After what should have been a roaring start to ski season, Idaho’s mountains are instead echoing with an eerie quiet. The state’s iconic winter playgrounds such as Bogus Basin, Tamarack, Brundage, and Sun Valley are facing one of the strangest seasons in recent memory. With temperatures stuck above freezing and storms fizzling before they reach the peaks, the slopes are still waiting for snow to arrive.

The result is a landscape that feels upside down. January usually brings packed parking lots, early morning lift lines, and the familiar hum of chairlifts spinning nonstop. This year, many lifts have not opened at all. Resorts are scrambling to make snow whenever temperatures dip low enough, but the windows are short and the coverage is thin. Trails that should be buzzing with skiers are taped off, marked “Closed,” or covered in a patchwork of dirt and ice. For many Idahoans, it feels like winter simply forgot to show up.

Longtime skiers, who have never missed an opening day, are left wondering if this is a fluke or a preview of winters to come. Even the most optimistic admit that this year feels different, heavier, and more uncertain. Idaho’s snowpack is far below average, and long-range forecasts offer little relief. Resorts are trying to stay hopeful, but the reality is hard to ignore. The season is slipping away, and every warm day makes the situation feel more fragile.

Even those closest to the sport are feeling the uncertainty. Daniel Drlik, RMHS’s head ski coach, says the worry is simple: snow. “Worried wise, it’s if we get any snow, and the long-range forecast isn’t looking too good,” Drlik says. Still, he finds hope in even the smallest shift in the forecast. “Any chance of snow keeps me hopeful.”

Drlik does not believe the sport itself is in danger. “It won’t have a dramatic effect. Diehard skiers are going to stick with it, and people who don’t ski often might drift away.” For him, skiing is a way to enjoy nature, sunshine, and a few good turns. That sense of escape is exactly what feels missing this year.

Athletes are feeling the impact as well. RMHS skier Peyton Overall says the lack of snow has completely changed how the team prepares. “We usually get up there a few weeks early to get runs in and work on tricks, but this year we just can’t. There’s nothing to practice on. Everyone is hoping for snow so we can actually have a season,” he said.

For Overall, skiing is a reset. “It helps me clear my head. When I’m on the mountain, I leave my worries at the bottom and just ski.” His favorite memory is from freshman year when he won Dotty Clark right after breaking his skis.

For now, all anyone can do is wait, and hope. Because in Idaho, winter isn’t just a season. It’s an identity. A tradition, a heartbeat, and right now, that heartbeat is faint.