Northern Rockies/Alberta Southern Idaho Help please

[Bad Bob]

Looking very much like I am off to a work project in Twin Falls, Idaho for the coming winter. Never skied down that way other than Sun Valley and that won't be a regular diet. A quick Google search shows that Magic Mountain and Pomerelle Mountain. Does anybody out there have any experience with either of these? They both look to be about 1 hour away and will undoubtedly try out both of them.

Knew this was going to happen having already purchased my season Pass. Oh well, fair trade. Figured to take a couple of pairs of all mountain skis some 100's and a pair of 90's that are more front side oriented (the rock skis now, pretty dead). The golf clubs and bike are going too of course.

Any local knowledge would be appreciated.

 

[New2]

No first-hand knowledge, but what I've heard around is that Magic and Pomerelle are good spots to learn or go night skiing after work; Soldier Mountain or Sun Valley are better destinations for serious skiers. Soldier's not a lot farther than Magic and Pomerelle, and it's a lot cheaper than Sun Valley... probably worth checking out.

 

[Bad Bob]

Soldier closed up a few years ago are they open again? That would be nice.

 

[David Chaus]

Pebble Creek is about 2 hours from Twin Falls, never been, heard it has some nice challenging terrain.

 

[SpikeDog]

I've done plenty of skiiing in the S. Idaho area, and did some patrolling at Pebble Creek. Your best bet from Twin Falls is Pomerelle near Albion. It's not a bad little mom and pop place, and has a little steep stuff in the middle of the bowl (turn left at tower 13 for the best turns). There's also a fun run off to the far skier's left called Yahoo that's got lots of wind shaped cornices to play off of.

Soldier is hit or miss - I'm not 100% sure they're open. They had a fire in the main lodge a few days after the season ended ( a tad suspicious), and other than Braveheart is a very flat mountain. Oddly the upper lift services the flatter terrain, which is the reverse of most ski hills. I've tried to book their cat skiing several times, and was met with silence each time. I've had some great powder days there, and they don't get tracked out too fast, but I've kinda outgrown it.

Magic I've never been to, but my wife learned to ski there (she's from Wendell). All I've heard is no steeps, but family friendly. If you are from Spokane, do you remember North-South Ski Bowl? Very similar.

Sun Valley is iconic; you can't go wrong there other than early season. I've been trapped on Warm Springs with the snow guns blazing with no other terrain open on Thanksgiving. There's plenty of other places to get info on Sun Valley.

Consider a 2+ hour drive to either Bogus Basin above Boise or Pebble Creek past Pocatello in Inkom. They are both worthy hills with lots of challenge, and pretty cheap too.

 

[Bill Miles]

I haven't been to any of them beside Sun Valley, but this is what I understand:

Pomerelle and Magic are pretty small and tame.

Pebble creek is a lot more challenging, but tends to be snow challenged.

Not sure about open days at Solder. Used to be Thursday thru Sunday. Can also be snow challenged.

Bogus the best in the region aside from Sun Valley. Avoid on weekends due to proximity to Boise.

 

[Bad Bob]

When I am working I become a weekend warrior except for Holidays. Pebble is a good hill when there is snow. Never done Bogus so will add that to the list. Before this is over will know a lot more about the areas down there, provided it snows. Being solo on jobs like this makes driving not that big of an issue so will have to venture out a little. If I can have fun at Huff Hills, North Dakota for a season, this should be a like going to the Alps.

 

[MAB]

IMO, Pebble is the best place to ski other than Sun Valley. It can be hit or miss based on snow, but the upper mountain gets far more than the lower mountain and is frequently in good shape when the lower mountain isn't. If you tour, the backside gets much more snow than the frontside (there is lots of good sidecountry that you can get back to the lift from, too). You used to be able to buy a single ride lift ticket for a few bucks and skit the backside, but I am not sure if you can do that anymore. Pomerelle also has some decent terrain on the backside for touring.

I think a Mountain Collective pass would make a lot of sense for a person in Twin Falls. The Utah resorts are an easy if not somewhat long drive (maybe even a day trip, depending on your tolerance for driving), and JHMR and Big Sky aren't too far, either. Both are easy overnight trips.

