Featured Image: Ray Gadd
Over the last few years, Sun Valley has made a noticeable effort to modernize Bald Mountain, providing skiers with the most efficient access to the entire ski resort. For winter 2023-24, Sun Valley upgraded both the Challenger and the Flying Squirrel lifts on the Warm Springs side of the resort, along with a terrain expansion. For winter 2025-26, the resort upgraded the Seattle Ridge lift to a detachable six-person lift, increasing uphill capacity by 20 percent. This year, the resort continues its multi-year improvement plan with upgrades to both the Lookout Express and Christmas lifts.
Back in March, the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management approved Sun Valley Resort's proposal for multiple lift upgrades. Construction began in April and the resort is working through the summer to complete the enhancements to both lifts by the start of the 2026-27 ski season.
“The replacement of the Christmas and Lookout Express lifts is another major milestone in modernizing the lift network at Sun Valley. Both lifts play a critical role in getting skiers and boarders to the top of Bald Mountain. We are proud to partner with Doppelmayr once again and build on the success of our most recent lift projects – Seattle Ridge, Flying Squirrel, Challenger and Broadway. Sun Valley has the most efficient lift system in the country, and these upgrades will ensure that continues for many years to come,” says Pete Sonntag, COO at Sun Valley Resort, in the resort's press release.
Photo: Ray Gadd
Photo: Ray Gadd
The existing Lookout Express lift is being replaced with a high-speed, six-person chair that cuts the ride time down to 8.5 minutes. Similar to the Seattle Ridge upgrade, the new lift will significantly increase uphill capacity and reliability. The existing Christmas lift will remain a detachable four-person chair but will be upgraded to a high-speed quad, like the new Flying Squirrel lift, for the same uphill-efficiency reasons.
In an effort to strengthen the structural support for both winter and summer activities, these lift upgrades may cause intermittent impacts to biking and hiking on the River Run side of the mountain this summer. The mountain plans to remain open and in operation, but you can sign up for email notifications and review the Bald Mountain Operations page for any important updates.
The city of Ketchum is also working with the resort to build the new Connector Trail, which will link River Run (via Bald Mountain Trail) to Warm Springs. This project will impact Bald Mountain Trail at times.
