Where to Stay and Ski in Idaho
You can practically hear the cheers echoing off the mountains of the Pacific Northwest--Idaho's got dumped with snow. The people are rejoicing!
Schweitzer Resort, on the western part of the state, got pounded with 40 inches of snow over the Thanksgiving Weekend. Bogus Basin, to the east, is reportedly "thrilled" by the 14 inches that whitened the slopes, and the prospect of the heavy snows this winter have set their hearts all aflutter.
Out here, it's not just the spuds that bring home the bacon. Skiing and snow are big bucks. Now that it's blizzard time, Idahoans are ready to mix business with pleasure.
So where to crash? In the Schweitzer Mountain Resort Village, the Selkirk Lodge wins big points for ski-in, ski-in convenience. Its après-ski sounds fairly delish, too - the hotel's Chimney Rock Grill won the 2003 and 2004 Wine Spectator Award. Tripadvisor reviews mention plush bathrooms, hot tubs with mountain views, and amply stocked minibars.
Bogus, hardly as glam a moniker as "Sun Valley" but bigger by far, has an astonishing variety of slopes, styles, snowboarder's paradise, and even an aerial facility so you can test your anti-gravity skis. A call to the boys at Bogus told us they're set to open the front of the mountain tomorrow, and the weather is cold, so the snows will keep.
There aren't any resorts nearby, but plenty in Boise, 16 miles down the road. If you don't have a rental car, buses run regularly ("45 minutes tops one way in bad weather," according to a very Bogus Ski Patrol dude). Maybe you haven't snagged yourself a mountain-top condo, but you can still schuss like the rest of them. High marks go to the Residence Inn Boise for giant hotel rooms featuring fireplaces and complementary logs.
It's also featured on Bogus Basin's list of participating hotels that offer "Stay & Play Packages," which means buy one, get one free lift ticket or Nordic trail pass. However -- when we called The Residence Inn Boise to inquire about what sounds like a very good deal, they didn't know anything about it.
[Photo: Snowboard Mag]
Related Stories:
· Residence Inn Boise reviews [TripAdvisor]
· Selkirk Lodge reviews [TripAdvisor]
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by annie0007
