At Seasons close Pebble Creek celebrates a successful ski season

INKOM, Idaho (KIFI)- After lots of snow this winter, the ski season at Pebble Creek Ski Resort ended Sunday, April 2nd, 2023. This year was record-breaking for the resort regarding snowfall and lift visitors.

"We broke our record from five years ago. That was 374 inches for the season. We're at 400 inches now for the season, so we're really excited. Records were meant to be broken," said Stefan Burkel the ski Patrol director. He added, "we broke that record as well for skier visits, and I believe we're over 70,000 skier visits now for the season, which is huge for us."

Many of the visitors to the resort came with their families. "Pebble Creek has a lot of multi-generational families. We have several on our ski patrol where we have a grandfather or a parent and now a younger person, you know, three generations of people. And it's that way whether you're on ski patrol or just ski and ski in the mountain up here, it's a real family area," Burkel said.

One of those visitors to the resort Sunday has been visiting the slopes at Pebble for over 50 years. "I've been skiing here since early in the seventies, and this is the greatest little ski hill in the west. It's one of the last of the remaining small areas where it's cheap to ski and the people are friendly. We love to have people from outside get some diversity here. We love snowboarders, we love skiers, and we like powder," said Chris Burnes.

He added, that seeing younger skiers and snowboarders on the slopes is encouraging. "The kids here, they got they've got the attitude. They're nice. They're fun to talk to their social and they can ski like crazy.

One of those younger skiers on the slopes Knox Hale says spending time with his family is what makes the slopes worth it. "When I get to ski hard runs in the good snow and rain with my family on the easy runs sometimes."

Hale says he even had a chance to ski a black diamond run earlier in the season. "I mean, it was scary. It was just it was kind of icy and it was really rocky. And if you fell, you died."

Others on the hill Sunday also spent it with family passing on the passion of the slopes to the next generation. "This is Piper's first year skiing. She's seven years old and she's doing amazing...This is the 50th year I've skied at Pebble Creek Ski area. So we are getting her started and starting the next generation," Dan said.

Dan adds, that it was a great year to learn how to ski. "It's a record-breaking snow year at Pebble. And this is the perfect year to learn to ski."

Others squeezed in every last minute of skiing they could before the year's end. "I was here yesterday, so. And been here many days this season. But the snow's really soft. Surprise. Are more people out here Actually, on the last day, given how good the snow is," said Erika Fulton.

Fulton said she was happy to stay local instead of heading out to other resorts like in years past.

Her friend Trina Running added, "We've had some of our best big snow powder runs this year."

Many of the skiers we spoke with say they wish the skiing could continue but knew it had to end eventually.