Paper snowflakes dangle from the ceiling of Highlands Hollow Brewhouse in Boise, a popular pit stop for hungry skiers and snowboarders on their way to and from Bogus Basin Mountain Recreation Area. The holiday decorations are the only snow in sight this year.
Ski-suit-clad customers who would normally pack the Boise brewpub at this time of year are absent — and the ski-themed Faceplant Porter isn’t being tapped much.
Traffic into the Chevron station on Hill Road is down as much as half compared to last year at this time.
“It’s pretty bad. This is our busiest time of year, with the ski rush,” said Coty Shields, a 20-year-old who works at the station. “It keeps us going all day.”
Shields said the station is opening an hour later on the weekends this year due to the decreased traffic. No employees have lost their jobs, but some are taking unpaid days off.
It’s a similar story for Boise’s other snow-related businesses, which are keeping their eyes on the skies in hopes that Old Man Winter starts cooperating.
What will be the latest-ever opening for the Bogus Basin ski area — the previous record was Jan. 6, 1989 — forced Bogus managers this week to implement a cost-reduction plan, including cutting pay and positions.
Several hundred seasonal workers, who normally would have received a month or more of pay by now, have gotten just one paycheck — for a few days of training they received in November.
NO BIG SNOW IN SIGHT
“There’s nothing else wrong, other than the lack of snow,” said Mike Shirley, general manager at Bogus Basin. “We’ve got a workforce ready to go and a physical plant ready to go. It’s just the need for snow that weighs so heavily on us — and the fact that we don’t see anything significant in the forecast.”
Bogus Basin needs at least 16 inches of snow in order to open. There’s very little on the mountain now, and temperatures reached 49 degrees Wednesday. The next chance for snow is Friday, but forecasters aren’t expecting to see more than a half-inch of accumulation, said Weather Service meteorologist Dave Groenert.
SILVER LINING?
The delayed opening at Bogus is significant for ski shops in Boise, but not as catastrophic as some might think, said Jeff Lewerenz, one of the owners of Greenwood’s Ski Haus on Bogus Basin Road.
“It’s a bummer, but there’s skiing around,” Lewerenz said, noting that Brundage, Tamarack, Pomerelle and Sun Valley are all open. “The people that want to ski are going there. That’s keeping us steady with sales.”
“As long as people can get out and ski, that helps,” Lewerenz said.
Greenwood’s has been operating in Boise since 1957. Lewerenz said he and his business partner try to save up during good years — like last year, when ski season at Bogus started on Thanksgiving — so they have operating cash to get through the late starts.
He’s had to cut the hours of some of his 40 permanent full- and part-time staff but hasn’t laid anyone off.
Lewerenz said it’s not a matter of if he can sell his inventory — but when.
DISCOUNTS TO ATTRACT BUSINESS
On Wednesday, Brundage announced a special to entice disappointed Bogus skiers to the McCall resort: Bogus Basin season pass holders can get deep discounts on Brundage skiing.
At the Eco Lounge Freeride Shop in Boise, owner Mike Teschner is offering 25 to 30 percent off packages, such as coats and pants, or bindings and skis.
The shop is also offering training in backcountry safety and advice on where backcountry skiers can go.
Teschner said he’s had to cut his three full-time staffers to part time. He hasn’t brought back the four part-time workers he employed last season.
Teschner has been selling equipment for skiers, snowboarders, skateboarders and mountain bikers at his Bogus Basin Road shop for seven years. He opened a Meridian shop three years ago.
“I feel that the winter is going to come. I’m still optimistic,” Teschner said. “You just have to look a little harder to find a place to make your turns. ... You’ve got to hike for your turns, or travel.”
Katy Moeller: 377-6413
