In January my family and I arrived at the Pomerelle Mountain Resort in Southern Idaho to find fresh powder, inexpensive elevator tickets, no lines and bargain bourges at the base. What could a skier ask for?
Maybe a faster chair, but we chased it up to the vintage charm.
Last autumn, when I bought the Indy Pass, the answer with a small resort to the epic and icon passes I have never had from Pomerelle, one of the resorts to which I have now accessed.
However, the Indy Pass, founded in 2019 with 34 members, consists in order to present skiers to the independent, often family-run resorts-more than 230 of them-to whom the marketing force is missing individually to use Vail Resorts and Alterra Mountain Company, issuers Competition of Epic and Icon.
Skiing is an expensive sport. Large resorts often offer more than $ 200 for an elevator ticket on the same day and offer access to extensive terrain and high-speed stage to maximize their term.
In contrast, small ski areas offer cheaper prices for everything, from lift tickets to lunch, which is particularly attractive for families and beginners. Parking is usually free.
Indy was developed for skiers who are looking for both variety and affordability, and each offers two days in a member location on three continents (the majority are in the USA). In order to test the payment, I bought the Indy+ pass last spring for 469 US dollars (this upgrade of the base pass of 349 US dollars is freed from Blackout data) and studied the Indy Pass card. Resort cluster in the east, in the middle west and in Rocky Mountains offered fascinating opportunities for ski-centered road trips.
Last month we drove about 1,200 miles between Salt Lake City and Missoula, Mont., Seven days in five resorts in Utah, Idaho and Montana. We have been financially ahead of us – individual tickets would have cost 547 US dollars per person alone for this skiing outing, while exploring Throwback Lodges and learning to use the family's time on slow chair lifts.
“Skiing like before”
Vail Resorts had just settled a strike in the nearby Park City Mountain Resort when we made about 110 miles north of Salt Lake City for Beaver Mountain, an Indy member near Logan, Utah.
The Seeholzer family has operated the country as the oldest and continuous family-run resort since 1939 (regular elevator cards cost $ 70).
“Our unofficial keyword is skiing as before,” said Travis Seeholzer, third generation General Manager. “There are not a few quick lifts and dazzling lodges, but relaxing days in which he drives away from the hustle and bustle.”
At lunchtime on a snow -covered Saturday, Beaver was relatively busy with cars that were the forested approach. Nevertheless, it was less than five minutes on foot to Harry's Dream Lift, a triple chair that led us to the 8,860-foot summit.
Small resorts tend to have shorter runs; Compare the 1,700 foot vertical drops from Beaver with the 3,200 feet from Park City. But we estimated the variety of races became moderate or advanced-and were part of a relaxed ski scene in which BYO snacks stuffed the lodge cubbies.
“We thought Epic and Icon were a death blow. We found the opposite, ”said Mr. Seeholzer. “Many people are only looking for this different experience and a somewhat slower pace.”
Fresh powder, bargain burger
From Beaver we drove 155 miles northwest to Albion, Idaho, to stage our next ski day from the Marsh Creek Inn, a comfortable motel with a logging hut from the 19th century, which serves as a lobby (our two-bed room costs $ 130 per night).
The manager sent us a community for dinner in Wick's Steak Place, the Highlight restaurant, with rodeo events in every television, taxidermy on the walls and the apple wood steaks (from $ 24.99) and American Wagyu castle (American Wagyu Burgers (((accessed) (from $ 24.99) (from 24.99 US dollar) and American Wagyu Burgers (((from $ 24.99) (from $ 24.99) (from $ 24.99) (apple. $ 17.99) on the menu.
In the morning, fresh snow slowed down our approach to Pomerelle on a steep and winding road through the frosted pines of the Sawtooth National Forest to a basic height of almost 8,800 feet.
The ski area with two main trunks, 500 hectares and a vertical decline of 1,000 feet, which was founded in 1940, maintains an average of 500 inch snow annually. In the afternoon we still followed fresh powder fields.
“We are here to spread the passion for skiing,” said Zack Alexander, Mountain Manager and noticed the family-friendly prices of the resort (tickets cost $ 53) and the popular ski school. “We try to offer the same quality experience that you can get in larger resorts without all frills and costs.”
A cast iron wood oven heated the simple base lodge, which was filled with cafeteria tables that were attached to rows of metal stools. Outside grilled chefs grilled lush $ 10 cheeseburger over a slope grill.
