MarzNC
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 18, 2020
Indy is usually pretty flexible on making adjustments. That's my impression from reading posts/comments on the Indy Passholders FB Group.
Adding Platty makes sense to me. Then you're more likely to make the longer drive more than once or twice. That's what happens when you have a season pass.
The cat skiing at Soldier is extra. Doesn't run all the time, so a traveler has to get lucky.
Bogus has every type of terrain, from good beginner trails to expert steeps where you better know exactly where you are going. Could get a good view of some expert terrain from a couple of the lifts. There was plenty of advanced terrain for people who like powder and/or bumps and/or trees. We were there a day after a snowstorm that dropped 6-8 inches of slightly heavy powder. We were there on a Friday, so not that busy until the afternoon. Bogus is a non-profit with 2600 acres on multiple peaks. That means the skiable area is comparable to Alta, with less vertical. Bogus has more night skiing terrain than I've seen anywhere else. It's been around since 1942, with the original road built by the WPA starting in 1938.
The deterrent for travelers is the drive from Boise to Bogus. Not quite as bad as going up LCC to Alta/Snowbird but the 20 miles can take 45-60 minutes even when it's not snowing. In comparison the drive to Brundage is very easy and only a few miles of mountain road just a little ways outside McCall.
Tamarack and Brundage have good advanced terrain, but not really that much in-bounds terrain that I would call "expert."
Sun Valley has advanced terrain, with steep green groomers that are comparable in pitch to blues at other destination resorts in the Rockies. There are open bowls, bump runs, and trees. The issue for travelers is that it doesn't snow that often. I gather when there is fresh powder, the skiing is great but of course have to be very lucky for a trip planned months in advance. Dollar Mountain is the original ski peak. It's great for beginners and intermediates looking to improve. The greens/blues there are also steeper than the usual green groomers. I went for the first time because I was traveling with a very cautious intermediate friend (from DC). She can't handle high altitude any more so Sun Valley was worth checking out. She loved Dollar.
