Industry News
Lift drama is unfolding at Sun Valley Resort in Idaho. The owner of a property adjacent to the new Flying Squirrel base terminal is asking Sun Valley Resort to remove and rebuild the new base terminal further away from her lodge. Marda Phelps’ property is located at 121 Picabo Street in Ketchum, Idaho, and offers a premier ski-in/ski-out experience. Along with relocating the lift terminal, Phelps is also seeking $25,000 in compensation, which includes $15,000 for attorney’s fees and $10,000 for lost earnings.
Why the sudden lawsuit? In 2023, the new Flying Squirrel Lift was installed at the Warm Springs base. Previously, the closest lift to Phelps’ property was the Challenger Lift, which sat on the other side of the Warm Springs Creek around 50 meters from her property. The new Flying Squirrel Lift is significantly closer to the property, at around 10 meters, and the Seattle, Washington, native claims it obstructs the view of Bald Mountain from her property. Phelps also states that the lift is a nuisance causing significant light and noise pollution at her property.
According to the Idaho Mountain Express, the lawsuit stated, “Sun Valley Co.’s vice president and general manager, Pete Sonntag, misrepresented to her the exact location of the new Flying Squirrel loading terminal”. The Idaho Mountain Express reported that Phelps’ attorney, Chris Brown, said that Sonntag met with Phelps in July 2022 and showed her a rendering portraying the Flying Squirrel terminal “on the west side of Lower Warm Springs, a significant distance from” her property. At the turn of the year, in January 2023, Phelps learned that Sun Valley planned to build the new terminal on the east side of the Warm Springs Creek and within feet of her property line. Brown reported on the Idaho Mountain Express that Phelps did not receive a follow-up from Sonntag or anyone with Sun Valley Resort regarding the relocation of the terminal.
Sun Valley’s attorney Melodie McQuade responded to Phelps’ allegations, denying most of them. McQuade noted that the July 2022 meeting that Phelps referred to was actually a phone conversation. However, McQuade did admit that Phelps did not receive any follow-up communication from Sonntag. McQuade also mentioned that the Flying Squirrel lift was lawfully built and that moving the base terminal would be impermissible.
It’s not too often you hear someone complain about being located too close to the ski lift. However, this rare disagreement between Phelps and Sun Valley Resort highlights the difficulty of reconciling the interests of property owners and ski resorts.
