Tamarack, ID - 3/17/07

[ChrisC]

Tamarack is similar to Deer Valley many years ago. It's definitely a real estate play -- that is full construction with cranes and tents everywhere.
And its strengths are similar: high-speed lifts, no crowds, immaculate grooming, mostly upper intermediate cruising.

What I liked the most is that it is essentially a ridge, so you could traverse to either skiers left or right and ski a 2000-2500 ft run through bowls, trees, etc. The low traffic provided excellent opportunities for corn formation with cold valley temps and eastern exposure.

I skied with some instructors for a run or two. They said Tamarack would be lucky to have 50 people on the mountain on a weekday. A Lonely place. My Saturday could hardly be called busy. I was the only one on the Wildwood lift/sector often.

 

[Tony Crocker]

The NASJA annual meeting in 2010 will be at Tamarack, likely at the same time of year that you were there. I would expect spring conditions with that altitude and exposure, but it sounds like it held up quite well in this March's heat.

NASJA western regional meeting was there this year, but it was the same weekend I was at Chatter Creek.

 

[Patrick]

The NASJA annual meeting in 2010 will be at Tamarack.

Geez, they don't call these meeting at the last moment? :shock:

 

[ChrisC]

The NASJA annual meeting in 2010 will be at Tamarack, likely at the same time of year that you were there. I would expect spring conditions with that altitude and exposure, but it sounds like it held up quite well in this March's heat.

NASJA western regional meeting was there this year, but it was the same weekend I was at Chatter Creek.

I was pretty impressed with the snow coverage - even on the valley floor - for the time of year. It had been almost 80 everyday in Boise for a week and I expected very little. However, I think the valley runs pretty cold. For example, Bogus Basin in Boise had no snow until its base elevation of 6000'. However, there was still a decent 12"+ at the base of Tamarack at 5000'. Also, it took quite a while for the sun to penetrate the cold air layer - 1030am or so - with the upper elevations not softening until 12noon. Then temps rapidly warmed.

The Tamarack-McCall-Brundage area is an attractive destination. McCall is a sizeable, summer-resorty lakeside town. Most locals seemed to ski at Brundage.

Tamarack seemed to represent the classic double-edged sword. Through development and positioning itself as an upscale resort, it is creating jobs, new business ops, bringing new visitors and raising real estate prices (almost 3x since early 2000s). Best for locals who own and creating a greater ownership barrier for those that do not.

 

[ChrisC]

The NASJA annual meeting in 2010 will be at Tamarack.

Geez, they don't call these meeting at the last moment? :shock:

I assume NASJA stands for NASJA (North American Snowsports Journalists Association)
and not NASJA (NORTH AMERICAN SKI JORING ASSOCIATION)

I had never heard of the latter before today.

the sport of equestrian skijoring has become a highly specialized competitive sport, where competitors must navigate a course of jumps, gates and sometime spear rings. Competitive skijoring competitions are currently taking place in over 5 states in the USA, and in several countries worldwide. In some parts of the world, skiers are pulled behind dogs, mules and snowmobiles. Whatever the means, the sport of skijoring is growing rapidly, and is just as much fun for spectators as it is for competitors.