If you end up in Twin, shoot me a PM if you want more info or even want to meet up and make a few turns. I usually ski at Pebble, Targhee, JHMR, or the Pass, depending on conditions and who I am with.

 

[Bad Bob]

IMO, Pebble is the best place to ski other than Sun Valley. It can be hit or miss based on snow, but the upper mountain gets far more than the lower mountain and is frequently in good shape when the lower mountain isn't. If you tour, the backside gets much more snow than the frontside (there is lots of good sidecountry that you can get back to the lift from, too). You used to be able to buy a single ride lift ticket for a few bucks and skit the backside, but I am not sure if you can do that anymore. Pomerelle also has some decent terrain on the backside for touring.

I think a Mountain Collective pass would make a lot of sense for a person in Twin Falls. The Utah resorts are an easy if not somewhat long drive (maybe even a day trip, depending on your tolerance for driving), and JHMR and Big Sky aren't too far, either. Both are easy overnight trips.

If you end up in Twin, shoot me a PM if you want more info or even want to meet up and make a few turns. I usually ski at Pebble, Targhee, JHMR, or the Pass, depending on conditions and who I am with.

You'll be hearing from me! The schedule is firming up and I am supposed to make the drive end of next week.

Thank you for the local knowledge.

 

[New2]

Apparently Soldier's up for sale again: http://www.mirusresortadvisors.com/deals
I don't know whether it'll be open this winter or not.

 

[Bad Bob]

An update. You folks were nice enough to help me out with this place, here is what I have learned on my own.

Twin Falls is place is worth having on your radar. A nice smaller city of around 40,000 people and good infrastructure a couple of collages and a lot of nice people. After 6 weeks I'm starting to figure out which way North is. I walked out the door this morning and looked at snow capped mountain ranges to the North the East and South of here, not a bad way to start the day. The town reminds me a lot of Bozeman from about 1980 +/-.

Here are some of the important stuff I have discovered around here so far:
4 ski areas in less than a 90 minute drive ranging from Sun Valley to Magic Mountain. (Soldier Mountain is supposed to operate this winter)
good bike riding ranging from bike paths to desert single track (I lean to the milder side on this one).
GREAT GOLF! More decent courses than I can count for pretty cheap.
One of the worlds highest high dives (base jumping is legal off the bridge over the Snake River Canyon they estimate 30,000 jumps /year)
Water sports and plenty. The Snake River is the north edge of town.
Jackpot, Nevada is about 45 minutes south of here. CHA CHING!
Pretty vibrant economy. Some of the newer employers in town: Coboni, Jayco, Clif Bars, more coming. Seeing lots of 'Help Wanted' signs.
Weather seems a lot like Salt Lake City without the brown stuff in the air. It is called 'High Desert' here about 4,500'.
Pretty cheap to live here. (I am paying $825 for a very nice furnished apartment including utilities, which is cheap even by local standards)
Politically and religiously tolerant, not all LDS not all Republican (but that is how they vote)
Every big chain store in the world is here, shoot there is even a Costco.
Boise Airport is about 100 miles down the 80 MPH interstate.
More than decent medical (this is where Sun Valley flies badly hurt billionaires).

This place is a very good undiscovered ski town or western retirement town. I have lived in or spent extended time in a number of places popularly discussed for relocation to on Pugski (Denver, CO Springs, Bozeman, SLC, Portland, Seattle/Tacoma, Anchorage, Summit County, Spokane/Cd'A, and more I don't want to remember). Twin Falls has a lot of the attributes of any and all of those places, and its own sweet charms to boot.

If you are zooming through on I-84 you might want to take a look. Let's not tell anybody else though.

 

[Tom Co.]

Dang it Bob, are you going to be in Twin all winter? After the fun time we had skiing at 49* North, I was planning on doing it again this year and hoping to have you tour guide at Mount Spokane with their new chair and all.

