Here's a final last-minute gift for Boise skiers: Bogus Basin has opened its Superior Chair No. 3, bringing the mountain to full operation. So far, Chair 3 is open for day skiing only, but there's night skiing on the front side of the mountain (except on Christmas Eve, when the mountain will close at 4:30). Earlier, I wrote that this year's just-in-time for the holidays opening at Bogus was "extraordinarily late," but after a reader objected that they opened three days later last year, I changed that to "rather late." Yes, I was being impatient, but the opening this year was the third-latest in a decade. Just for the record, here's a history of Bogus opening dates, courtesy of the December issue of the Mogul, the Bogus Basin Ski Club newsletter (click below):
 

Bogus opening dates:
2008: 12/17
2007: 12/20
2006: 11/29
2005: 12/2**
2004: 12/9
2003:11/28*
2002: 12/19
2001: 11/28
2000: 12/2
1999: 12/11
1998: 12/5
1997: 12/11
1996: 12/4
1995: 12/17
1994: 11/19
1993: 12/4
1992: 11/26
1991: 11/30
1990: 12/6
1989: 1/6
1988: 11/19
1987: 12/19
1986: 1/1
1985: 11/23
1984: 11/17
1983: 11/24
1982: 11/20
1981: 11/26
1980: 12/5
* closed 11/30, reopened 12/14
** closed 12/22, reopened 12/27