Bogus Basin: 2 new chairlifts summer 2024

Everyone starts somewhere, and for many, that somewhere was on Bogus Basin’s Coach Chairlift. This cozy 1981 YAN double chair has bore witness to countless memories, both day and night. From parents playfully convincing their little ones they’re astronauts during evening outings to the occasional first-ride meltdown, Coach chairlift is much more than a lift from point A to point B.

Fun Fact: The Coach chairlift wasn’t new at the time it was installed in its current location. The chairlift we currently know as Coach was once the Deer Point double before it found its new home at Coach’s Corner in the summer of 1996. Interestingly, Coach’s Corner didn’t even exist until the chairlift was relocated – learn more further down!

Coach Chairlift has been in operation for a total of 43 years, 28 of which have been in its current location. Running some rough napkin math, that is over 19 million chairs that have arrived at the top of Coach’s Corner and over 65,000 hours of run time during its 43 year long life at Bogus Basin!

We are not getting a fancy high-speed detachable lift to replace the Historic 1981 YAN double chair? Proudly, No!

Bogus Basin is charged with the fiduciary responsibility of the community’s investments to ensure excellent and sustainable recreation for the Treasure Valley. When analyzing the statistics of the Coach chairlift upgrade, opting for a fixed-grip quad translates to a slightly longer ride time of 1.5 minutes compared to a high-speed quad, while saving over $2,500,000 for a second lift upgrade.

The new Coach chairlift allows us to continue building upon what previous generations started. We are slightly adjusting the location of the bottom terminal of Coach and more than doubling the vertical rise, all while creating a beginner run that is almost 3.5x as long and adding a new low intermediate run. This terrain expansion opens up 12+ acres of groomed and gladed terrain off the riders left of Sourdough. These changes in terrain transform the learning experience for new users and, coupled with the Bitterroot upgrade, provide plenty of diverse terrain for newcomers and families.

During this upgrade, snowmaking and lights are planned to ensure that the Coach chairlift and its runs are accessible at all hours. As an added bonus, Coach will now be a perfect starting point every season, offering access to beginner terrain and intermediate terrain via Sourdough and Stewart’s Bowl.

If you’ve taken a ride on the Bitterroot chairlift, you know how fun it is to explore the Bitterroot Basin’s blend of intermediate terrain. You also know that you often spend less time on the runs than riding the lift back to the top.

Bitterroot’s current “claim to fame” is its popularity among our many racing programs – delivering thousands of racers to their courses during race season. The Bitterroot Chairlift currently runs weekends and holidays only, but we may see that change in the future with this upgrade.

Drone Pan Of Bitterroot Basin And Pioneer Lodge

The Bitterroot Basin is a beloved section of Bogus Basin, consisting of fun, friendly terrain. The Bitterroot chairlift, on the other hand, needs an upgrade to shine its best. With the carrying capacity of only two guests at a time and often overrun by racers, guests often avoid the Bitterroot Basin in favor of runs off of Morning Star Express. On busy race Saturdays, lines at the base of the Bitterroot chairlift create unnecessarily long wait times.

The Riblet double fixed-grip chairlift installed back in the 70’s is no longer equipped to handle the increased demand at Bogus Basin while preserving the on-hill experience. Thankfully, the stipulation to reinvest all operation profits back into the mountain allows that demand to drive capital projects like these upgrade chairlifts, which support sustainable growth for the future!

Just like the Coach chairlift, replacing the new Bitterroot chairlift with a quad also provides the opportunity to realign the lift terminals for a more pleasant loading and unloading experience. Bitterroot quad delivers riders to the Morning Star Express side (North) of the Pioneer Lodge. Guests will now have more convenient access to the lodge’s amenities as well as the runs that access Morning Star Express, Bitterroot quad, and Superior Express chairlifts.

The new quad chairlift is going to significantly reduce lift lines by more than doubling the uphill capacity. Now guests can enjoy quicker laps on this great intermediate pod of trails, offering a more diverse experience for all new locals and young families! Additionally, your mountain operations team plans to regrade and reconfigure the enterence & exit to Snoozer, adding a green beginner trail off of Smuggler.

While nothing is official yet, we are investigating the idea of increased operating days and hours of the new Bitterroot quad chairlift. Wouldn’t it be neat to be able to access the Bitterroot Basin midweek or even at night?!