Twenty-four snow guns whir up and down the slopes at Bogus Basin. The machines look like giant fans spewing clouds of snow.
“It’s great timing for us to be making the mountain white,” says Nate Shake, the Director of Mountain Operations. He says the very light first dusting yesterday in Boise means the Treasure Valley should start getting excited for ski season soon.
And the new snow machines will add to the bit of snow that Bogus has already gotten this fall.
Shake says there are 24 snow guns that can be attached to any of the 64 water hydrants stationed around the slopes. The ski area can make snow depending on where it’s needed.
“When you mix the high pressure water and the compressed air with very cold temperatures,” Shake explains, “the water droplets come out, the fan pushes them up into the air before they come back down to the ground.”
These machines should create enough snow that Bogus Basin could open a few areas by Thanksgiving.
But why rush the opening? Does it have anything to do with a supposed race with Sun Valley for earliest season start?
“Maybe a little bit of friendly competition there,” Shake admits.
Shake says it’s hard to compare Bogus with Sun Valley since the Wood River Valley resort has a more extensive snowmaking system, but still, a healthy rivalry never hurt anyone.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Bogus is planning on opening a few areas on Thanksgiving. It should be fully opened by the second week in December.
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