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Southern Idaho

Southern Idaho · Waiting for opening dayNOT YETMost snow so far: Sun Valley, 8" at the Galena Summit station.

Waiting for opening day

4 mountains · most snow first
Sun Valley8" at the Galena Summit station · 5:00 AM
Sun Valley has usually opened with 13–21" hereSun Valley has opened Thanksgiving week in 15 of 17 known winters, whatever the station shows.Usually opens~Nov 26about 23 daysBogus Basin1" at the Bogus Basin station · 5:00 AM
Bogus Basin has usually opened with 15–24" hereUsually opens~Nov 29about 26 daysTamarackNo snow at the Puhi Flat station · 4:00 AM
Tamarack has usually opened with 10–22" hereA rough guide: Tamarack has opened with anywhere from 4" to 35" at the station.Usually opens~Dec 10about 37 daysBrundageNo snow at the Brundage Reservoir station · 6:00 AM
Brundage has usually opened with 21–34" hereUsually opens~Dec 9about 36 days

Dates in ink are announced by the resort. A ~ date is the usual one from twenty winters.

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Updated 7:10 AM.

The Planner · twenty winters

While you wait: the winter ahead

How much new snow a typical week brings at each of the four mountains, in inches at the station (the middle of twenty winters). Blue bars inside are this winter so far.

The share of each week's days with fresh snow at each mountain over twenty winters. Blue bars inside are this winter so far.

The share of each week's days with clear skies (under 30% cloud, 9 AM to 4 PM) over twenty winters. Weeks the lifts rarely run are greyed.

Best weeks in the region

Dec 22–31 · Christmas36% of days fresh Dec 15–2134% of days fresh Jan 8–1433% of days fresh
Plan a trip: pick a week

Twenty winters of federal SNOTEL station readings. A pattern, not a forecast.

Dec 22–31The region's best week for fresh snow

34 daysof fresh snow a season at Brundage, the most

36"Biggest storm in 48 hours: Bogus Basin, Jan 2012

Nov 26First lifts usually turn, at Sun Valley

How the mountains compare

A whole winter at each mountain, over twenty winters. Each dot is one winter's fresh-snow days while the lifts ran; the dark tick is the average.

Brundage

34fresh-snow days a winter

34 fresh-snow days a winter (19 to 45) · 12.4 big days · 1.8 Bluebird · lifts ~Dec 9 to Apr 15

Sun Valley

31fresh-snow days a winter

31 fresh-snow days a winter (20 to 48) · 9.8 big days · 3.6 Bluebird · lifts ~Nov 26 to Apr 18

Bogus Basin

28fresh-snow days a winter

28 fresh-snow days a winter (13 to 53) · 9.2 big days · 3.8 Bluebird · lifts ~Nov 29 to Apr 12

Tamarack

24fresh-snow days a winter

24 fresh-snow days a winter (0 to 39) · 9.8 big days · 1.2 Bluebird · lifts ~Dec 10 to Apr 1

The mountains

Bogus Basin

Details
~Nov 29usually opens
28fresh-snow days a season
Dec 22–31best week
More about Bogus Basin
Opening day
Usually around Nov 29; earliest Nov 19, latest Jan 19
Closing day
Usually around Apr 12
Fresh-snow days
28 a season while the lifts run (best 53 in 2022-23, fewest 13 in 2012-13)
Big days
About 9 a season with 8"+ in 48 hours
Deepest
Usually peaks around 80" at the station in Mar
Biggest storm
36" in 48 hours (Jan 2012)
Right now
1" on the ground at the station · usually bare on Nov 3

Tamarack

Details
~Dec 10usually opens
24fresh-snow days a season
Dec 22–31best week
More about Tamarack
Opening day
Usually around Dec 10; earliest Nov 14, latest Dec 22
Closing day
Usually around Apr 1
Fresh-snow days
24 a season while the lifts run (best 39 in 2016-17, fewest 0 in 2009-10)
Big days
About 10 a season with 8"+ in 48 hours
Deepest
Usually peaks around 72" at the station in Mar
Biggest storm
28" in 48 hours (Nov 2010)
Right now
No snow on the ground at the station · usually bare on Nov 3

Brundage

Details
~Dec 9usually opens
34fresh-snow days a season
Dec 22–31best week
More about Brundage
Opening day
Usually around Dec 9; earliest Nov 22, latest Dec 30
Closing day
Usually around Apr 15
Fresh-snow days
34 a season while the lifts run (best 45 in 2024-25, fewest 19 in 2014-15)
Big days
About 12 a season with 8"+ in 48 hours
Deepest
Usually peaks around 92" at the station in Feb
Biggest storm
25" in 48 hours (Feb 2020)
Right now
No snow on the ground at the station · usually 2" on Nov 3

Sun Valley

Details
~Nov 26usually opens
31fresh-snow days a season
Dec 22–31best week
More about Sun Valley
Opening day
Usually around Nov 26; earliest Nov 22, latest Dec 10
Closing day
Usually around Apr 18
Fresh-snow days
31 a season while the lifts run (best 48 in 2016-17, fewest 20 in 2006-07)
Big days
About 10 a season with 8"+ in 48 hours
Deepest
Usually peaks around 70" at the station in Mar
Biggest storm
23" in 48 hours (Mar 2018)
Right now
8" on the ground at the station · usually 7" on Nov 3
What these numbers mean
  • Fresh-snow day: the station gained about 4" or more in 48 hours (3" when it stayed below freezing, or it caught heavy, cold snow that packed down), the same test Snowcall uses every morning.
  • Some snow: 2" or more in 48 hours, but not enough for a fresh-snow day. One snowfall can mark two days in a row, since each day looks back 48 hours.
  • Snow depth comes from each resort's federal SNOTEL station, not the resort, and isn't the resort's base. New snow settles, so depth gained runs a little under what fell.
  • Opening and closing days are from resort announcements and news, so treat them as approximate. For some winters (mostly before 2016) no date could be found: those use that mountain's 2016-26 average, are marked ~, and never count toward a usual, earliest or latest day.
  • Twenty winters is still a small sample: a pattern, not a forecast. Bluebird days come from a reconstruction of the sky (the ERA5 weather record), counted on lift days.

Snow data: USDA NRCS SNOTEL. Rule v3.3.

Map: contour lines from USGS 3DEP elevation data, every 1,000 ft.

Sky history: contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026. Neither the European Commission nor ECMWF is responsible for any use that may be made of the Copernicus information or data it contains.

What to expect

Once a mountain opens, Snowcall gives it one word every morning, so you know what kind of day it is before you drive up. The one to watch for is Bluebird: fresh snow and a clear sky.

Every mountain is measured the same way, from federal snow stations and the National Weather Service, not resort snow reports.

Until opening day, the weeks above come from twenty winters of those same stations.

See how Snowcall decides →

Snow from USDA NRCS SNOTEL; forecasts from the National Weather Service. Ski area names are trademarks of their respective owners. Snowcall is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by them.