A word with Brad Wilson, Bogus Basin general manager, on summer recreation

Bogus Basin made its name as a winter ski destination, but the recreation area has also gone big with summer options, including a new lift-served mountain bike park.

Located off the Morning Star Express high-speed quad chairlift, the mountain bike park opened this summer when the park launched operations for the season on June 26. These downhill- only bike trails cater to a wide range of rider skill levels, from beginner to expert. Access to the bike park will be available from the Morning Star high-speed chairlift daily, and from the Deer Point Express high-speed quad chairlift on weekends and holidays. The road to the Pioneer Lodge from the base area will be closed.

Construction on the bike park was led by Alpine Bike Parks, a company headquartered in Whistler, British Columbia.

The Idaho Business Review recently connected with Bogus Basin General Manager Brad Wilson to discuss the mountain bike park, as well as other offerings at the recreation area and its new COVID-19 safety protocols.

To address what’s top of mind for everyone these days, how are you dealing with COVID-19?  

Bogus Basin is carefully following CDC and state COVID-19 related guidelines. Guests this summer will notice many changes including informational signage throughout the area. Face masks are required while in line, inside buildings and when physical distancing is not possible. Hand-sanitizing stations are available in multiple locations, and surfaces are being disinfected frequently. All of our employees are required to take a daily health survey before reporting to work.

And what issues did you have during ski season?

Thankfully, we didn’t have any real issues during ski season except we closed a month earlier than anticipated.  It was certainly an issue for Ketchum.

How significant are summer activities to Bogus?

Summer activities provide several benefits to Bogus Basin. First of all, it has allowed us to provide a new way for Treasure Valley residents to enjoy our nonprofit mountain recreation area in what used to be the ‘off-season.’ Our mountain coaster, summer tubing and chairlift riding for hiking and mountain biking are a hit with families, outdoor enthusiasts and anyone looking to beat the heat in the Treasure Valley!

Summer operations have also allowed us to retain some of our best winter team members. We now employ well over 100 people during the summer months.

What share of your revenue comes from summer vs. winter?

It is a relatively small percentage now, about 12%, but it is increasing.

And how much of a hit did you take this past winter?

We were down about 10%. Fortunately, the final month of the ski season is our slowest. If the pandemic had started earlier, it would have been a different story!

How did you decide to put in a mountain bike track, and whom did you consult with on designing it? 

We’ve had mountain biking for many years, but until recently it was just comprised of cross-country trails. Over the last few years and especially this year, we have focused on building more gravity-oriented trails. These mostly downhill trails allow us to utilize our new Morningstar High Speed Quad seven days a week and Deer Point High Speed Quad on weekends.

The original trails were mostly built by Ridge to Rivers connecting to some of their trails in the foothills (yes, you can ride from Bogus to Boise on single track trails). Southwest Idaho Mountain Bike Association (SWIMBA) has also been a partner over the years.

Utilizing SE Group and IMBA Trails Solutions, we created a trails master plan about three years ago. We have hired Alpine Bike Parks, builder of the Boise Bike Park, to design and build out the areas identified on the master plan. To date, they have completed a brand new green (beginner) 1.5-mile flow trail that runs from the top of Morningstar lift to the bottom. And they will be completing a blue (intermediate) flow trail in the next couple of weeks. If the weather holds out, we expect to have them complete at least four new top-to-bottom trails this summer. These trails complement our extensive existing trail network.

How much did it cost, and what did you do to help protect the natural environment during construction? 

We expect to spend about $400,000 on trail construction this summer. Once we have completed the trails on the Morningstar side of the mountain, we will begin construction of trails on the larger Deer Point side of the mountain. We are working with the U.S. Forest Service and have gone through the NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) process for approval of those trails on our USFS permitted land. We expect those approvals to happen before the end of the summer.

