Would a gondola solve Bogus Basin’s traffic issue? Not a chance, officials say
In 1993, officials at Bogus Basin were dreaming up a new master development plan. They told the Statesman that they were “virtually starting fresh,” with hopes for modern equipment, year-round recreational opportunities and even a gondola to ferry Boiseans to the top of Shafer Butte.
Nearly 30 years later, that plan has nearly become a reality thanks to summer mountain biking trails, a mountain coaster and a brand-new high-speed chair lift.
But don’t hold your breath for that gondola.
“It’s obviously not feasible ... but it’s also obvious that the public doesn’t understand it’s not feasible,” said Austin Smith, Bogus Basin’s marketing manager, in a phone interview on Wednesday.
After several feet of snow fell at the Boise-area mountain last weekend, Smith spent part of the day on Sunday updating social media after Bogus Basin’s parking lots hit capacity. He also replied to dozens of comments, including some from folks who thought they had the solution to overcrowding: a gondola from Downtown Boise to the mountain.
Why a Bogus Basin gondola wouldn’t work
Smith, who has been at Bogus for three years, said the first time he heard a gondola proposed, it was a joke. On April 1, 2019, the ski area shared a photo of a gondola emblazoned with “True Bogus” on its Instagram.
“THIS JUST IN,” the caption read. “It’s approved! The gondola from Boise to Bogus Basin will be in for the 2019/20 season! Huge thanks to a private donor. More details to come.”
The April Fool’s Day prank was a hit.
“There were so many people that thought it was real,” Smith said. “It’s a very buyable idea.”
The next day, Bogus Basin had to share a post clarifying the joke. In the caption, officials pointed out several reasons why the project wouldn’t work, including exorbitant costs. Still, the idea comes up time and again, Smith said.
“With parking (full) last weekend, it was, ‘Oh, you guys need a gondola,’ or, ‘you guys need a tram,’” Smith said.
Gondolas operate similarly to ski lifts, with cars moving through the air on a cable system suspended by multiple towers. Unlike a ski lift, gondola cabins are closed and can hold as many as 15 or 20 people at once.
But building one from Boise to Bogus Basin would be an unprecedented undertaking.
“The shortest distance you could make it would be from Simplot Hill, and that would be 9.27 miles,” Smith said.
That would make the lift nearly three times as long as the current longest gondola in North America, which stretches 3.1 miles at Silver Mountain Resort in Kellogg.
“That gives some perspective on the massiveness of this (idea),” Smith said.
A gondola ride at Silver Mountain lasts about 19 minutes, meaning one at Bogus would take about an hour to reach even the base of the ski area. To Smith, it just doesn’t make sense.
“That’s longer than the time it takes to drive here on most of our operating days,” he said.
And forget sitting in a window-lined gondola cabin for an hour. On cold days, it would be frigid, Smith said, and on sunny days it would become a sweltering greenhouse.
Gondola cost could add up
The initial cost for a gondola with just two stations could be as much as $18 million, according to Smith’s estimate. And that’s before taking into account the cost to hire a helicopter to install towers, the price of each gondola cabin and any payments to landowners whose properties the lift might cross.
Bogus also would need enough space to create parking for gondola riders.
“There’s no way to even fathom how much it would cost,” Smith said, pointing out that a multistation commuter gondola in Brazil fetched a price of $234 million.
Maintenance would be costly and could take weeks.
“When you do maintenance, you have to take all the cabins off the gondola,” Smith said. “Where do you store all those? How do you even do maintenance?”
Plus, anyone who has spent time at a resort with a gondola — Tahoe, Vail, Aspen or even Sun Valley — can tell you they’re not without their own wait time.
“I can’t personally see a logical argument for a gondola,” Smith said. “People would probably still drive, and so you’d spend all this money for nothing. There are so many other things you could do with that money to address the problem.”
Bogus braces for traffic, busy parking lots
With a three-day weekend ahead and the promise of fresh snow in the forecast, Bogus is likely to be bustling again. Smith said the ski area is working on solutions to cut down on the traffic issues.
The mountain’s general manager, Brad Wilson, told the Statesman that Bogus has hired the same company that directs traffic at Boise State football games to help usher drivers to open spots. This weekend, it will have additional attendants.
It’s also stationing flaggers at the stop sign at Bogus Basin Road and Curling Drive to try to improve traffic flow.
Smith said visitors can significantly cut traffic by ensuring their vehicles can handle mountain conditions and, most importantly, by carpooling. This season, Bogus is giving carpoolers (those with three or more people in their vehicle) priority parking in its main lot.
“Be a part of the solution,” Smith said. “That to us looks like taking a car off the road.”
Bogus also encourages visitors to use the bus from its Park and Ride lot at Fort Boise, 750 Mountain Cove Road. The bus, which runs on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, costs $10 (cash only) for both one-way and round-trip rides. It departs for the mountain at 8:30 and 11 a.m. and returns to Boise at 3, 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. Find more details at bogusbasin.org.
This story was originally published January 16, 2020 at 10:47 AM.
