LEFT TO RIGHT Hiro Sun, frontside 360 through the hoop on hole nine of Snowboy Productions’ SKOLF Finals at Bogus Basin on April 1, 2021. Photo: Luke Tokunaga Cash Rowley, a six-year-old snowboarder and social media sensation who began riding Bogus around the age of one. She now travels the world with her family snowboarding, skateboarding, and surfing, but she still calls Bogus home. Photo: Luke Tokunaga Words Luke Tokunaga I t’s nearly 10 o’clock on a Wednesday morning at Bogus Basin Recreation Area, but only two dozen people are wait-ing in line at the top of the Pioneer Lodge and the bottom of the Deer Point Express lift. Last night the ski area received four inches of fresh snow, and around here, we call that a powder day. Still, this light traffic is typical for midweek. A lot of the folks in line are locals ranging from their late 20s to early 40s. Most of them know each other, and most of them have a gist of which little zone each respective crew is headed to when it’s go-time. It’s easy to recognize the regulars; they seem to be here every single time it snows. Situated roughly 15 miles north of Idaho’s capital city, Boise, Bogus Basin is the cherished gem of the Treasure Valley. A ski area void of suit-and-tie shareholders and cluttered commercial condos mucking up the base of the mountain, this non-profit, community funded organization serves a city of nearly 250,000 souls with a small-town atmosphere. Therein lies its charm. But it’s the legendary locals and their widespread impact that really give Bogus Basin its draw. Corey McDonald began riding at Bogus Basin in the early 1990s, just as snowboarding’s popularity boomed around Boise. Known for his recent work leading the diggers at High Cascade Snowboard Camp at Mt. Hood, OR, Corey brings top-tier ter-rain park knowledge to Bogus Basin. For the past several seasons he’s headed the charge in consistently creating some of the best freestyle setups a snowboarder could hope to find in the Spud State. Fortunately for the scene he’s happy to call Bogus home, but he also admits it took time for him to love it. Bogus was espe-cially difficult for Corey to enjoy back before it became one of the more affordable ski areas around. BOGUS BASIN 051
The Snowboarder's Journal The Snowboarder's Journal 21.2: Page 51
