of," said April Whitney of Brundage Mountain Resort. "Ever since January 31, the faucet has been opened up, and as you can tell— the trees are coated with snow, the powder hounds are out with big smiles on their faces and it's really just an ideal situation."
RELATED: Taking a tour of the new Mountain Adventure Center at Brundage Mountain Resort
Oregon natives and powderchasers, Matt Cimcahk and Cody Johnson followed the storm to Brundage and Tamarack. They certainly picked a good time to ski in Idaho.
"This is day four of fresh snow. So, we are killing it on this ski trip right now," said Cody. "Brundage is awesome with the amount of skiable terrain, the trees, and the steeps if you want it. Yeah, we are having a great time."
However with all the new snow, skiers and snowboarders need to be aware of tree wells. The National Ski Areas Association defines a tree well as "an area of deep unconsolidated snow" surrounding the base of a tree that can pose a snow immersion risk. You can find out more on how to stay safe around tree wells here.
The snow ghosts as we call them look beautiful, but they too can be dangerous.
"Tree well hazards are pretty much exclusive to evergreen trees and the reason for that is the branches fan out, [forming] a hole because the snow doesn’t get in there," said Whitney. "So if a person falls in [the tree well] or even tries to make a turn too close to the indentation— they can very easily slide into the tree well, sometimes you are feet first, but a lot of time people end up headfirst."
Going into a tree well headfirst is problematic because it can be difficult to get out and very hard to breathe. That's why ski areas recommend that people ride with a buddy and keep each other in sight. Tree wells are pretty easy to avoid at Brundage, but it's a hazard people need to recognize before heading out on the slopes.
Brundage got eight inches of new snow on Sunday and there's even more on the way.
As long as the snow keeps up, spring conditions this year should be stellar at Brundage, making it a perfect destination for a family-style spring break.
"A lot of people think spring break is busy at Idaho ski areas, but it's actually a great time to visit," said Whitney. "A lot of people go off and find something sunnier, but this would just be a great year to come out here and enjoy some spring fun."
