Lucas Gebhart

Sports Editor

Pebble Creek Ski Area has seen a good amount of snowfall this season, and ISU students are running out of time to experience the fresh powder the mountain has provided this year.

According to owner Mary Reichman, this has been a very consistent season regarding snowfall due to the temperatures being cold enough for the snow to stick around.

Pebble’s last day is scheduled for March 27, but if the consistent snowfall holds up, there may be chairlifts going up into the terrain into early April, which according to Reichman, only happens every third to fourth year.

“Every year is different,” Reichman said, adding that this year is comparable to five years ago when Pebble saw a total of 113 inches of snow throughout the season. “This year is ahead of average.”

Every Friday students can ski for $25 with a school ID and during the latter part of Spring Break, (March 23-25) lift tickets will be $25 for the entire day. Normally, tickets cost $43 for an adult.

Starting March 16 through the end of the season, hours will change to 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. In addition, Reichman is offering a ski free at 3 promotion where students and other community members can get a free ticket to ski the Aspen area for free and Upper Mountain for $10 after 3 p.m.

Pebble may be small but it is close and cheap. Pebble is just a 25-minute drive from campus compared to a two or three hour drive to go to places like Sun Valley or Targhee and won’t have the extra lift line waits. 

“The Aspen Mountain sometimes gets a bit of a lift line on Saturdays,” Reichman said. “It is really rare that you will have to wait more than a few minutes on the upper mountain.”

“We are a very friendly, local resort,” Reichman said. “We have worked very hard to keep that feel for all of our resorts. We have a very happy cliental here.”

Word on the street is, if you can ski Pebble, you can ski anywhere. However, if students are not  experienced skiers, they can still enjoy the Aspen which is a large area that accommodates less experienced skiers and has lower ticket pricing at just $15.

College students are busy people; however, Pebble is close enough that students can ski for half a day and still be home in time to write that mid-term.

“It is close enough where students can come up and clear their head and refocus on their studies,” Reichman said.

On Fridays, half-day and full-day tickets will only cost students $25 with an ISU ID.

Pebble also has a number of events coming up, which include the Telemark Festival.

The classic terrain race will be held March 12 at 1 p.m. and competition will be based on age group. All participants will receive an event T-shirt.    

There is also a Dummy Jump on March 19 that will feature a massive jump where students and other community members are challenged to make a dummy that can be launched off the ramp. The winner will receive $100 but the dummies have to be mounted on a ski or snowboard.

According to Reichman, this is a huge spectator event, so students can come up and ski in the morning, grab a bite to eat and watch the Dummy Jump in the afternoon: the perfect cheap date.

Dummy display is 12 to 2 p.m. and the competition begins shortly after.

“It is incredibly fun,” Reichman said, adding that last year’s winner mounted a tricycle on skis and put a monkey on it that went shooting straight up in the air with the monkey flying out from behind it. “It was an outstanding ride.”

The perfect way to end the day is to take in Pebble’s beautiful views from the deck over a cup of warm hot chocolate while watching the sunset.

“It is a pretty mellow, chill scene,” Reichman said.