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South Bay Accent - Oct/Nov 2014

Bardenay Restaurant and Distillery lometers of trails set aside for just them. The ski school has lessons for children 3 and up. Or, take advantage of being close to Idaho’s largest city and check out the sights: historic Pioneer Village; Julia Davis Park, with its museums, zoo and rose garden; the World Center for Birds of Prey; the Basque block in downtown Boise; and the 8th Street Marketplace. Music, comedy, theater and nightlife options abound. FIND THE WAY Alaska Airlines offers daily nonstop flights from SJC to Boise Airport (BOI). Perfect! October/November 2014 77 OPPOSITE PAGE: YOVAN MICHEL. THIS PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT: COURTESY OF BARDENAY RESTAURANT AND DISTILLERY (2); CHAD CASE (2) COOL DIGS A ski trip to Bogus Basin means you can go from one end of the lodging spectrum to the other. From December through April, visitors can rough it by renting one of the resort’s yurts—a tent-like camping structure that sleeps up to 12 people and sits on a 30-foot deck. Or, they can snuggle up in one of Boise’s finer hotels. Many of these hotels participate in stay-and-play ski packages for Bogus Basin, allowing guests to buy one lift ticket or Nordic trail pass and get a second one free. For a happy medium, consider a condo at the resort. Once the day skiers go home, Bogus Basin becomes a peaceful haven for overnight guests staying at the Pioneer Inn Condominiums, located two miles above the recreation entrance. Guests can ski in and ski out of theirs condos onto numerous runs. The condos have fireplaces with wood stocked in every building and balconies overlooking Idaho’s magnificent mountains and valley. Cable television and Wi-Fi service are supplied. Two large outdoor hot tubs overlooking Horseshoe Bend Valley entice guests to soak their aching muscles. EXTREME EATS The ski area has J. R. Simplot Lodge and the Pioneer Lodge that will keep you nicely fed during the day. However, for a real treat, go to downtown Boise and dine at Bardenay Restaurant and Distillery. This is one of the most popular restaurants in the city, known for its hand-crafted cocktails and specialty entrees. Nearby, another noteworthy Boise restaurant, Chandlers Steakhouse, received its 15th Best of Excellence Award from Wine Spectator for outstanding restaurant wine program. It’s the only restaurant in Idaho to win that designation. Besides a menu of prime steaks and fine seafood, Chandlers serves up live music seven nights a week. OFF THE SLOPES For family fun, the Gold Rush Tubing Hill, served with a lift, is a great place to be. Nordic skiers enjoy 35 kilometers of groomed day trails as well as 7 kilometers of solar-lit night trails. And snowshoers head for the 5 ki- For still another type of winter vacation, a trip to Bogus Basin combines excellent skiing with the fun and excitement of being close to a capital city. Located just outside of Boise, this ski area was named after two prospectors who in the 1880s shot a few dollars worth of gold dust into a worthless cave in order to sell shares in the “mine” to gullible investors. Today, the resort is a treasure for skiers and snowboarders who like the convenience of driving from the Boise metropolitan center to snowy Shafer Butte, just 16 miles away. (From the airport, it’s 20 miles.) Be aware, however, that the two-lane road to the mountain twists 172 times and gains 3,400 feet in elevation. Once there, you’ll find the ski area that first opened in 1942 with a 500-foot rope tow now has seven chairlifts with three being high-speed quads, plus two Magic Carpets and three terrain parks. Of its 53 runs, 22 percent are categorized easiest, 45 percent are more difficult and 33 percent are most difficult. Expert skiers are not as challenged here as they are at Schweitzer, but thousands come every week to enjoy the experience of careening down 2,600 acres of snow. Many stay until dark, since the resort has night skiing until 10 p.m. on 165 of its acres. Bogus Basin is operated by a nonprofit organization and sits in the midst of the Boise National Forest. It opens for winter activities in mid-November and closes in mid-April. The resort is reported to be the first in Idaho to offer a terrain park safety program, geared to its Mtn. Dew Terrain Park for freestyle skiers and snowboarders. IDAHO CLICKS For more information on featured resorts, visit these websites. Sun Valley www.sunvalley.com www.visitsunvalley.com www.nordictownusa.com/ www.sunvalleyfilmfestival.org Schweitzer Resort www.schweitzer.com www.visitsandpoint.com Bogus Basin www.bogusbasin.org www.boise.org n Sunset over Treasure Valley Views of city, forest at Bogus Basin


South Bay Accent - Oct/Nov 2014
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