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http://www.shoshonen...c=News&str=2057
Bomb scare upsets Silver Mountain
No explosives found after 90-minute search
By ERIN STUBER
Editor
KELLOGG -- A bomb threat stalled skiers and snowboarders from enjoying nearly a foot of new snow on Silver Mountain Friday morning.
The threat was made to a resort receptionist at about 10 a.m. Friday. The male caller claimed an explosive device had been planted on the gondola.
"We immediately took action to ensure the safety of our guests and staff," said Brian Rhodes, the resort's general manager.
A portion of Bunker Avenue near the base of the resort was closed by local police as emergency personnel and Silver Mountain staff conducted a search.
The building at the base of the gondola was evacuated, and everyone at the Mountain Haus lodge on the mountain was asked to stay in the food court area of the building while it was searched.
Members of the Shoshone County Sheriff's Department, Kellogg Police Department, Shoshone County Fire District 2 and Silver Mountain maintenance and safety personnel checked each gondola cabin and the route to the top of the mountain.
A search team from Silver Mountain Ski Patrol skied the gondola tower line to inspect each tower.
"We have an evacuation and safety plan that's in effect for situations like this, and we do review that on a timely basis," Rhodes said.
By 11:30 a.m., skiers were allowed to board the gondola. The sheriff's department is trying to identify the person who called in the bomb threat.
"Nobody really complained about it -- they understood the situation," Rhodes said. "Lift operations were not affected during the search. Skiers on the mountain continued to enjoy 10 inches of fresh powder and were not impacted by the threat."
Mike Dietrich of Rathdrum was skiing on Silver Mountain when he heard about the bomb scare.
"I think people didn't really care," Dietrich said Friday afternoon as he was leaving the resort. "There wasn't a whole lot of concern. I didn't see anybody really panic. Everybody kind of behaved themselves."
Snowboarder Mark Bright of Coeur d'Alene and two of his friends also got a later start than expected Friday because of the bomb threat. They arrived at Silver Mountain around 10:40 a.m. and were delayed until the 11:30 a.m. reopening.
"Who's going to bomb Silver Mountain? It's just stupid," Bright said as he loaded his board into his truck. "I didn't think there was anything to it."
Silver Mountain marketing director Stephen Lane said he didn't hear a single complaint or request for a refund.
