Tiny Idaho ski hill comes out on top in online poll
LEWISTON – Bald Mountain, the tiny, volunteer-operated ski hill near Pierce, Idaho, just bested some of the biggest resorts on the planet.
The mountain was pitted against the likes of Vail, Jackson Hole, Whistler Blackcomb and other mammoths of the ski industry in a reader’s choice contest aimed at naming the world’s best snowboarding destination.
Those resorts have single runs that are bigger than Bald Mountain. Their high speed quads and gondolas move more people in a few minutes than Baldy’s rope tow and T-bar lift do in a year.
Chris Allen, president of the Clearwater Ski Club, was certain the people who organized the USA Today online poll had made a mistake. In October, she received an email announcing that Bald Mountain had been selected as one of the 10 best snowboarding destinations and the final ranking would be decided by online voters.
“We are a really great community club ski hill in north Idaho,” she wrote in reply. “It would be awesome if your nomination is really about us. But in good conscience I am thinking you probably want the folks at Baldy in Sun Valley for this.”
She was told it was no accident. Sure, this was David versus multiple Goliaths, but there is a certain charm to the backwoods ski hill that organizers found compelling.
“Bald Mountain Ski Area isn’t about making long runs or tackling challenging terrain,” the organizers wrote in a small description.
“With just a 648-foot vertical drop and 140 acres of boardable terrain, this small Idaho ski area rather shines as a place to perfect your skills, hang with friends, and work on tricks on every inch of trail.”
Allen said the description fits Bald Mountain as well as others in Idaho – Cottonwood Butte near Cottonwood and Snowhaven near Grangeville. All three community hills operate mostly on weekends, depend on volunteers and are family-oriented.
Not content just to be invited to participate in the poll, Allen and other members of the Clearwater Ski Club set out to win. They flooded social media urging people to vote for Bald Mountain. But most of all they relied on proud locals and community boosters. When the voting closed, Bald Mountain sat in the top spot. The final ranking is available at bit.ly/4aarMCe.
“The way we competed I honestly believe is with our community and the love our tiny community has,” Allen said. “They voted every day.”
Allen and snow lovers throughout the region are staring down another formidable foe but there is not a lot they can do to influence the outcome.
According to the National Weather Service, this winter will be dominated by an El Nino weather pattern. That often means above-average temperatures and lagging snowfall.
As ever, Allen and the folks at Bald Mountain are optimistic and snow is in the forecast.
“Last night we got 3 inches. We are way behind,” Allen said. “We will see if it comes. It is supposed to come tomorrow night.”