Want to ski this year, Boise? ‘Don’t be the reason we lose the season’ at Bogus Basin

All hail the Bogus Basin hosts and chairlift operators.

They are the heroes who will keep us having a safe ski season this year during the coronavirus pandemic.

Bogus Basin held a season-opening event for season pass holders this weekend and rolled out new safety protocols to protect against the spread of COVID-19.

“We opened for season pass holders really for two reasons,” Bogus Basin general manager Brad Wilson told me by phone Monday. “One, to thank season pass holders for their ongoing support through this challenging year. And the second part of the reason was to really see how our COVID protocols were going to be working in real time. And I think we accomplished both of those over the weekend and learned a lot.”

Among those protocols was a requirement to wear a face mask, including in ticket lines, in lift lines, getting on the lift, while riding on the lift, getting off the lift, at the base, in the lodge. Basically, everywhere except when you’re skiing.

“Very few people pushed back, and those that did quickly realized that there is no option,” Wilson said. “The option is you either wear a face covering or you leave the premises, and we only had a few of those that we escorted out, but we’re serious about it.”

Major kudos to Bogus Basin for running a tight ship in difficult times.

When my wife and I went to Bogus on Friday morning, we witnessed two interactions between Bogus staff members and guests who were not wearing masks.

In both instances, staff members just flat-out said, “You can’t get on the lift.” One lift operator, a young woman, placed herself directly in the path of a particularly obstinate older man and repeatedly told him politely but firmly, “I can’t let you on the lift without a mask.”

Everyone else in line, waiting to get on the lift, was wearing a mask. Several voiced their support for the lift operator and admonished the reluctant guest.

In both cases we saw, the guests tried to pull their coats up over their faces as a replacement for a mask. No dice. Gotta wear a mask. Those are the rules.

And no excuses. Hosts were even handing out free masks to anyone who didn’t have one.

Wilson said one group of three younger males had to be escorted from the property for refusing to wear a mask, and their season pass was turned off for the day. Wilson said they don’t want to take away a customer’s season pass, but they will if there is no other recourse.

“We don’t take it lightly, and we sure don’t want people to feel threatened up here, but we do want them to know that there’s teeth in this and that we will if need be pull back passes, but I do think it will be few and far between,” Wilson said.

Bogus is also implementing several other measures, such as putting space between lift lines and requiring that only people who come to Bogus together ride on the lift together. Singles go on the lift with only one other single, spaced out on opposite sides of the chair.

From what we saw, lines were definitely longer and slower-moving, as was expected, but I think all of us were just happy to be on the mountain again.

“I think that’s the general consensus that I hear,” Wilson said. “People are happy to be on the mountain.”

If you think about it, skiing is ideal for wearing a mask and social distancing. I don’t like wearing a mask, myself, but wearing a mask just meant that my nose stayed warm. And when you’re standing in line, you’ve 3 three feet of skis in front of you and 3 feet of skis behind you, as do the people in line in front and behind you, so maintaining social distance is almost automatic.

Will all of these measures end up working? I sure hope so.

I’m certain I’m not alone in how much I’ve been looking forward to ski season this year. The thought of being on the slopes, out in nature, among the trees and — I have to admit — among other people was tantalizing. I’m still nervous about it, though, to tell the truth.

Ski resorts are considered to have been a source of COVID-19 spread during the waning days of the last ski season, before COVID-19 became a pandemic in the United States, when few or no precautions were being taken. Strangers sat shoulder to shoulder on the lifts, groups packed tightly into the lodges, and of course, no one was wearing a mask. A recipe for disaster.

Now, we know better.

I’m glad to see Bogus Basin taking the rules so seriously and sending a clear message to those guests who always seem to think the rules don’t apply to them (they’re also probably the ones who park where they’re not supposed to).

Because all it would take to ruin it for everyone is just a few people who think the rules don’t apply to them.

Many of the ski resorts across the country are adopting a new slogan: “Don’t be the reason we lose the season.”

Let that be our motto here in Boise. Follow the rules. Show up wearing a mask and practice physical distancing and don’t come to Bogus if you have symptoms.

“This is kind of a shared responsibility this year,” Wilson said. “We can’t do everything. We have to have our guests comply and understand that this is not going to be a typical season. And we’re really asking for their help. It’s going to be a partnership between the mountain operation and our guests to make sure this works. We’re going to do everything in our power to make it work, but it will come down to how well the guests comply.”

This story was originally published December 1, 2020 at 4:00 AM.

Scott McIntosh

Opinion Contributor,

Idaho Statesman

208-377-6202

Scott McIntosh is the Idaho Statesman opinion editor. A graduate of Syracuse University, he joined the Statesman in August 2019. He previously was editor of the Idaho Press and the Argus Observer and was the owner and editor of the Kuna Melba News. He has been honored for his editorials and columns as well as his education, business and local government watchdog reporting by the Idaho Press Club and the National Newspaper Association. Sign up for his weekly newsletter, The Idaho Way. Support my work with a digital subscription