Bogus Basin
| Bogus Basin | |
|---|---|
| Location | Boise National Forest Boise County, Idaho  United States |
| Nearest city | Boise - 16 miles (26 km) |
| Coordinates | 43°45′52.3″N 116°6′24.2″W / 43.764528°N 116.106722°W |
| Vertical | 1,790 ft (546 m) |
| Top elevation | 7,582 ft (2,311 m) AMSL |
| Base elevation | 5,790 ft (1,765 m) Pine Creek - (Chair 6) 6,150 ft (1,875 m) main base area - (Chair 1) |
| Skiable area | 2,600 acres (10.5 km2) |
| Runs | 53 - 22% easiest - 45% more difficult - 33% most difficult |
| Longest run | Paradise 1.5 miles (2.4 km) |
| Lift system | 7 chairlifts - 3 hi-speed quad - (# 1,3,6) - 1 triple - (# 2) - 3 double - (# 4,5,7) 1 Magic Carpet |
| Terrain parks | 3 |
| Snowfall | 200-250 in (508-635 cm) |
| Snowmaking | portable, for patching |
| Night skiing | 5 chairlifts - (# 1,2,3,4,7) until 10 pm - 7 nights / wk 165 acres (0.67 km2) |
| Web site | Bogus Basin.org |
Basin
Bogus Basin Mountain Recreation Area is a ski area located in southwest Idaho in Boise County, 16 miles (26 km) north-northeast of the city of Boise.
Bogus is operated by the Bogus Basin Recreation Association, a non-profit organization, on private and leased land in the Boise National Forest. Ski season generally runs from Thanksgiving weekend until the weekend preceding April 15, depending on snow conditions. The area also has cross-country skiing on 23 miles (37 km) of Nordic trails.
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[edit] Ski area
Alf Engen, the father of the American powder technique, selected the site for the ski area at Bogus Basin in 1939. Bogus opened to the public in December 1942 with a 500-foot (150 m) rope tow; a 3,300-foot (1,010 m) T-bar was installed in 1946.[1]
The first chairlift at Bogus was installed in the fall of 1959 at Deer Point and night skiing debuted in December 1964.[1] The resort currently operates 7 chairlifts and two Magic Carpets. Three of the chairlifts are high-speed quads (#1 Deer Point, and #6 Pine Creek) were installed in 1996 and 1999, and the newest on #3 "Superior" in the fall of 2011.[2]
Bogus Basin has 2,600 acres (10.5 km2) of mixed runs, bowls, and glades, with 900 acres (3.6 km2) groomed. The lift-served vertical drop is 1,790 ft (546 m) on the east-facing "back side," with a summit elevation of 7,582 ft (2,311 m) above sea level at the top of Shafer Butte, the highest point of the Boise Ridge mountains. This back side of Shafer Butte was opened in January 1977, following the installation of chair #6 (Pine Creek) the previous summer. A fixed-grip double for 23 seasons, it became a high-speed quad in the summer of 1999.[3]
On the front side, Bogus Basin's southern lift-served summit is at "Doe Point," adjacent to Deer Point, which is slightly higher and covered with communications towers at an elevation of 7,070 feet (2,155 m). Both vantage points overlook Boise and the entire Treasure Valley, over 4,000 vertical feet (1,220 m) below. Bogus' base area and main day lodge (J. R. Simplot Lodge, formerly Bogus Creek) are at 6,150 ft (1,875 m), at the base of the north-facing slopes served by the #1 (Deer Point) quad chairlift, installed in the summer of 1996. The original double chairlift on #1 was installed in 1959 and upgraded in 1981. The #4 (Showcase) double chair, which replaced a surface poma lift in 1972, is east of and parallel with the #1 chair. The #7 double chair (Coach) has served the beginner area since 1996; it is the relocated and shortened #1 chairlift of 1981. It honors Bill "Coach" Everts, an early area manager (1953-58) and longtime director. [1]
At mid-mountain, a second day lodge (Pioneer Lodge - 1973) sits at 6,800 feet (2,073 m) with a sizable parking lot, a cluster of condominiums (1975),[1] and the Jason Harper Training Center. From this Pioneer area, there is direct access to the gentle south-facing slopes served by the #2 (Morning Star - 1965) chairlift and the north-facing slopes of the #5 (Bitterroot - 1973) double chair (vertical: 525 ft (160 m)), which runs only on weekends and holidays. In addition, there is connecting trail access to the base of the #3 (Superior) chairlift. With its 1,500-foot (457 m) vertical rise, chair #3 serves the advanced & expert terrain on the northern face of Shafer Butte, unloading at 7,480 feet (2,280 m). The original fixed-grip double chair was used for nearly half a century and was a 9 minute ride. It was replaced by a high-speed quad in the fall of 2011, which will cut the ride time in half. [4] Night skiing was added to chair #3 with the installation of lights in the summer of 1986, and chair #2 was changed from a double to a triple in 1999.
