When I think of Sun Valley Resort, in Idaho, I think of an all-around top-tier skiing experience with an enduring standard of excellence. Now in its 90th winter season, Sun Valley Resort continues to provide a high-level skiing experience, as it has sought to do since its inception. This longevity, to me, is nothing short of remarkable. My first visit to Sun Valley Resort was in February 2024, where I enjoyed a magnificent stay that seriously exceeded my expectations. I was pleasantly impressed in a variety of categories, not just by the skiing or the incredibly rich history.
The consistent pitch of Bald Mountain, statistically, is the longest continuously sustained pitch anywhere inside a North American ski area. Even the greens here are steep, and I absolutely love it. Glade skiing has been rapidly increasing and improving since 2019, with the Bald Mountain Stewardship Project work that is ongoing. The consistent pitch is paired with enhanced accessibility, making for a quality of glade skiing that is surely special.
History
Many ski towns have rich local history, but nobody does it like Ketchum, Idaho. Early gold, silver, and other precious metals strikes in this area are what originally brought the railroad to this location. It wouldn’t be until the mid-1930s that Averell Harriman, chairman of the board for Union-Pacific Railroad, set out to create North America’s first “destination” ski resort here. After an extensive search of the Mountain West, construction began in 1936 to build The Sun Valley Lodge, which would open for business that very winter season.
The world’s first aerial chairlift would revolutionize skiing and cement Ketchum in history as the birthplace of the modern chairlift. This wild idea was constructed using spare railroad parts from Harriman’s Union Pacific railyards and modeled after a banana conveyor used for loading produce onto ships in Central America. This collaboration from crafty train engineers would see the world’s first aerial chairlifts used to transport humans for skiing purposes. Two of these marvels would be built, one on Proctor Mountain (closed) and one on Dollar Mountain, to accommodate skier transport uphill.
Sun Valley Resort’s two distinct ski areas, Bald Mountain and Dollar Mountain, are both world-class in their own right. Dollar Mountain is the ideal beginner’s mountain with its own lift infrastructure and terrain adjacent to Bald Mountain, for a secluded haven to focus on lessons that thrive here. Olympians who have represented Sun Valley, U.S.A., learned to ski and ride here at Dollar Mountain before stepping up to Bald Mountain’s steeper terrain.
Bald Mountain boasts a perfectly consistent pitch from its peak to its base. The world-renowned consistency of this pitch sets Sun Valley apart from other areas that use large traverses and additional lifts to achieve the same continuous vertical. The Challenger D-line chairlift that services Bald Mountain climbs an impressive 3,138 feet in a blistering 5.2 minutes, and is North America’s tallest single chairlift. This uniform consistency of the pitch here means more skiing due to less traversing and lift rides, a true snowboarder’s dream mountain.
Sun Valley Village and Ketchum are loaded with activities aside from the ski area. Sleigh rides, ice skating, and Nordic skiing all offer stunning views of the Wood River Valley. Shopping abounds with extraordinary options, such as Brass Ranch, Panache, Sun Valley Signatures, or the Gold Mine thrift store, to name a few. The Sun Valley Opera house, opened in 1937, is Ketchum’s indoor music and arts venue that doubles as a movie theatre. I was impressed to find one of the Northwest’s oldest bowling alleys hidden beneath the historic Sun Valley Lodge, where I had the pleasure of staying.
Sun Valley Resort is home to an incredible array of inspired dining options to please any palate. North America’s first on-mountain dining venue, the Roundhouse, sits at 7,700 feet and is accessible by gondola for foot passengers during business hours. The Roundhouse has served New American cuisine and legendary fondue with a spectacular 360-degree view since 1939. The Ram Restaurant is Sun Valley’s original dining venue, serving an elevated Austrian-inspired cuisine since 1937 in Sun Valley Village. Konditorei is an incredible morning eatery using locally sourced ingredients and energy-efficient appliances to promote sustainability.
