Pebble Creek celebrates 60 continuous years of operation!  The ski area was first opened as Skyline Ski Area on January 20, 1949. Look for celebration festivities this year.

The most exciting new item for this season is a Kassbohrer Pistenbully Model 300 Snow Grommer, with 4.2M Kombi Tracks, 300 Front Mount, 4.4M Switchblade and 4.3M Flex tiller.  True to our budget minded operation, the cat is "new to us."  It is just 3 years old with low miles on a not so steep mountain.  The price was right, with it having be "repoed" from another area.

In the Rental Shop, the snowboard fleet has seen a major upgrade.  This season we'll have over 150 boards including over 100 Rossignal twin tip rental boards with Atomic PIQ rental bindings  with quick adjust features.  New boots are the Atomic PIQ Boa.  The boot size run is geared to Middle School size feet.  This means that our school groups will hit the slopes much quicker, with no tedious lacing and binding adjust time.  Also, we got a great buy on Carrera Helmets that are much easier to size than our previous stock. Where to put all of this new equipment in our out grown space is always a challenge.  Check out our creative use of space!

If you were here last season on the day we were without water because of frozen water pipes, this change is for you!  Last season after a prolonged power outage, frozen water pipes took hours to thaw out.  Now, if the power goes out, pipes to the storage tank will drain.  The same change was also make in our snowmaking system.  All of the water pumps culinary and snowmaking were rebuilt or replaced this summer.  Valves were upgraded and more storage capacity added to the snowmaking system.

Keeping our lift equipment in good shape is always a priority.  First the Skyline was rebuilt and converted to a triple chair, then the Aspen.  This summer the focus turned to the Sunshine Lift.  The motor was pulled out and sent to town for a rebuild and a new communication line is being installed. A bonus of the comm line project is that we will again have hard wiring for race timing.

Snow fences are vital to holding good snow on the Aspen Area.  Buck fences that kept blowing over in big storms have bee replaced with fence posts.  A new snow fence line has been added where the little portable fences used to be. This will make a huge difference in snow retention in the middle of the area.

The two-year project to convert the Aspen lift to a triple chair is finished! the cross arms on The towers were widened,  larger bull wheels installed and  triple chairs added.  A new motor and controller replace the old components and the loading area has been reconfigured.  Having a “soft start” and the new design of the loading area will make for fewer stops and missed chairs. This should help that long weekend lift line. The project was phased to keep us with a responsible budget that cash flows.

The downstairs floor of the Lodge and the stairs were coated with "Durabak". This coating is embedded with ground up recycled rubber tire bits to make for a non-slip surface.

   Another season of some improvements that are obvious, others not so much, and some that will be completed later.
   One of the most noticeable is the re-grading and re-surfacing of the switch-backs on Green Canyon Road. Bannock County Road & Bridge took a lot of the grade out of the corners. They utilized material from our lower parking lots for the project which in turn has given us more parking.
   The Aspen lift is undergoing a major renovation. Eventually (hopefully next summer) this lift will be converted into a triple lift with state of the art operation to better suit the beginner. This year the loading area was redesigned and a new cable was installed. All the major components for the upgrade have been purchased, but unfortunately some of them were delayed in delivery until it was too late to complete the upgrade.
   A new ticket scanning system should be in place by opening day. This will speed up lift lines and help us pinpoint future lift related needs.
   A new, specialized snowmobile and passenger sled will be available to transport the littlest skiers to lesson sites. Several new Jr. trails were developed by the First Timer run especially for the younger enthusiasts.
   Some new box slides are on their way to the terrain parks - and new beginner terrain park features on the Aspen.  

More brush and rocks have been cleared.
Extensive preventative maintenance.
This summer has been one consisting of many behind-the-scenes improvements.  Wiring and underground pipe for snowmaking, electrical switch gear for night lighting, minor lift modifications, etc. While these upgrades will probably not be evident to casual observation, the lack of them would be readily apparent.