INKOM — A massive wet system hit Eastern Idaho just in time to start delivering needed snow to the Pebble Creek Ski Area south of Pocatello before its season opener Friday.
Rain from warmer, wet weather turned to heavy snow in the Snake River Plain Friday morning and 9 inches of new snow fell on the base of the ski area before 1:30 p.m. Friday. It added to the 2 inches that fell higher on the Mt. Bonneville on Thursday. Pebble Creek already had 12 inches of snow at the base and 26 inches higher on the mountain.
“We’ve had an absolutely fantastic opening,” said Pebble Creek manager Mary Reichman. “It’s currently snowing really hard.”
Reichman said there were about 400 people using the mountain Friday afternoon even though the beginner Aspen Run was closed because of the rains at lower elevations on Thursday. Reichman said she expects the Aspen area to be open Saturday as temperatures drop below freezing.
The upper mountain has not been groomed, and Reichman said it is best if only those who are expert skiers venture up high on the hill.
“We’re going to start grooming gradually,” Reichman said. “Currently it’s experts only on the top of the hill.”
Those who took the snowy drive up to the Pebble Creek Ski Area on Friday were greeted by a makeover of the interior of the lodge. Pebble Creek was purchased by Shay Butler, also known as the YouTube celebrity Shay Carl, and his wife, Colette Butler, in October. Reichman has been retained as the general manager of the operation.
A major project at the lodge took place immediately with more lighting, flat screen TVs broadcasting ski movies in lodge and covering televised sports in the bar.
“It’s lighter and a little more open,” Reichman said about the new look.
Another addition is live cam broadcasts from the back of the lodge and on the hill. For those who can’t make the trip to Pebble Creek to take advantage of the skiing on a particular day, those same cam broadcasts are available on the Pebble Creek Ski Area website at pebblecreekskiarea.com.
Other improvements are planned for the ski area, but Reichman said they will not take place until the 2017 ski season ends. Right now everyone is concentrating on making the skiing as good as possible at Pebble Creek, according to Reichman.
The ski area plans to be open every day from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. except Christmas Day when it will be closed.
Temperatures are expected to be frigid on Saturday with projected highs in the single digits. Reichman said this will preserve the fresh snow, but skiers should bundle up to protect themselves from the cold.
The ski area on Mt. Bonneville opened back in 1949 and was called Skyline. It became Pebble Creek Ski Area in 1979. According the ski area’s website, the runs on the mountain are 12 percent beginner, 35 percent intermediate, 43 percent advanced and 10 percent expert. Pebble Creek Ski Area is about a 25 minute drive from Pocatello and Chubbuck.