Alpine Bike Parks adheres to required trail design criteria to reduce erosion and provide natural runoff. Their headquarters are in Whistler, British Columbia, where they see a lot of rain and are well versed in trail construction, erosion control and minimal disturbance.

Do you still have some of your other summer recreational activities like the coaster and the bungee jump? What improvements have you made to those?  

This summer we are operating the Glade Runner Mountain Coaster and our summer tubing hill. Because of the challenges of social distancing, we will not have our trampoline bungee jump or climbing wall open this summer. We have improved the summer tubing operation by moving the conveyer lift closer to the top of the tubing hill. With the addition of Morningstar lift and Deer Point, sightseers and hikers have a lot more options this summer.

What’s next on the wishlist for improvements? 

This summer, we are doubling our snowmaking coverage, adding snowmaking to Morningstar trail, Showcase, Sourdough and Stewart’s Bowl. This will give us the opportunity to open six top-to-bottom trails on snowmaking next winter, up from three last winter. And as mentioned before, next summer we expect to start expanding our mountain bike park to the Deer Point side of the mountain. We are continuing to look for the ‘next best thing’ in summer operations. We’ve travelled across the country looking at new things from aerial adventure parks to zip line operations to kid play areas. We’re not done adding more fun and exciting summer activities!

What plans are you making for dealing with possible COVID-19 this winter?

Much of what we’re doing to respond to the COVID-19 crisis this summer is to see what works and what doesn’t work in anticipation of having to make adjustments next winter.   It’s far too early to know exactly what we will need to do to provide a safe and fun winter operation next season. But just rest assured that when we open for winter, we will provide the best experience possible under any circumstance.

MY TWO CENTS

In every edition of the Square Feet quarterly magazine, we ask Idaho business leaders for their response to a fun question on the publication’s theme.  

Q: What is your favorite place in Idaho for recreation?

 

“My favorite place in Idaho for recreation: Our cabin in Cascade with easy access to Cascade Lake, Horsethief Reservoir and Kelly’s Whitewater park. Scenic trails and forest service roads make Idaho’s backcountry an endless Adventureland. With the Willow Creek trail to Skein Lake and trail to Blue Lake, it is easy to unplug and disconnect so you can engage and recreate in Idaho!”

– Carmen Achabal, IGEM Program Manager

 

“One of my favorite Idaho places for recreation is the Greenbelt, which allows me to experience nature spontaneously and at no cost. Whether I am walking or biking, I can truly relax when I hear sounds of the rushing river, the rustle of wildlife in the brush and the lively melodies of birdsong. Life doesn’t get better than that!”

– Karen Appelgren, vice president and director of the Idaho Business Resource Center of Zions Bank, a division of Zions Bancorporation

 

“My favorite place for recreation in Idaho is on the River Walk that runs through the heart of Idaho Falls. The 14 miles of trails offer gorgeous views of the Snake River along with the abundant wildlife, parks, flower gardens and natural geologic features that line this amazing river as it flows through our city. It’s a great place to go for a run, take a walk, bike or to just enjoy sitting and watching the falls.”

– Rebecca Casper, Mayor of Idaho Falls

 

“Idaho is a wonderful state in which to recreate. I am happiest in a boat or raft, on horseback or exploring Idaho in my Jeep, especially in places where mountains and water meet. A whitewater float trip on any of our wild rivers, such as the Middle Fork, is incredible; the more remote, the better I like it. Aside from our bountiful natural beauty, Idaho’s warm hospitality is what makes our state so special.”

– Hank Ebert, Employer Relations/Experiential Education at Boise State University Career Services

“It is almost impossible to write about only one favorite place in Idaho since my husband and I travel far and wide through our beautiful state. From the pristine mountain beauty of Red Fish Lake to the quite windswept majesty of Craters of the Moon and the pine-covered ridges of Lake Pend Oreille, all of Idaho is my favorite place for doing everything.”

– Catherine Riddle, Idaho National Lab Research Scientist in Aqueous Separations and Radiochemistry