All good things must come to an end.
In the case of Bogus Basin, Idaho, it’s the Pine Creek Bra Tree, which they said held it down for more than two decades between 1999 and 2026.
The resort, in a silly video, asked Bogus disciples to pour one out for the tree. It’d been “sacrificed” to make room for the Lucky Friday trail as the ski area undergoes offseason improvements.
Condolences flooded in, perhaps summed up best by one social media comment that read, “Is nothing sacred anymore?”
It may not take too long for a different tree to take its place, with one mourner writing that “Another shall rise from its ashes… the gods command it.”
The origins of bra trees are murky and steeped in urban legend, but they are staples at ski resorts beyond Bogus Basin and across the U.S.
Odds are good you’ve floated past one yourself, riding the lift to your destination. Or, maybe, you’ve flung your own undergarments into the pine needles.
Some stories say these oddball landmarks started with panties. In another, quite frankly outdated and misogynistic spin on the lore, the undergarments were tossed “as proof of some conquest the previous night,” Melanie Chambers wrote for Mountain Lifestyle, penning a story about the mountain tradition.
Her conclusion that, to her, bra trees are more about silliness feels less salacious, though.
Other regions, particularly New England, often refer to their Bra Trees as Mardi Gras Trees. This is because many are adorned with Mardi Gras beads in addition to women’s undergarments.
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As for Bogus, the news of the dearly departed bra tree follows an announcement earlier this summer: the Forest Service had approved plans to remove vegetation on the Lucky Friday run and in the area between Wildcat and Mary’s Ridge, a slew of trails below the Pine Creek lift.
Both areas are set to open as groomed trails next winter.
Nate Shake, director of mountain operations, said in a release that the additions will add more variety to the Pine Creek zone, which is known for its off-piste offerings but has limited groomers.
The release, perhaps unsurprisingly, didn’t offer a location for a new bra tree. But skiers can probably figure that one out themselves.
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