Bald Mountain Stewardship Program
Continuing with sustainability, the “Bald Mountain Stewardship Project” is a wide-reaching collaboration unique to this area. The BMSP’s primary objectives are to enhance overall forest health, reduce wildfire fuels on the mountain, and, in turn, unlock new gladed acreage. This project has produced 380 new gladed acres within the boundaries of Sun Valley Resort. The most difficult tasks are often the most rewarding; the way in which this is being accomplished is what stands out to me.
The BMSP is essentially low-impact logging on steep slopes to remove fuels, utilizing specialized machinery. This is a special situation that is NOT for profit, as all other timber logging is. As a professional arborist and ski journalist, I can tell you this is incredibly expensive and laborious work. The BMSP is a diverse collaboration between the National Forest Foundation, Sun Valley Resort, Bureau of Land Management, and the National Forest Service. This collaboration is capable of receiving and distributing funds in different ways than the NFS or BLM can, due to the NFF‘s non-profit status, helping ease the burden of the costs associated with this massive project.
I had the pleasure of experiencing some of these enhanced glade runs on my trip in 2024, as well as this 90th winter season. I would put these conifer glades among some of my favorites anywhere, with great spacing and consistently steep fall line to enjoy long runs. Intentionally removing fuel wood from the forest floor, as well as removing dead trees within the stand, creates a quality of glades that is hard to find. Many resorts must wait until a significant snow base covers the forest floor before opening their gladed runs; Sun Valley is an exception. With the BMSP’s extensive mitigation that removes fuel wood from the forest floor, ski patrol can open these glades earlier, in turn realizing a longer season for their gladed terrain.
The NFF‘s involvement enables the Wood For Life Program to donate usable firewood removed from the project. This program provides cords of processed wood, free of charge, to local indigenous tribes that rely on firewood as a heating source. To date, 3,906 cords of firewood have been donated to the Shoshone-Bannock and Shoshone-Paiute tribes in the area. The BMSP is also replanting treated forest areas; 47,100 tree saplings have been planted as part of this project. Planting more resistant strains, such as Ponderosa Pine and Western Larch, creates more biodiversity, which will improve the overall forest health.
SustainabilityÂ
The Bald Mountain Stewardship Project translates to sustainability in my eyes. I was pleased to learn about the many other sustainability efforts undertaken by Sun Valley Resort during this trip. Betsy Siszell, the Sustainability Manager for Sun Valley Resort, said, “Our mission is to honor our mountain legacy by protecting this place where we recreate and by fostering environmental stewardship that reaches beyond our slopes.” I found this statement to encapsulate the efforts taking place with this special project perfectly.
Whitebark Pine trees are an endangered species native to Bald Mountain and central Idaho. Sun Valley is actively working to preserve this keystone species, vital to the mountain ecosystem. Sun Valley Resort is one of eight ski areas designated as “Whitebark Pine friendly” by the Whitebark Pine Conservation Initiative.
Computer automation of the snow-making system promotes sustainability. Thermometers and sensors throughout the system make use of every moment with the correct temperature to create artificial snow. This intricate automation conserves electricity, water, and labor, while providing the same quality product.
Radiant heat keeps the walkways in the Warm Springs base area free of snow and ice from November through April. The water is supplied from a hot spring coming out at 135 degrees Fahrenheit, and the heat is circulated through the hardscape of the base village to provide safe walking spaces for guests at all times.
Watching the 2026 Winter Olympics, it’s hard not to think about the legacy that runs through this place—a quiet thread connecting generations of American ski greatness. From Gretchen Fraser, who made history as the first American Olympic gold medalist in skiing, to Picabo Street’s decorated career, to modern athletes like Chase Josey soaring above the superpipe and Hilary Knight capturing gold on hockey’s biggest stage, the standard set here continues to echo today. Sun Valley didn’t simply climb to prominence—it helped define what American skiing could be, shaping both the culture of the sport and the blueprint for the modern, full-experience mountain resort.
