BOGUS BASIN, Idaho — As the Bogus Basin faithful await the arrival of consistently cold winter storms to fully blanket the mountains above the Treasure Valley, Idaho News 6 reached out to resort officials to find out what makes for an especially snowy winter at Boise's favorite non-profit mountain recreation area.
Idaho Water Scientist and Bogus Basin snow reporter Ron Abramovich broke it down for us, using meteorological trends, detailed graphs, and SNOTEL history to determine which winter stands out as the snowiest in Bogus Basin's 80+ year history.
The resort began keeping snow records when it was founded in 1942.
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However, before we get into the nitty-gritty of snow stats, Abramovich issued a worthwhile disclaimer. He wisely points out that a season's worth isn't measured by inches of snowfall but rather "the number of days skied, vertical skied, tele turns made, pow days, blue sky days on groomers, and maybe the number of first tracks."
And with that disclaimer out of the way, you have to turn back the clock to the age of leg warmers, straight skis, and big hair to find the deepest snow on record for Bogus Basin.
What is the snowiest winter on record for Bogus Basin?
In terms of cut-and-dry snow stats, 1983 is the undisputed deepest winter on record for Bogus Basin.
During that winter, Bogus received approximately 493 inches of total snowfall, which equates to 49.3 inches of snow-water equivalent precipitation.
That's nearly 6 feet more snow than Jackson Hole Mountain Resort sees on average (420") each ski season.
Using the 10% density rule that 1” of SWE equals 10” of snow depth, then 49.3” of measured snow water in the pack that was 100” deep on April 15, 1983 equals about 493” of snowfall for the winter of 1982-1983. - Ron Abramovich, Bogus Basin Snow Reporter & Idaho Water Scientist
With an average of 261" of snow each ski season, Bogus received nearly double the amount of snow the resort typically sees in 1983.
That is A LOT of snow.
If you have any epic tales from the winter of 1983, we'd love to hear them — just email barclay.idsal@kivitv.com with your eye-witness accounts.
Now that we've determined the snowiest winter on record at Bogus...
What was the snowiest month in Bogus Basin's history?
The snowiest month occurred in February of 2019, when 168" of snow fell on the slopes at Bogus Basin.
The second snowiest month on record happened in January of 1970, which saw 145" of snow accumulate.
What was the snowiest 24-hour period in Bogus Basin's history?
Abramovich says this metric is somewhat hard to measure, as snow measurements weren't accurately recorded on a daily basis until the automated SNOTEL site was installed in October of 1999. Since then, there has been a three-way tie in terms of the snowiest day ever in Bogus history.
- 5/22/2010 - 16 inches (10% density)
- 11/9/2002 - 16 inches (15% density)
- 12/8/2004 - 16 inches (23% density)
However, from his own personal experience, Abramovich says the deepest day happened after the resort had already closed on May 9, 2022.
On the day in question, 19" fell during an 11-hour period with a snow-water-equivalent of 1.7" and a 9% density, which is typical of a December or January storm — not a spring surprise.
Here is a photo from that day
And a SNOTEL graph to prove it to the data die-hards
So what does Bogus Basin need weather-wise for the perfect powder day?
Abramovich said that consistently cold storms that occur with temperatures in the 15-20°F tend to deliver the best results in terms of snow quality at Bogus Basin.
Add on multiple consecutive storms, and snow totals add up quickly while maintaining a base that is as deep as it is cold.
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In Abramovich's words: "If the storm continues or more storms roll in every 12-24 hours after the first storm, then you know it’s going to be even better skiing on Day 2. And if it’s a 3-day storm, that old base disappears, and off-trail it starts to feel like bottomless Powder."
With that trend in mind, we encourage skiers and snowboarders to continue their snow dances, as all we truly need is a few potent winter storms to really get the season going.
