BOISE, Idaho — Bogus Basin received 11 inches of snow overnight Tuesday, and likely will be cutting off season pass sales this week to maintain social distancing on the mountain this winter.
The Idaho Press reports season passholders will be given priority for skiing and riding at the nonprofit, community-owned resort just north of Boise; on busy days, day lift ticket sales will be limited.
“We just want to make sure that we’ll be able to safely manage the people on the mountain,” said Susan Saad, director of communication and customer relations for Bogus. “I know that it won’t be long before we’re cutting off those passes. A specific date has not been set; pass sales are robust now that the snow is falling.”
Full-access season passes are currently selling for $459 and are available on the resort’s website, bogusbasin.org. Saad said the resort doesn’t plan to limit sales of other types of passes, including night season passes and midweek season passes.
“With the great snowmaking conditions and natural snowfall, there’s a possibility we could open a week earlier than our Nov. 27 projected date,” she said. “That being said, the team on the mountain has a lot of work to do, and we’re putting a lot of COVID-19 safety modifications in place. So we’re monitoring that situation, and we’ll make an announcement on that.”
The resort’s crew is installing four large tents that will be extensions to its food and beverage outlets in lodges, as lodge occupancy will be limited due to the virus.
“We are adding 8,000 square feet of additional outdoor tented seating for guests who need to come in and have a quick lunch and take shelter,” Saad said.
Crews also are installing “lots of signage around the mountain,” she said, and hiring additional teams to continuously clean and sanitize facilities in the area.
“Hiring is coming along well,” she said; the resort is in the midst of hiring 400 seasonal employees for its winter season. “We still have positions open.”
Bogus Basin also has purchased two electronic sign boards to be placed at the bottom of Bogus Basin Road, to alert travelers of “any limits to day ticket sales, road conditions, things like that,” she said.
“If we did open early, which of course is a big ‘if,’ it would be the earliest opening since the ’94-’95 season,” Saad said. “So regardless, it’s just a phenomenal start to a season and everyone’s so eager to have positive news. It’s really thrilling.”
Betsy Z. Russell is the Boise bureau chief and state capitol reporter for the Idaho Press and Adams Publishing Group. Follow her on Twitter at @BetsyZRussell.
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