BOISE, Idaho — On Tuesday, Bogus Basin uncovered its giant pile of snow that sat all summer underneath the Snow Secure panels, and this non-profit recreation area will use the snow to open on Nov. 21.
This marks the second year of the snow-saving program and even with no snow on the mountain, Bogus Basin will spread out the snow this coming Tuesday to open the Easy Rider Conveyor on the lower part of Coach.
"Year one was a bit of a mystery; we were doing it to see how it would turn out. We found out we had the snow underneath, and it turned out to be a great usable product," said Nate Shake, the operations manager at Bogus Basin. "We definitely learned that we can stop and wait for the weather."
WATCH|Check out the video to see the snow saved from last season
This year Bogus Basin unveiled the giant pile in November instead of October. Back in March, they made a 330-foot-long, 80-foot-wide, and 35-foot-tall pile of snow. 60 percent of the snow remained after a summer with temperatures over 100 degrees, the same as year one.
"We will spread it out and make a depth of one to one and a half feet of snow," said Shake. "Our goal is to open on November 21 and 22 with snow from our snow pile. We will make a little terrain park and have a lane for skiers and snowboarders off the Easy Rider Conveyor."
Shake tells us having a definitive opening day is so important for Bogus Basin. This Saturday they will start training employees, and the goal in the future will be to save enough snow to be able to open the Coach Lift. This would also allow the recreation area to schedule lessons without having to rely on the weather.
"Without this snow storage and without being able to say we are going to open on this day, we would be waiting on Mother Nature for either cold temps to make snow or for snow to fall from the sky," said Shake. "That could be a really stressful time."
The Snow Secure panels kept the temperature at an average of 34.7 degrees during the summer, and other resorts have taken notice. Six other resorts have invested in this technology from Finland, but it all started in America at our non-profit recreation area.
"We have definitely come out of this as a leader in snow storage. We have done a lot of speaking engagements and talked with other resorts on the phone," said Shake. "Boise, Idaho is leading the way, so it has been a super fun project."
For people who are wondering why the snow looks so dirty, it's because Bogus Basin didn't have much snow left at the end of the season. They had to push the snow and scrape the dirt to build their pile.
The dirt froze on the outer layer, but Shake says the inside will be nice white snow. It just needs to thaw out a little bit before Bogus Basin starts moving it around on Tuesday. A little help from Mother Nature would also be welcomed.
