Ski Idaho has added another major perk to its Season Passport program.
Last week, Ski Idaho announced that they have partnered with AirFlare to give families better peace of mind when they’re out on the slopes. This app is a rescue locator that tracks your location, helping groups out in case they get lost.
It’s an extremely impressive deal, as the free fifth-grade program has a value of $2,373.99, and the $30 sixth-grade pass has a value of $1,628.99.
To learn more about the program, the official press release from Ski Idaho is below.
Ski Idaho passport program sports new perk: AirFlare
BOISE, Idaho (Jan. 17, 2024) — The Idaho Peak Season Passport lets5th-graders ski or ride three days for free at each of the 17participating Gem State ski areas and offers 6th-graders two days freeat those mountains for only $29. This winter it also comes with acomplimentary family subscription to AirFlare, the app that turns yoursmartphone into an outdoors rescue locator, offering families an extralayer of safety and peace of mind.
“The family friendly reputation of Idaho ski resorts is welldeserved,” Bogus Basin Mountain Recreation Area General Manager andIdaho Ski Areas Association Board Chair Brad Wilson said. “Ourincredible, uncrowded terrain offers some of the most spectacularskiing and snowboarding on the planet regardless of your age andability, and our Idaho Peak Season Passport makes it a lot easier forfamilies to take advantage of our good wintertime fortune. And SkiIdaho’s new partnership with AirFlare makes it an even better value byhelping your family members stay connected on the mountain and givingPatrol the ability to locate them quickly in emergencies.”
He said the Idaho Peak Season Passport offers families a tremendousvalue. For 5th-graders, the overall value is upwards of $2,373.99counting the complimentary AirFlare subscription and up to $1,628.99for 6th-graders.
AirFlare is currently in use by patrol teams at seven Idaho ski areas,including Bogus Basin Mountain Recreation Area, Brundage MountainResort, Lookout Pass Ski & Recreation Area, Schweitzer, SilverMountain Resort, Soldier Mountain, and Tamarack Resort. However, thelocation-sharing features can be used to check-in with loved ones atany resort — or anywhere with the slightest chance of connectivity.
Last winter AirFlare even helped save the life of an Idaho skier whogot lost in the fog at Soldier Mountain in Southern Idaho and wound upout of bounds. She phoned the resort’s front office to report herselflost and a staff member sent her a text message with a hyperlink tothe AirFlare app, which she was able to download. With the help ofAirFlare, patrollers pinpointed her on the map and broke trail throughat least 2 feet of fresh, wet snow for nearly two hours to get herout.
Visit airflare.com/life-save for more details about the rescue.
“Mishaps can happen to anyone at any time — sometimes it’s weather,lack of preparedness, or just bad luck,” Eliot Gillum, inventor andCEO of AirFlare, said. “But AirFlare is serious protection thateveryone can have on them all the time. Research shows more than 90percent of people bring their phone on outdoor activities.”
Friends and family can also use the app to check in via the sameInternet-based technology as rescuers.
Meanwhile, new AirFlare Family Packs make it easier for heads ofhouseholds or superfans to share the app with loved ones. Now, oneperson can keep friends and family safe with a single purchase orlow-cost yearly subscription like the complimentary one issued withthe Idaho Peak Season Passport from Ski Idaho.
The applications go far beyond ski areas. Gillum said virtually anyonewho adventures in the outdoors can benefit from using AirFlare. Hesaid you can even use it to find your family and friends at themeparks and music festivals. In all those environments, cellular serviceis often less than perfect and AirFlare’s unique technology shines.
Gillum said the core functionality of AirFlare’s smartphone app, whichis designed for strong, spotty, or zero connectivity, makes the phoneinstantly locatable by rescuers via even a fleeting Internetconnection. In addition, the company offers rescuers their proprietarydetector hardware that uses WiFi and Bluetooth to find a phone from upto 1km away.