Bogus Basin's average annual snowfall is 200-250 inches (508–635 cm). Due to limited water resources, there is no significant snow making, only small portable units for patching. Night skiing is available on 165 acres (0.67 km2) on runs served by five of the chairlifts (none on #5 or #6). Three terrain parks are also available; two on the Deer Point mountain, one for advanced, the other for beginner to intermediate skill levels. The Sunshine Park is located on the Morning Star side of the mountain.
The main day lodge at Bogus Creek was built in 1962 and expanded in 1991; its ground floor contains the ticket office and ski lockers.[1] In 2002 it was named for agribusiness magnate J. R. Simplot, because without him there might not be a Bogus Basin. When the fledgling ski area was struggling to pay its debts in 1953, Simplot bought its ski lifts and other mountain improvements from the Kingcliffe Co. and leased them back to the Bogus Basin Recreational Association for $1,500 per year for ten years.[1] His intervention averted almost certain financial demise and won the everlasting gratitude of a generation of skiers. Simplot was later the driving force behind Brundage Mountain northwest of McCall, which opened in November 1961.
[edit] Chairlifts
| Lift Name | Vertical Drop |
Length | Type | Ride Time |
Hourly Capacity |
Gradient | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # 1 - Deer Point | 880' - (268 m) | 3905' - (1190 m) | High Speed Quad | 4 min | 23.1% - (13.0 deg.) | 1996 (1981, 1959) | |
| # 2 - Morning Star | 625' - (190 m) | 3108' - (947 m) | Triple (1999) | 7 min | 20.5% - (11.6 deg.) | 1965 | |
| # 3 - Superior | 1500' - (457 m) | 4480' - (1365 m) | High Speed Quad | 4.5 min | 35.5% - (19.6 deg.) | 2011 (1965) | |
| # 4 - Showcase | 640' - (195 m) | 3520' - (1073 m) | Double | 7 min | 18.5% - (10.5 deg.) | 1972 | |
| # 5 - Bitterroot | 525' - (160 m) | 2566' - (782 m) | Double | 6 min | 20.9% - (11.8 deg.) | 1973 | |
| # 6 - Pine Creek | 1780' - (542 m) | 5800' - (1768 m) | High Speed Quad | 6 min | 32.3% - (17.9 deg.) | 1999 (1976) | |
| # 7 - Coach | Double | 1996 |
[edit] The Name "Bogus Basin"
How Bogus Basin actually earned its name is a matter of debate. One version dates to the 1880s, when two prospectors loaded a shotgun with a few dollars' worth of gold dust and blasted it into the walls of a worthless cave near Shafer Butte. They galloped down to Boise where they slammed their "find" on a local bar and sold shares in the "mine" to gullible patrons. By the time the new owners realized that they had been fleeced, the swindlers had disappeared.
Another version is a two-paged story of a hard-to-find drainage and an 1863 mining claim. Captain Tom Morgan and a group of no-accounts, filed a claim in the area of the current base facilities, near Shafer Butte. Later they returned to Boise with the fruits of their labor, reportedly as much as $50,000 worth of gold. After a legendary spending spree, it was discovered to be Fool's Gold (iron pyrite) that had been chemically tuned up. The group was neither caught nor ever seen again.
[edit] Other activities
The GoldRush Tubing Hill opened in the fall of 2003, constructed just west of the main parking lot for about $100,000. Annual revenues from the hill were expected to be four to five times that figure; revenues for its fourth season (2006–07) were just under $140,000.
Some summer activities are available at Bogus, including hiking, mountain biking (no lift service), and a disc golf course. The disc golf course opened in July 2005, centered at the mid-mountain Pioneer Lodge; the upper area of chair 5 (Bitterroot) hosts the north nine, and the south nine is on the upper area of chair 2 (Morning Star).
