INKOM — It might be a good idea to knock out that holiday shopping before this weekend hits because those at Pebble Creek Ski Area near Inkom have a present for you.

After gracing Southeast Idaho residents with a chance to ski the Aspen side of the mountain this past weekend, Pebble Creek is excited to announce that the entire mountain — including both the Skyline and Sunshine lifts — will officially open for the 2023-24 season on Friday.

“Our opening weekend for the Aspen lift was great,” said Pebble Creek Ski Area assistant general manager Dana Kmetz. “Saturday was really busy, the sun was out and there was a lot of fresh snow for people to enjoy. We’re excited to announce the entire mountain will open Friday.”

Pebble’s opening for the season is a gift to all local skiers and riders but the news is extra special for one local resident who was lucky enough to not only correctly guess The Rock’s first day but also have their name drawn in a raffle that included an estimated roughly in various prizes from about 15 Gate City area businesses.

JD Hansen, who owns the North Main Street medical spa and full-service salon, J & Co. and his brother Matthew Hansen of Keller Williams Realty East Idaho earlier this month launched a social media challenge that asked participants to comment on different Facebook posts with a guess as to when they thought Pebble Creek would open. All of those who guessed the correct date were then entered into a raffle with the winter taking home all of the various donations that local businesses put up to help celebrate Pebble’s 75th year.

Following a drawing held at Pebble Creek on Tuesday afternoon, Pocatello resident Ame Murphy was the lucky recipient. In winning, Murphy took home two season tickets for the Idaho State University 2024 football season, two unlimited 30-day passes to Breathe Yoga Community and a carbon dioxide laser facial from Integrative Wellness & Aesthetics that’s valued at around $650.

Other businesses to participate in the giveaway included Bru House Galilei, the Sand Trap, Sandbaggers, Cole Chevrolet, Rockwood Stone Wealth Management, Pinehurst Floral & Greenhouse, J & Co., The Yellowstone, 313 Whiskey Bar, The Union Taproom, The Human Bean, Lookout Credit Union, Wanderlust Craft Beer Taproom & Wine Bar and REstylez Thrift Boutique.

“I’m blown away by how much the community has rallied behind this because it’s just so much fun,” Kmetz said. “It’s just fun to see everybody guess the day and see all of these businesses that wanted to be a part of it. It’s cool to see the community come together like that.”

Hansen added, “This started out with me having this idea to help get the word out about Pebble celebrating its 75th year. I reached out to a few local businesses and we made some posts on social media and from there other businesses reached out to me to join in on the fun. We get asked to donate to causes all the time without any recognition so I figured this would be a good way to give people a pat on the back.”

In addition to some freshly designed swag that celebrates Pebble’s 75th year, The Rock is also thrilled to add a brand new 2023 Prinoth snowcat to its mountain grooming arsenal, which brings the total number of snowcats to five. While many skiers and boarders show up to the mountain early enough to try and catch the first chair of the day, those who are tasked with making sure each run is groomed and ready for action are oftentimes working throughout the night and the brand new snowcat will make that work even easier.

“We have groomers and snowmakers here all night,” said Chris King, Pebble’s mountain manager. “We have about 2,200 vertical feet of snow to prepare, which takes about six hours to groom the upper mountain and about four hours to do the Aspen, but that really just depends on whether we have a bunch of new snow or not.”

And for the first time in Pebble Creek’s history, the ski resort will offer an ADA-accessible restroom, which will be located in the newly remodeled Ski Patrol and first aid building near the Skyline lift and accessible from the upper parking lot, says retired Pebble Creek Ski Patrol member Roy Miller.

The facelift of the ski patrol building includes space for two additional patient beds and an enhanced meeting area for ski patrol members, Miller said. Since the Pebble Creek Ski Patrol building was first constructed in1990, the roster has grown from about 35 volunteers to more than 80, he said.

The Pebble Creek Ski Patrol is hosting an open house and grand reopening of the new first aid station from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday. 

While this weekend marks the first opportunity to get some turns in on upper mountain runs like Max Out, The Ridge and Stacy’s, this season will be chock full of special events, including live music at the Rock Bottom saloon every Sunday from Jan. 7 through the end of the season, the Toyota Free Ski Day on Jan. 19 and a torchlight celebration and night skiing event on Feb. 17.

Day tickets and season passes will be available for purchase at the ticket booth beginning at 8:30 a.m. Friday.

It’s once again time to enjoy a huge stack of Pebble’s famous french fries and an ice cold brew for less than $10.