February 15, 2022 (BOISE, ID)– Over 1,300 middle and high school students are registered to compete in the Dotty Clark Memorial races at Bogus Basin February 17 and 18th. This marks the 62nd year for the event, a generation-spanning tradition for local Treasure Valley athletes.
Bogus Basin’s School Race Program serves as a long-standing example of the non-profit recreation area’s support of local youth. Students are offered discounted lift tickets, and financial assistance is available for any student who is unable to pay.
“Being non-profit means that all earnings go back into the area to directly benefit the customer. This allows us to prioritize youth outreach initiatives, such as the School Race Program,” said Susan Saad, Director of Community Relations. Few, if any, such programs exist elsewhere in the United States.
To earn a start in the Doty Clark, students were required to participate in at least three Saturday races at Bogus Basin earlier in the season. The races are intentionally fun and friendly, and accommodate competitors of all levels and abilities, from novice to expert. Events include slalom skiing and snowboarding, Nordic skiing, and freestyle skiing and snowboarding.
The program has grown and become more inclusive since the 1960’s. Its success still relies largely on the volunteer efforts of School Race Program advisors, most of whom teach at one of the many participating Treasure Valley middle or high schools. Stopwatches, used until just a few years ago to time students, were recently replaced with a Brower timing system, sophisticated enough for an Olympic event. The upgrade was made possible by a generous donor.
Here is the Dotty Clark Memorial Schedule of Events for both Thursday 2/17 (high school) and Friday 2/18 (middle school).
All alpine races are conducted in Bitterroot Basin, near the Pioneer Lodge:
-9:00AM: Morning Star Express and Bitterroot Chairlifts begin operation
-9:30AM: Nordic Race (Frontier Point Lodge)
-10:30AM: Freestyle Competition
-11:15AM: Slalom Races except Snowboard Expert
-12:15PM: Snowboard Expert Race
-2:30PM: Awards will be hosted on the flats in front of Simplot Lodge
For more information about the School Race Program, John Foley at (208) 870-4488.
About Bogus Basin Bogus Basin Mountain Recreation Area is a 501(C)(3) organization dedicated to engaging the community to provide accessible, affordable, and fun year-round mountain recreation and education. Opened in 1942, Bogus Basin offers 2,600 acres of daytime skiable terrain, and 165 acres for night skiing; eleven lifts and three people-mover carpets; an 800-foot tubing hill. The Nordic Center offers 37 kilometers of groomed trails. Environmental education and community outreach programs serve over 20,000 individuals annually, primarily youth. Summer activities include the Glade Runner, a 4,251 foot mountain coaster, The Mine Shaft Challenge course, mountain biking, events, hiking and chairlift service for hike and bike transport. Bogus Basin is located 16.5 miles north of Boise, Idaho and operates under a special use permit with the Boise National Forest. www.bogusbasin.org
