Conditions Report
Report from Saturday, April 25, 2026
Like many ski areas west of the Mississippi, Bogus Basin, Idaho, had a rough season. Fall brought rain instead of snow, temperatures cold enough for snowmaking failed to materialize, and persistent high-pressure systems throughout the season kept snow from sticking to much of the terrain on Schafer Butte and Deer Point.
After Bogus Basin shut down for the season on March 22, skiable terrain was restricted to just a few stubborn snowbanks around the ski area. The backcountry skiing community in Boise has a strong tradition of enjoying the leftovers at Bogus Basin after the regular season ends. With a little spring wax and a floppy-eared friend as a companion, the post-season usually has a few more good turns to offer after the chairlifts stop spinning.
On account of the record low snowpack, well below 50% of average for almost the entire winter, all signs pointed to this post-season being short-lived and not for the faint of heart. On a late-March day, I battled vicious sharks on the backside groomers, who had gorged themselves on skiers all winter long, never quite getting covered up over the winter. The skiing stopped about halfway down, but any day you can make some dollar signs in the snow with your best four-legged friend is a good day in my book. Then, with the skis put away for the season and thoughts turning to mountain biking, the weather changed.
First, a typical early April storm brought 13 inches of wet concrete. Then, the next storm on April 13 brought nearly 19 inches of light, fluffy, wintery snow. A week later, another 18 inches came, building up an April “Zombie Snowpack”, reanimating the ski season. Each of these storms has been received by dozens of backcountry skiers, still hungry for fresh snow after The Winter That Never Came. According to data from the Bogus Basin Snotel Site, almost 30% of the total precipitation for the season has fallen in the weeks since the ski area closed down.
Over the weekend, the skiing off the Superior Chair was classic spring skiing in the post-season. The sun had softened the snow surface just enough to make each turn a delectable carve, until about halfway down, where the surface firmed up, and the skiing turned a little sportier. On the Comeback Trail, down to the bottom of the chairlift, a few creek holes required some tactical bunny hops, but skiing was still possible all the way down to the bottom.
On our exit back to the parking lot, we watched a group of stoked park skiers dragging some homemade rails through the snow, while others worked on a booter right below the chairlift.
The booter, it turned out, was big enough to land a backflip off of, and the rails were sturdy enough to keep the stoke going.
Far from throwing in the towel after a disappointingly short season, the DIY hike park, gaggles of ski tourers throwing skins on in the parking lot, and even the occasional boot packer, are all representative of a skiing community in Boise that is excited to keep the season going, even without the convenience of a chairlift.
With warm temperatures returning to the forecast, the ski trails will melt out, the bike park trails are likely to reemerge, and the Zombie Snowpack may finally fade for good. Of course, Mother Nature still could have other plans…