To order an Idaho Peak Season Passport for your child, complete theonline application at skiidaho.us/passports and pay a $29 processingfee. Ski Idaho will email you a passport you can print out prior tohitting the slopes or pull up on your smartphone when you walk up tothe ticket window. Your child must have a parent or guardian presentto use the passport, and it must be shown at the resort in order toreceive the lift ticket.
Ski Idaho will also email Idaho Peak Season Passport holders withinstructions and a link to redeem their complimentary AirFlare FamilyPack subscription. Those who’ve already signed up for a passport withreceive a similar email soon. The email bears the signatures of thepatrol directors at all seven Idaho ski areas that partner withAirFlare.
The program is open to any child from any state or country — NOT justIdaho kids.
Ski areas participating in the Idaho Peak Season Passport program include:* Bald Mountain Ski Area — skibaldmountain.com* Bogus Basin Mountain Recreation Area — bogusbasin.org* Brundage Mountain Resort — brundage.com* Cottonwood Butte Ski Area — cottonwoodbutte.org* Grand Targhee Resort — grandtarghee.com* Little Ski Hill — payettelakesskiclub.org/little-ski-hill* Lookout Pass Ski & Recreation Area — skilookout.com* Lost Trail Ski Area — losttrail.com* Magic Mountain Ski Resort — magicmountainresort.com* Pebble Creek Ski Area — pebblecreekskiarea.com* Pomerelle Mountain Resort — pomerelle.com* Schweitzer — schweitzer.com* Silver Mountain Resort — silvermt.com* Snowhaven Ski & Tubing Area — grangeville.us/snowhaven-ski-and-tubing-hill* Soldier Mountain — soldiermountain.com* Sun Valley Resort — sunvalley.com* Tamarack Resort — tamarackidaho.com
Although Kelly Canyon Resort near Ririe does not participate in theIdaho Peak Season Passport program, this will be the second season ithosts Kids Ski Free Days on Jan. 27 and Feb. 3. Visitkellycanyonresort.com for more details.
Participating ski hills reserve the right to limit passport use forski racers, on race days, and on any scheduled blackout dates that mayapply. Visit skiidaho.us/passport-blackout for a list of scheduledblackout dates, and check with your ski hill for full details.
WHY 5TH- AND 6TH-GRADERS?
According to Wilson, the Idaho Peak Season Passport targets 5th- and6th-graders because a lot of them don’t know how to ski or snowboardyet. In addition, he said nationwide ski resorts have found that kidsin those grades are at an age where they can learn quickly and enjoythe sports of skiing and snowboarding.
Wilson also said keeping children active in winter can be challenging.Plus, he said 5th- and 6th-graders are at a crucial age in theirdevelopment where they are choosing healthy lifestyle activities —including lifelong sports like skiing and snowboarding — over moresedentary activities.
On top of that, Wilson said a lot of middle schools and high schoolsoffer after-school ski and snowboard programs or have ski andsnowboard teams or clubs, so 5th and 6th grade is a great time toprepare kids for that.
He said it’s also a good time to reengage former skiers andsnowboarders, because their kids are old enough the whole family canenjoy riding together.
ABOUT SKI IDAHO
Founded in 1982, the Idaho Ski Areas Association, a.k.a. Ski Idaho, isa nonprofit association funded in part by the Idaho Travel Council viathe state’s 2 percent lodging tax paid by travelers and collected byhotel, motel, private campground, and vacation rentals owners.Boasting 29,000 feet of vertical spanning more than 21,000 acres,Idaho is home to America’s first destination ski resort, thebirthplace of the chairlift, and often considered the soul of skiing.Its 19 family friendly alpine ski areas offer trails and backcountryfor skiers and snowboarders of all ages and skill levels, breathtakingviews, hundreds of inches of fresh powder, affordable passes, andshort lift lines. Many Ski Idaho destinations open for the summerseason, as well, to provide lift-served mountain biking, scenicchairlift rides, hiking and trail running, disc golf, horsebackriding, and more. Visit skiidaho.us for more details.
Image/Video Credits: Tony Harrison/Ski Idaho, AirFlare