Photo courtesy of Lookout Pass Ski & Recreation Area

Miracle in March.

Best snow conditions at Idaho’s ski areas are happening now!

By Steve Stuebner

Ullr the Snow God has truly delivered the powder goods to Idaho’s ski areas recently, boosting base levels by multiple feet.

Maybe Ullr was snoozing early in the ski/ride season, but my oh my, he’s fully awake now, and he’s on a tear!   

A whole series of cold, powder storms keep rolling through Idaho, and it’s frankly been hard to keep up if you’re trying to hit the slopes every single powder day. Just to drop a few examples, Schweitzer near Sandpoint has gotten more than 2 feet in the last 72 hours and 5 feet in the last week. In Southeast Idaho, Pebble Creek Ski Area has had more than 50 inches in the last week. Brundage Mountain Resort has received measurable snow every day since February 25 — a total of 44 inches in the last 10 days. Put another way, Brundage received more snow in the last 10 days than they received in the whole month of December 2023. As of March 5, they have surpassed the snow base levels they had last year.

Even though we had a slow start to the season, things have changed dramatically statewide.

Gotta grab your snorkel at Pebble Creek! Photo courtesy of Steve Stuebner. 

“Oh man, my legs are hurting today after skiing so much powder on Sunday,” said John O’Connell, a Pocatello skier who skied multiple feet of light *pow* at Pebble Creek.  

“I am so happy, I just skied the best light powder at Bogus Basin on Sunday,” said Norman Nelson, an avid Boise skier. “We skied a whole bunch of top-to-bottom runs and notched 20,000 vertical feet. Man, that felt good.”

“It’s truly a March miracle,” said Brad Wilson, general manager of Bogus Basin Mountain Recreation Area. “I lived through quite a few El Nino years, and a lot of times, we have a strong comeback in March. This year is no exception. We are now 121 percent of average at Bogus, and we just surpassed 200 inches of snow this year.”

Matt Sawyer, director of marketing for Lookout Pass Ski & Recreation Area, said they have received 92 inches of snow since mid-February. Last weekend, Lookout Pass was so busy their parking lots filled to the brim.

“Yes, no doubt, we’ve got the best snow conditions of the winter with the frequent storms and cold temperatures that are helping to keep our snowpack in great shape,” Sawyer said. “All of this new snow is certainly keeping us on track to ski thru April 14th.” 

At Tamarack Resort near Donnelly,  “Mother Nature came in with a vengeance in January where we saw record snowfalls and the snowiest month in recent history — 162 percent more snow at summit and 290 percent more snow at our base than we saw last year,” said Wolfe Ashcraft, a spokesman for the resort. “March is historically our snowiest month of the season, and we are geared up for a great spring season. We could hit our 300 inches annual snowfall if these storms keep coming.”  

Suffice to say, the snow is piling up nicely everywhere. All of Idaho’s major ski areas are 100 percent open. All lifts, terrain parks and Nordic trails are in operation. We are seeing the best conditions of the year right now everywhere. Sun Valley, voted the No. 1 ski resort in North America, has received 29” of snow in the first 6 days of March.

Skiing Brundage. Image courtesy of Steve Stuebner. 

“There is no doubt that these are the best snow conditions of the season,” says April Whitney, Brundage Mountain spokesperson, who also used the term “March Miracle.”

“This has been a nice, cold storm cycle with low temperatures and dry, fluffy snow, and all of the off-trail areas people love to explore have great coverage right now. It’s definitely prime time on the Best Snow in Idaho!”

Pomerelle and Magic Mountain have enjoyed deep snow much of the ski season, since a number of our storms hit the mountains south of the Snake River early on. Pomerelle has received 341 inches of snow this ski season, the most statewide by far. Soldier Mountain near Fairfield also has been getting its share of powder since February. You can still book a seat on their coveted snowcat trips. They’ve gotten 7 inches of new snow this week, which means fresh pow when they reopen Thursday.

Spring season pass sales — with the best discounted pricing available for the 2024-25 season — are happening right now in many locations. Don’t miss out on those deals! Check ski area websites and social media for the latest information. If you buy a pass in the spring sales, it’s typically good for the rest of this season and all of next season.

Bogus Basin just had its second-best season pass sale in history, just behind last year, between Feb. 23 and March 3, Wilson said. A special deal of $119 to ski/ride the rest of this season until mid-April is still available for sale.

Tamarack reduced their season pass prices to 2004 levels in their 20th anniversary year, Ashcraft noted. If people haven’t visited and experienced Tamarack’s newly completed base area, with multiple restaurants and food options, as well as retail shops and lodging, you need to go there.

“Tamarack has changed so much in the last few years that it is like visiting again for the first time,” Ashcraft said.  

Taylor Prather, Schweitzer marketing and communications manager, agreed that “conditions are prime, the best of the season without question.” At Schweitzer, season passes go on sale March 15, with an option to buy a 2024/25 season pass or ski/ride from March 18 to Closing Day with a Spring Fling pass for $169.

Views from Schweitzer. Image courtesy of Steve Stuebner.

Now, as we move into March. when valley temperatures start warming up, people start thinking about golf, tennis, biking, paddling and gardening. That’s all good. But don’t overlook the spring skiing/riding experience at Idaho’s ski areas, knowing that we have the best conditions of the year.

All of the new snow in the last 10 days was attributable to a series of major low pressure troughs that stalled out over the top of the Mountain West and the Sierras in California. The weather system has been dumping copious amounts of precipitation everywhere. Perhaps you’ve read about the 16 feet of snow that fell in the Sierra-Nevada range.

In Idaho, sunshine and fair-weather skiing/riding conditions are forecast for the rest of this week with slightly warmer temperatures each day. Another storm system is moving into Idaho by Saturday night/Sunday, March 9-10. OpenSnow.com is predicting another 23 inches at Schweitzer through next Wednesday, March 13, 23 inches at Brundage, 20 inches at Tamarack, 15 inches at Lookout Pass, 14 inches at Silver Mountain, 14 inches at Bogus Basin and 8 inches in Sun Valley.

Get out and enjoy these amazing conditions while you can! Most ski areas will be open through mid-April. The time is now!

Steve Stuebner is the Idaho forecaster for OpenSnow.com and a longtime ski writer in the West.