Ski America's Newest Resort: Idaho's 700-Acre Tamarack Opens for Business

By Elizabeth Zektick

Tamarack Resort, Idaho (Image: Courtesy, Tamarack Resort)

It's not every day that a full-on destination resort comes to town; think of it as more of a generational phenom. Way back in the early '80s, when leg warmers were still slopeside chic, was the last time any major resorts bolstered the U.S. ski scene—namely, Colorado's Beaver Creek and Utah's Deer Valley. Since then, the focus has been on boutique hills catering to a niche—like expert-only Silverton in Colorado—or small, local resorts like Montana's Blacktail Mountain, opened in 1998, which partnered with the Forest Service to build accessible yet restricted terrain on federally owned land.

No more. Enter Tamarack Resort (www.tamarackidaho.com), located 90 miles north of Boise, Idaho, on the northwest shores of Lake Cascade and the first major destination ski area to open in North America in over 20 years. And it's starting with a bang: they're touting a 2,800-foot vertical rise and the promise of 300 talcum-dry inches annually—that's almost 100 inches more than Sun Valley. Add to that a 500-foot super pipe and ten-acre terrain park for snowboarders and freeriders, and you begin to see that Tamarack's dreaming of big things.

Slated to open December 15, 2004, the $1.5-billion resort is already well known for its summer lakeside and golf activities. Tamarack's winter incarnation isn't technically a new development, either—the resort operated unsuccessfully under various guises over the past 20 years in an effort to build on Forest Service land; a shift in strategy moved the hill onto adjacent state land, which gained approval from Idaho lawmakers and gave life to the Tamarack all-season development.

The 2004-05 ski season will be Tamarack's first public winter offering, with the unveiling of 700 skiable acres and 25 runs accessible via five lifts, including two high-speed detachable quads. When all's said and done, the resort promises 11 lifts and 1,100 acres of skiable terrain. The terrain is pretty evenly distributed (18 percent beginner; 55 percent intermediate; 27 percent expert), and there's a wide range of extra activities on tap beyond the piste: deluxe snow-cat skiing trips complete with lunch and an avalanche orientation, a full-service Nordic ski park with 18 miles of cross-country trails (seven of those dog-friendly) through the surrounding forestland, six miles of groomed snowshoe trails, and hundreds of acres of backcountry skiing. Discovery Square, a temporary seven-structure base village, will tie it all together with the usual trimmings (rentals, cafeteria, bar) until the permanent buildings become available.

It's worth noting that Tamarack's major MO is to woo the Haves: the resort is now in its third round of real-estate releases, offering up to 85 exclusive ski-in/ski-out abodes for those willing to shell out a few extra bucks for their Potato State pied-à-terre—oh, say about $500,000. Homeowners will not only be treated like royalty and have access to members-only portions of lodges, but they'll be first in line for the daily 3,500 skier cap, get dibs on outfitter excursions, enjoy concierge services, and have access to summer activities like boat rentals and tee times. But the Have Nots need not despair: adult lift tickets are still an acceptable $55 per day, and the mountain's 3,500 skier limit will still bestow uncluttered and untrammeled powder days regardless of the color of your credit card.