Sun Valley's Ski Culture has Never Lost its Spark

Featured Image: Ray Gadd

FREESKIER's 2026 Resort Rankings are here, as debuted in Volume 28 Issue 2. Defining the Top 10 Ski Resorts in North America is no easy task, but our edit team was up to the challenge. Endless debates and nuanced arguments lead to a list we're proud of. And who better to explain these mountains than the skiers who know them best? Take a trip through the one-and-only Sun Valley Resort and see why Idaho's classic ski area lands high on this list.

As a lifelong local with 34 seasons shredding the local hill under my belt, I can tell you that the biggest thing Sun Valley has going for it is the stoke: Locals pull out hibachi grills in the lift line on a powder day as they eagerly await the opening of the lifts. A group of twenty-somethings plays a rowdy round of Game of Gnar and heckles at one of the many pro skiers who call this area home. Five friends dress as Mario Kart characters, complete with balloons they’re trying to pop, for closing day.

While other resorts may bring their own brand of flair to the sport of skiing, Sun Valley will always be America’s first ski resort. With that history comes many years of skiers absolutely psyched to be here.

“Sun Valley” refers to the whole area, but in reality, Sun Valley is the name of the ski resort, not the name of the mountain (Bald Mountain, a.k.a. “Baldy”) and not the name of the town, which is actually Ketchum. I know, it can be a bit confusing, but what’s not confusing is that Baldy lies literally right in town, with two different access points that are just a five-minute drive or bus ride away (or a fifteen-minute walk in ski boots, but what are you trying to prove?)

Baldy is home to 2,533 skiable acres, with twelve lifts, 120-plus trails and a casual 3,400 feet of vert—no one’s going home complaining that our runs aren’t steep or long enough. Just check Trip Advisor, where reviews include, “The green runs are like blues, the blues like blacks, and the blacks...” and, “The green, blue, black ratings for this mountain are not the same as other mountains.” Damn right it’s not the same, we like it that way. There’s a reason that Sun Valley produces so many Olympians. Fun fact: There’s never been a U.S. Snowboard Team at the Olympics without a member from Sun Valley.

The resort is aptly named, with an average of 300 sunny days a year. You’re practically guaranteed a bluebird day, no matter the duration of your visit. While the area’s average snowfall of about 220 inches a year may seem slim compared to other ski areas, Sun Valley can guarantee you snow the whole ski season. With the largest snowmaking system in the world, which operates both on Baldy and the smaller local hill, Dollar Mountain, Sun Valley doesn’t have to rely solely on Mother Nature to plunder the goods.

Sun Valley is part of the Mountain Collective and IKON passes, making it a prime spot to visit on a ski road trip. If you’re looking at day passes, things can get a bit pricier. It may not be the cheapest place to visit, but hey, if sleeping in a parking lot is good enough for Warren Miller (who notoriously parked a $200 camper in the Sun Valley lot for the winter of 1947) it’s good enough for us.

If backcountry skiing is more of an interest to you, there’s no end to the terrain you can explore here. Between the many mountain ranges that make up the area, including the Sawtooths, Pioneers and White Clouds, you have your pick of zones. It just depends on how you want to access them: by helicopter, from a backcountry hut, by snowmobile or by good ol’ fashioned skinning. There are several local outfitters equipped to take you into the backcountry and show you what’s what. Hiring a guide is the most efficient way to face shots.

It’s best to start your après with skis still on, whether that means shotgunning at the top of Baldy for the 3:30 club or when you’re back at the car after getting turned up north. Then it’s time to head to Ketchum, which is home to plenty of bars and restaurants to suit the après needs of all manner of skiers. Legendary hole-in-the-wall Grumpy’s is known for its cheap schooners (32 ounces) of beer, which make for excellent butt dart receptacles once empty. The Pioneer is as Idaho as it comes, with various taxidermied animals lining the walls and baked potatoes the size of your head (they make a mean margarita as well). The Casino is the local dive, and if it helps paint a picture, their house specialty is a Hammtini (a Hamm’s with a wedge of lime). My friend once bet Woody Harrelson for his fur coat in a game of pool there.

I could give you many more reasons why Sun Valley deserves a place in your hearts (and this magazine) for being one of the best ski resorts around, but ultimately, it’s because Sun Valley has managed to retain its soul after all these years: You can still make a friend on the chairlift, you can still get a free drink from a bartender, you can still find a secluded run or trail, with nary another person in sight.