[edit] Bogus Basin Road
Bogus is accessed by Bogus Basin Road (an extension of Harrison Boulevard), which twists 16 miles (26 km) from the Boise city limits to the resort, only 10 miles (16 km) NNE as the crow flies.
The two-lane road turns 172 times and gains 3,400 feet (1,036 m) in elevation as the terrain changes from dry sagebrush foothills to snow-laden mountain forest. Originally a gravel road constructed by CCC crews (funded by the WPA) from 1938–42, Bogus Basin Road was first paved in 1962 and improved in 1998. Before it was paved it was a one-way road, with the direction changed to downhill in the early afternoon.[1]
[edit] Season Passes
In March 1998, Bogus' general manager Mike Shirley initiated a ski industry revolution, slashing the cost of an adult season pass from $500 to $199, lowering the break-even point to just seven visits (and kids' season passes fell to just $29). Bogus Basin sold nearly nine times as many passes for the 1998-99 season versus the previous year, halting the pass sales at 25,000 (2,854 for the 1997-98 season).
The new pricing strategy generated almost four times as much revenue (nearly $3.6 million) from season pass sales, all before June, six months before the season would begin. Total skier visits went from under 192,000 to over 303,000 (up 58%). Although the sales of day tickets ($31 each) expectedly fell (almost 50%), Bogus' total revenue increased by $2.6 million (up 55%) to $7.3 million for the 1998-99 ski season.
Shirley's deep-discount strategy made waves and sent ski executives scrambling as resorts from coast to coast lowered their prices for multi-day, multi-area, and season passes. Locally, ski equipment sales increased significantly as skiers upgraded their gear.[5][6]
[edit] United States Ski Team
Members of the U.S. Ski Team from Bogus Basin include:
- Jeret "Speedy" Peterson - (1981-2011) - freestyle aerials
- 2005 World Cup champion
- 2010 Olympic silver medalist - Dane Spencer - (b. 1977) - giant slalom - currently a World Cup assistant coach with the U.S. Ski Team
- Erik Fisher - (b. 1985) - downhill
[edit] General Managers
After 21 seasons, Mike Shirley announced in February 2012 that he was stepping down as general manager and president. He is succeeded by Alan Moore, the former vice president of finance.[7] Shirley was a former vice president with Morrison-Knudsen Co. and initially hired as an interim manager after the resignation of Terry Lofsvold in November 1991. After the search committee determined he was the best candidate, he was hired in April, the first general manager at Bogus with an extensive background in finance.[1]
| General Manager |
Ski Seasons |
Years |
|---|---|---|
| Bill Everts, Jr. ^ | 5 | 1953-1958 |
| Bob Loughery | 26 | 1958-1984 |
| Terry Lofsvold | 7 | 1984-1991 |
| Mike Shirley | 21 | 1991-2012 |
| Alan Moore | 2012- |
^ unpaid volunteer [1]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Building Bogus Basin," by Eve Brassey Chandler, Donning Co., 2009, ISBN 978-1-57864-561-9
- ^ [1]
- ^ bogusbasin.org - history - timeline
- ^ Idaho Statesman - Bogus Basin replacing Superior lift with high-speed quad for next winter - 2011-04-17
- ^ SKI Magazine, "It's the Price, Stupid," by Greg Trinker, October 1999, p.33-34, accessed on skinet.com - 2012-01-20
- ^ SKI Magazine "Bogus Basin," by Andrew Slough, September 2002, p. 82-84
- ^ Idaho Statesman - Mike Shirley to retire as Bogus Basin president at end of ski season - 2012-02-16
[edit] External links
- BogusBasin.org - official site
- Bogus Basin Virtual Tour - See the mountain virtually
- YouTube.com - old history and promotional videos
- Ski Lifts.org - photos of Bogus Basin's lifts
- Idaho Public TV - Outdoor Idaho - video - Hometown Ski Hills - 2010-02-18
- Idaho Public TV - Outdoor Idaho - Hometown Ski Hills - Bogus Basin history
- Visit Idaho.org - official state tourism site - Bogus Basin
- Bogus Basin Ski Patrol
- Bogus Basin Ski Education Foundation
- Bogus Basin Masters Racing Team
- Idaho Ski Resorts.com - Bogus Basin
- Pioneer Condos.com - condominiums at mid-mountain of Bogus Basin
- Boise National Forest - official site
- Weather.com - hourly forecast for Bogus Basin
- Disc Golf Course at Bogus Basin - Gem State Disc Golfers
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