Ski Idaho-ho-ho stocking stuffer ideas
BOISE, Idaho (KIFI) - Having trouble deciding what to get the skier or snowboarder in your family for Christmas?
Ski Idaho has a couple stocking stuffer suggestions that might suffice: an Idaho Peak Season Passport for any 5th or 6th graders in your family, personalized specialty license plates for those with vehicles and customizable souvenir plates for anyone on your "nice" list.
All three are important revenue sources for the nonprofit, which represents 18 alpine ski areas.
The Idaho Peak Season Passport lets 5th graders ski or board three days for free at ski areas throughout the state and offers 6th graders two days free at each mountain. The program is open to any 5th or 6th grader from any state -- NOT just Idaho kids -- as well as children ages 10-12 from any country.
Complete the application available online at skiidaho.us/passports and pay an $18 processing fee to order a passport for your child. Ski Idaho will email you a passport you can print out prior to hitting the slopes or pull up on your smartphone when you walk up to the ticket window. Children must have a parent or guardian present with them to use the passport, and they must show their passport to receive the lift ticket.
Participating ski areas include:
- Bald Mountain (Pierce, Idaho) -- skibaldmountain.com
- Bogus Basin -- bogusbasin.org
- Brundage -- brundage.com
- Cottonwood Butte -- cottonwoodbutte.org
- Grand Targhee -- grandtarghee.com
- Kelly Canyon -- skikelly.com
- Little Ski Hill -- payettelakesskiclub.org/little-ski-hill
- Lookout Pass -- skilookout.com
- Lost Trail -- losttrail.com
- Magic Mountain -- magicmountainresort.com
- Pebble Creek -- pebblecreekskiarea.com
- Pomerelle -- pomerelle.com
- Schweitzer -- schweitzer.com
- Silver Mountain -- silvermt.com
- Snowhaven -- grangeville.us/snowhaven-ski-and-tubing-hill
- Soldier Mountain -- soldiermountain.com
- Sun Valley -- sunvalley.com
- Tamarack -- tamarackidaho.com
While most Ski Idaho destinations are allowing unrestricted usage of the Idaho Peak Season Passport, a few of the state's busier ski areas are placing restrictions on it so guests can maintain social-distancing expectations amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Some mountains may not allow kids to use the passport on Saturdays, while others may exclude weekends and holidays. Visit skiidaho.us/passport-blackout for a list of scheduled blackout dates and check with your ski hill for full details.
Meanwhile, the Idaho Department of Motor Vehicles offers two different ways for skiers and snowboarders to show their support for their hometown ski hills: personalized specialty license plates for vehicles and customizable souvenir plates.
In addition to personalization and vehicle registration fees, Ski Idaho vehicle license plates have a $35 program fee for the first year with a $25 renewal fee each year thereafter. Ski Idaho souvenir plates -- which are for novelty purposes only and cannot legally be used as license plates on vehicles -- cost $30.
Both types of plates are customizable with a maximum of six characters including spaces, cannot contain punctuation, and must be tasteful in any language.
Visit www.accessidaho.org/itd/driver/plates to order Ski-Idaho-themed personalized vehicle and souvenir plates.
