TAMARACK: Idaho’s best kept secret
Ninety miles north of Boise, Idaho there’s a gravel road that leads to the state’s newest secret.
With 2,800 feet of vertical, 300 inches of annual snowfall and five lifts Tamarak Resort fits nicely into the Northwest’s lineup. But two things set this new guy apart – the terrain park and the backcountry access.
The Tamarack Express high-speed quad accesses the mountains massive terrain park located on a run simply known as Showoff. With half a dozen rails within 100 yards of the lift shack and with four house-sized tables starting at 30 feet and progressing up to 45 the entrance to the park is daunting. Half way through the park, which rises 1,700 vertical feet from the base area, lies the first of two features that has this central state location fast becoming the home of Idaho freeriding. A 60-plus kicker followed by an 18-foot Superpipe that measures more than 450-feet in length are enough to raise the hairs on any X-Games athlete.
Brandon Dobbs, who heads up Tamarack’s freeride program, left Heavenly for Tamarack last year because in Idaho there are no lift lines.
“On an average weekend there might be 1,500 people on the mountain,” he says. “The park is like nothing in the area and from top to bottom it’s all new.” For Dobbs, Tamarack’s park offers lines like no other and an atmosphere that’s “night and day compared to places like Tahoe and Colorado.”
In addition to its massive terrain park Tamarack also operates a soft-boundary policy. Which means that all the steeps you see when riding the Summit Express are free for the taking. When conditions are just right patrol doesn’t mind if you drop into the South Bowls via Summer’s Ridge for 30-40 degree turns or head over to the North Bowls to access more than 100 acres of backcountry glades that lead you right back to the mountain’s access road. Overall, Tamarack rocks. It’s got a little bit of everything and a lot of freeride for under $60.
