A Nordic Guide to the Mountain Beyond Skiing and Snowboard
By Haley Grugel
Photos Submitted by Bogus Basin
For most people winter is the time of year when you find ways to enjoy your time inside, but for those looking for some adventure, skiing and snowboard are great winter recreational activities. Boise is in a prime location to a few different resort destinations, the closest being Bogus Basin. Bogus is extremely popular for skiers and snowboarders alike, but if you’re like me you may not visit the mountain because quite frankly you just can’t board.
When you aren’t into winter sports the winter can be a real challenge to enjoy. While you may not be a skier or snowboarder Bogus still has some fun winter activities, so you can join your friends on the mountain get outside and have a good time.
Arguably the most popular thing to do up at Bogus if you’re not riding the lifts to hit runs is their winter tubing. Bogus has an 800-foot downhill tubing slide with a lift to the top. Unlike with skiing you don’t have to have a lot of equipment to tube, just some good snow clothes. This makes tubing an extremely accessible winter activity for everyone. The tube is included with your ticket which runs at 15 dollars for 1.5 hours. As long as the kids are over 36 inches tall the tubing slide is open to all ages. You can even reserve the tubing hill for large groups over 15 people.
Bogus is home to Idaho’s only mountain roller coaster, the Glade Runner. The Glade Runner allows you to control your speeds while sailing through the trees. With more than 4,300 feet of track the coast operates both summer and winter. A day pass for child is 39 dollars and an adult pass is 49.
At the Nordic Center on the mountain, you can purchase and pick up trail tickets for a variety of activities. Snowshoeing is one of the trail passes offered. Simply put snowshoes allow you to walk along the snow without sinking by distributing a person’s weight. For any outdoor enthusiast who loves a good hike snowshoeing around Bogus could be a great way to explore the mountain. A full day trail ticket is only 18 dollars for adults and 9 dollars for children as well as 12 dollars for an adult snowshoe rental and 8 dollars for a child rental.
Winter fat biking is also offered at Bogus. Fat biking refers to super wide tires generally on mountain bikes that can ride through the snow. You can explore the nordic highway using the fat bike and transform a love of mountain biking into a winter sport. All that’s required to purchase is a trail ticket. Bike rentals are also offered on site if you don’t have your own.
If planning for any of these winter activities, it’s always a good idea to call ahead and reserve gear or space. If skiing and snowboarding isn’t really your thing, or you’re just looking to try something new Bogus is sure to have something that will peak your interest.
For more information visit their webpage at bogusbasin.org!