Winter in Idaho has been slow to start, but a cold snap on Christmas Eve allowed Bogus Basin to keep the slopes powdery thanks to the help of their snowmaking technology.
Over the course of the day, Bogus Basin broke its own snowmaking record, keeping the machines on for 58 hours and transforming over 5 million gallons of water into snow, enough to fill a football field with an 11-foot layer of powder.
Brad Wilson, General Manager at Bogus Basin says, “Snowmaking, powered with 100% renewable energy, has become an essential component of winter operations as we face the realities of climate change.”
The snowmakers at Bogus have proven to be a good investment, keeping the slopes open for the dry beginning of the 2023/24 season.
(Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)
“I love the mountain like the big high. There is no better feeling than being on the top of a mountain which I'm about to go do,” said Briana Williams.
Briana Williams is one of many who made the trek up to bogus basin Tuesday, coming all the way from the east coast to enjoy skiing with her family.
“Like this is one of my favorites, like one of my favorite joys ever is like real mountain skiing cause I’m from western Pennsylvania so our hills are really tiny,” said Williams.
But her ski day may have not happened if it weren't for the record amount of snow created by Bogus Basins snow fans from their previous mark of nine hundred thousand gallons to churning out over five million gallons of water into fresh powder.
The snow making technology allows crews to take advantage of cold conditions. Blowing full blast for more than 60 hours, helping provide snow for 13 runs in preparation for the holiday rush.
“To put this amount of snow into perspective, it's about a football field 13 feet deep from this current run and year to date we are about a football field 45 feet deep,” said Austin Smith, director of marketing and innovation at Bogus Basin.
Austin Smith has lived an avid life of snowboarding and says this technology is saving ski season.
“Because without snowmaking right now, without the community support in getting snowmaking, we would not be able to be open and there would not be all of these guests here smiling and happy for the holidays,” said Smith.
“I grew up snowboarding a ton and to see families and kids and adults of all ages enjoying the snow, its really warming,” said Smith.
