KTRV Fox 12 White Out Conditions Close Bogus Basin
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Boise, Idaho -- Mother nature put a damper on skiers and snow boarders at Bogus Basin Thursday.
Powerful wind and blowing snow is blamed for a six car pile up on Bogus Basin Road, forcing the resort to shut down early.
There were no injuries and everyone involved in the chain reaction accident made it out fine. But it was a challenge digging them out of a few feet of snow.
Late Thursday afternoon, drivers heading up Bogus Basin Road were being told to turn around.
The road was closed after drifting snow and strong winds created white-out conditions, causing one driver to swerve into the snow, triggering a change reaction with five additional vehicles.
It happened in an area known as Windy Ridge, above the nine mile marker.
"As we understood from the chain reaction, there were cars blocking both sides of the road and trying to get them out of the snow drifts and things," said Bogus Basin Marketing Director Jennifer Johnson.
About 3:45 p.m., Bogus Basin announced to skiers it was closing the road and the resort for the rest of the day.
With low visibility, the resort used plows and front loaders to clear the way so people could get back to the city.
Boise skier Tom Lind says the drifts were two to three feet deep.
"The wind is blowing in faster than they can keep it open. It's down to one lane and the plows basically have to lead cars through a couple spots," said skier Tom Lind.
Johnson says this is the first time the resort had to close for the day in recent memory, which means they'll have to reschedule night skiing lessons for area school groups.
Overall, it was an average day for the number of skiers and snow boarders hitting the slopes.
"It wasn't too bad of a Thursday. Everybody got help up at the closure of course," said Lind.
And as the welcomed powder is blanketing the ski areas, there's bound to be some inconvenience from mother nature.
"All of the skiers have been dealing in the western U.S. with road closures due to the snow. we've received five feet of snow this week," said Johnson.
It's great conditions, but many will have to wait until Friday to dive into it.
"For safety purposes, to close the road down was the best decision we can make," said Johnson.
Bogus Plans to re-open Friday morning at 10 a.m.
For the latest snow conditions or changes, you can also check their website Friday morning.
