Sun Valley Resort will open its 70th ski season one day earlier than scheduled, at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 23, resort officials announced this week.
A variety of lifts and trails will be opened Wednesday, due in large part to a series of early November snowfalls and a spell of cold weather that has allowed snowmaking machines to run consistently.
On Bald Mountain, skiers and snowboarders will be able to access terrain from top to bottom on both the River Run and Warm Springs sides. The River Run, Lookout Express and Challenger lifts will operate over the Thanksgiving weekend. Trails that will be open on the River Run side of Baldy include Upper College, Roundhouse Lane to Mid River Run, 42nd Street and Lower River Run. On the Warm Springs side, open terrain will include Upper College, Flying Squirrel, Lower Picabo's Street and Lower Warm Springs.
Bald Mountain lifts generally open at 9 a.m. and shut down at 4 p.m., with some lifts higher on the mountain shutting down prior to 4 p.m.
On Dollar Mountain, the Quarter Dollar lift and Quarter Dollar ski run will be open, as well as the Quarter Dollar beginner's carpet lift.
River Run Lodge and the Warm Springs Lodge at the base of Baldy, in addition to Carol's Dollar Mountain Lodge, will be open for dining for skiers and non-skiers alike. Pete Lane's Mountain Sports' River Run store will be open for ski equipment rentals.
On Thursday morning, Sun Valley reported it had a 26-inch snow base on the top of Baldy, a 15-inch snow base at mid-mountain, and a 4-inch snow base at the bottom. Mountain crews were making snow at the base of the River Run side on Thursday morning.
Previously, Sun Valley had planned to open the ski season on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 24.
The plan to open lifts and terrain on Baldy and Dollar is subject to change, depending on the weather, said Jack Sibbach, Sun Valley director of marketing and public relations.
"If we get 55 degrees and rain that could change things, or if we get more snow that could change things, too," Sibbach said.
Weather reports Thursday called for clear, sunny skies and cool temperatures to persist through the weekend and into next week, suggesting—at least for now—that the weather should not significantly alter the plan. High temperatures in Ketchum are projected to range from 34 degrees to 44 degrees.
For updates on ski conditions and trail openings, call (800) 635-4150 or visit www.sunvalley.com.
With Ketchum, Sun Valley and the Pioneer Mountains looming in the distance, one of Sun Valley Resort's 10 new Camoplast BR 350 grooming machines plows through deep snow Tuesday on the high flanks of Bald Mountain. A combination of November snowstorms and favorable conditions for operating snowmaking machines has allowed Sun Valley to move up its opening day for the ski season to Wednesday, Nov. 23. Photo by Willy Cook