“People will come back for this burger,” said Mr. Alexander with a laugh.
Limited hours
When we bought the somewhat higher -priced indy+ pass, we were able to handle blackout data that vary depending on the resort. But we learned on the hard tour that some resorts are not open every day, including Soldier Mountain, in Tiny Fairfield, Idaho.
The two-lift operation with 1,150 hectares and a summit of 7,177 feet is about 140 miles north of Pomerelle. Our host on an Airbnb loft on a Highland Cattle Ranch (120 US dollars per night) near Fairfield told us that Soldier operated on Thursdays to Sundays.
One of his investors and the former general manager of the mountain, Paul Alden, said that the remote location – 90 minutes or more from Twin Falls and Boise – and the lack of local accommodation makes it difficult to open full -time.
“We are a drive-to-area and the drive-tooths are not nearby,” said Alden.
A high-end-clever bites
We briefly thought that we met near Sun Valley, one of the most famous resorts in the country, until we evaluate tickets for $ 255 per person. When we hold on to the Indy Plan, we drove 200 miles north over the winding Payette River Scenic Byway to the Tamarack Resort in Donnelly.
Tamarack has had their own majority owners for 20 years in difficulties in difficulties-but they would not know it from the extensive base village with 132 ski-in/ski-out apartments about trendy shops and restaurants.
High-speed lifts delivered us to the 7,700-foot summit with a photogenic view of the Lake Cascade. Inter- and advanced runs dominated the slopes that have not been overcrowded with a vertical drop of 2,800 feet and powder between the trees. Tamarack felt like a high-end excursion, a luxury resort in the creation-a complex Midmountain Lodge opened.
In the next three nights we have resident in McCall, an adventure city 20 miles north of Tamarack, with access to another nearby Indy member, the Brundage Mountain Resort.
In winter, McCall attracts skiers, snowboarders and snowmakers, but the accommodations remained appropriate in the newly renovated Nordic Inn (135 US dollars per night) and removed on foot to restaurants and shops.
McCall closed at the beginning of our stay during our stay. The bartender in the Salmon River Brewery joined after dinner (chicken potpie, 16 US dollars) and joined the block in the Foresters Bar in 1947 for a night roll.
“Low density, family -friendly”
It could have been the Ptarmigan that changed the slopes in Brundage, but we fell in love with the six-lift area with a vertical drop of 1,921 feet, which seemed to have more snow than near Tamarack.
We found a groove at Brundage, which we repeated for two days, in the morning in the sunny backside Lakeview Bowl, searched on the way cultivated blues and for powder in the trees between them, then switched to the northwest front on the afternoon.
Brundage is not as lifted as Tamarack or as rustic as pomerelle and maintains a “family -friendly ski atmosphere with a low density,” said Ken Rider, General Manager.
Most skiers that we in the bar & grill of Smoky's Bar & Grill in the resort over 6 après-ski beers on the sundeck or in the cabin of Bear, which served 8 cups of chilli, were idahoan. A regular guest from Boise identified the surrounding mountain chains, which were visible from the top of a chairlift with over 7,600 feet, including the distant Wallowa mountains in Oregon, which Brundage described as their favorite.
“It's a hidden jewel,” she said.
Commuting to the snow
From McCall we could have turned west to Indy Resorts in Oregon and Washington or Nord -idaho. Instead, we chose friends in Montana about Missoula, a breathtaking five-hour trip to the northeast above the snow-covered Lolo Pass at the state border.
Twelve miles outside of Missoula, Montana Snowbowl makes a shabby first impression. The A-Frame Lodge, which is centered on an open fireplace, and a small hotel next door hardly seem to fit in the narrow, sloping base area.
The aging double grizzly chair raised 2,000 feet from the base on almost 7,000 feet on almost 7,000 feet. The nearby Lavelle Creek Stuhl reached the summit with almost 7,600 feet. The payment for long commuting was a good snow at the top. But that deteriorated on the descent. Snowbowl needed snow.
The conditions have not prevented us from enjoying Missoula, a pulsating College city with many breweries, including guild, with craft beers of 6 US dollars and 5 US dollar Chorizo Tacos. We checked into the stylish Wren Hotel and reached the attractions in the city center on foot (139 US dollars per night).
We hoped for snow overnight, got a dust until noon and quit snowbushes. We were not unfortunate with the Indy Pass. We would live somewhere else to ski to ski another day. Our season – already paid – had just started.