Small Idaho ski areas pull the plug on season

Both Snowhaven and Bald Mountain in central Idaho have pulled the plug on their ski seasons.

Snowhaven Ski Area near Grangeville was able to open for just one weekend in January and Bald Mountain near Pierce hasn’t been able to open at all. The same appears to be true for Cottonwood Butte near Cottonwood.

Warm temperatures and storms that have delivered more rain than snow have bedeviled ski areas throughout the region. Hardest hit have been the tiny, lower elevation resorts that serve nearby small communities. Snowhaven announced its closure on Facebook and said people who purchased season passes and punch cards for this season will be able to use them next winter.

Snowhaven manager Scott Wasem said the latest snow storm delivered a good dose of snow but much of the hill had previously lost its base.

“It was down to dirt and grass. We would have to reset the base and have to redo all the runs for the tubing hill,” he said. “It would be a lot more work. On top of that, looking at the weather forecast, maybe we get a week or two out of it then it’s going to get nice again. For the amount of work of starting back up when we lost our entire base, it just isn’t feasible.”

He said the hill, which is owned by the city of Grangeville, will now look forward to a remodel of the lodge.

“We are trying to build the hill to better serve our customers and make it more friendly and inviting and give us more space in the lodge for rentals and ski patrol and storage.”

Chris Allen, president of the Clearwater Ski Club said Bald Mountain’s season would typically only last another two weeks. She said it wouldn’t make sense to open, even if sufficient snow comes. The ski area held a fundraising banquette last week and raised about $10,000.

“We can put that in our savings account for next year’s insurance,” she said.

Barker may be contacted at ebarker@lmtribune.com