GARDEN VALLEY – We continue to hear about snow businesses struggling without the winter precipitation. A Garden Valley tubing hill is operating, but with brown hills nearby, no one seems to know about it.
“This is not your grandma's snow tube hill,” said Blake Oseen. Along with his wife Tammy, they operate Idaho X Sports. They provide a number of winter and summer activities like snowshoeing, snowmobiling and, of course, tubing.
A glance up from Banks-Lowman Road gives you a good grasp of how bare the hillsides are. But if you take a closer look, you can see a pure white field and that is the Idaho X Sports.
“They are having an absolute blast," said Oseen. "I mean, you can hear the screams going on."
That sound of fun is something Idaho X Sports wasn't sure would happen this year.
“We were anticipating a no snow season and that is exactly what we got -- a zero snow season,” said Oseen.
Garden Valley and much of southern Idaho is dry and bare of snow.
“Everything you see behind me is a 100 percent man made,” Oseen said, pointing to the hill. The six lanes are 1,100 feet long with a 200 foot drop. They use three snow machines to make all that snow to cover the tubing hill’s specs.
The Oseens started making snow for the tubing hill in November. Three weeks ago, they opened, but parts of the hill are still limited.
“Unfortunately this year we are, at best, about 20 percent of what we would normally be,” said Tammy Oseen. “It's just a matter of they don't realize that we're open.”
But Idaho X Sports is open. Sunday, the Calderone family ventured out to find out more.
“Oh, we were looking for something fun to do and the kids were craving to play in the snow,” said Lydia Calderone with her daughters Ruby and Vida. That was right before they took off down the hill on their tubes.
The Idaho X Sports hill has about the only snow available in the area. The Oseens said it costs a lot of money to make the snow and it can sometimes be a challenge.
“It requires us to get up at 2 a.m." said Blake Oseen. "You know, when the temperature drops."
“It’s actually pretty bleak this season, as it is with any of the winter sports businesses,” said Tammy Oseen.
Idaho X Sports, like many other snow businesses, is hoping for more of the white stuff. Tammy Oseen said she is staying positive.
“It’s just trying to look at the bright side," she said. "And I am an optimist and it will snow,” she said.
“We all depend on the snow out here in Idaho,” said Calderone just before she took off down the hill with her girls.
Idaho X Sports is open Saturdays and Sundays until 5 p.m. They also hold special Friday night tubing events. You can find out more here.
