Kelly Canyon is one of the many Idaho ski resorts implementing updates and changes for the new season. 

The resort brought in a park builder to design and add jumps, rails and ramps to the terrain park. 

The resort has also worked on clearing out the underbrush for tree skiing and improving its lifts. 

One new lift expected to be popular is the rope pull lift for the terrain park. Skiers and snowboarders go right up to the lift and grab the rope.  

“You stay on your board or skis, and it just pulls you all the way to the top, and then you just pop off and go down again,” said Sam Whitlock, Kelly Canyon’s revenue director. 

The resort used to have rope pulls on the bunny hills, Whitlock said, but they were replaced with the magic carpet lift. The rope pull lift is a good choice for skiers and snowboarders who are more advanced, like those on the terrain park. 

Another lift improvement at Kelly Canyon involves the infamous Lift 4, known for frequently not working. It was previously the only way to access the far east side of the mountain. 

The resort added a cat track lift that takes skiers between lift 2 and lift 4 once they are on the top of the mountain.  

“The cat track cuts over to Flojo and opens up a ton of new terrain without needing to get on lift four, which is a super huge improvement,” Whitlock said. 

As far as problems goes, the ramp at the end of Moose Run caused a lot of those for many skiers.  

Anyone who did not finish the run at a high enough speed got stuck on the ramp. They would have to remove their gear and walk off. The resort made changes to this and does not believe it will be a problem any longer. 

Among other changes, in an effort to streamline things, the resort has extended the upper parking lot, added new snow guns and moved the ski school to the ticket office by the rental area.

Whitlock hopes these changes will make the park a better place for everyone who wants to come.  

“We want it to be a mountain where everyone is welcome,” Whitlock said. 

The BYU-Idaho Outdoor Resource Center (ORC) makes visiting Kelly Canyon even easier. Their deals on gear rentals are cheaper than anything students could get at Kelly Canyon or Targhee Ski Resort.

"College kids who don't have a ton of money to spend can still enjoy the outdoors during the winter and not feel like they're missing out on anything," said Paige Tait, an employee at the ORC.

"I took my girlfriend, and we had so much fun," said Lorenzo Ricci, a student at BYU-Idaho. "She didn't have any gear, and she rented some for pretty cheap from the ORC. It was probably the best date we had gone on all year."

Between homework and the cold weather, winter in Rexburg can be rough. Tait encourages students to go skiing.

"It helps people get outside and stay active, even when it's cold," Tait said.

With all these changes, Whitlock hopes Kelly Canyon Resort will see its best ski season ever. And with the discounted day passes that students and faculty can get at the ORC, that can at the very least be true for those who go.

The resort plans to open its season on Thanksgiving Day.  You can purchase day passes and season passes from the ORC here.