 

[Jack skis]

Pomerelle is not the best ski area in the world. Now that's established, Gwen and I had a terrific ski day there some years ago. Wed seen their sign alongside the Interstate numerous times while driving to and from Colorado and finally decided to give it a try while driving towards SLC. It was a sunny Friday late in the season and when we got to the area it was Ranchers Friday with $5.00 lift tickets (it was awhile ago), the area was only open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. It had snowed during the week so the snow was all powder, maybe near a foot deep. No crowd of course. Talk about fun. After bit they opened the at the time upper chair. We really had that to ourselves, could make a run and then on the next cross our tracks. There were views down into the Snake River Valley just to add bit of extra likability to the day. Ate a snack in the "lodge" and talked to the owners/operators about their area. We had a lot of memorable ski days and that one ranks right up there. Worth a day if you have a chance.

 

[Monster]

If it's weekends and driving's ok, how about Targhee? - AirBnb in Driggs. . .

 

[Bad Bob]

Dang it Bob, are you going to be in Twin all winter? After the fun time we had skiing at 49* North, I was planning on doing it again this year and hoping to have you tour guide at Mount Spokane with their new chair and all.

Tom, that was a good day, and not at all unusual for my neighborhood. I'm looking forward to exploring what Mt. Spokane and Silver did this summer too. More than happy to do it again if I'm up there, and will let you know when I am back in Spokane.

Regarding being in Twin Falls, as long as they are willing to pay me to be here, I will. Jobs like this one last until they tell you to, "go away". Then you leave with a smile on your face and a fatter bank account. They said 6 months more or less, and that could mean anything. I am starting to look around for some skis a little more frontside friendly though.

 

[Bad Bob]

If it's weekends and driving's ok, how about Targhee? - AirBnb in Driggs. . .

Targhee shows to be about 3 1/2 hours from Twin Falls. That would be a good weekend run. I am pretty spoiled when you talk about driving to ski areas. 2 hours is kind of a personal limit. At home the mountain is 45 minutes from the driveway. Inside my personal limits it appears that this place will offer up:

Pomerelle.
Magic Mountain.
Soldier Mountain.
Pebble Creek.
Bogus Basin (pushing the limit on this one).
Sun Valley.

Twin Falls is not going to be the fresh snow capital of North America. That is okay, I think I have already lived there a time or three. Maybe Ullr is telling me it is time to work on my carving skills again?

 

[Lorenzzo]

Driven through TF many times but always on the way to someplace else. Nice to get some thoughts on it beyond what I get from gas stops. You can see the Snake as you cross the bridge and it is famous for base jumping. At least one former member of the McConkey crew lives there.

 

[Kent]

@Bad Bob I appreciate your Twin Falls profile/observations. If you haven't already done so, you might find Bruneau Dunes, just south of Mountain Home, worth a look. If you do head over that way, I recommend also visiting Bruneau Canyon Overlook. https://www.blm.gov/visit/bruneau-canyon-overlook

"Welcome to the Grand Canyon of Southwest Idaho! This canyon was shaped by an astounding combination of volcanism, glacial melt and regional drainage patterns. The Bruneau Overlook is the only readily accessible spot to view this spectacular canyon carved through basalt and rhyolite by the Bruneau River. The opposite rim is 1,300 feet away and the distance from rim to riverbed is 800 feet. From this spot near the northern end of the 60-mile canyon, view the wild and scenic Bruneau River tumbling out of the Bruneau-Jarbidge Rivers Wilderness."

 

[Bad Bob]

Did Shoshone Falls Park yesterday (just out of Twin Falls). It is the farthest spot up the Snake drainage that Steelhead or Salmon can migrate to. The drop is bigger than Niagara Falls and at one time was a fairly major tourist destination in the West. It is only 10 miles or so off of the Interstate.

The two pics you see are yesterday and spring run-off; taken from nearly the same spot. I want to see that!

 

[Lorenzzo]

The Snake is an amazing river, formed by drainage, glacial movement and flood events. It begins in Yellowstone in Wyoming, eventually spills into the Columbia and in turn the Pacific Ocean, passing through Jackson Hole, Idaho Falls, Twin Falls, Oregon and Washington. It's the largest N. American river (1,100 miles) that spills into the Pacific.

For those interested in geology and that sort of thing it's an interesting topic. I'm gradually exploring some of its many, diverse parts and hope to do some fishing and camping there next summer.