Soldier Mountain is open for the holiday season. The resort will operate daily through Jan. 7 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with the exception of Jan. 2.
The runs North Ridge and Timber are open on Chair 1, a.k.a. the High Trail Express. Some of the trails on the backside of Chair 2, Bird’s Eye, are open, too, although Mother Nature keeps wreaking havoc on the runout forcing the resort to close it off and on.
Soldier Mountain has also opened Miss Belle, the magic carpet.
Soldier Mountain General Manager Paul Alden said none of this would have been possible without its snowmaking system. Over the last two summers staff have worked to restore the resort’s snowmaking system, which was first installed in 1976 but lay dormant for decades and was damaged by the Phillips Fire that swept through the area in August 2020.
“Thanks to these efforts, Soldier Mountain has a fully functional snowmaking system that extends from the base to the top of the High Trail Express for the first time since the late 1970s,” Alden said. “This lets us start spinning the Bird’s Eye chair earlier, too.”
Early season conditions exist and the resort’s general manager, Paul Alden, wants to remind skiers and riders to use caution.
Soldier Mountain is a family friendly mountain resort located near Fairfield, Idaho, at 1043 N. Soldier Creek Rd. in the Soldier Mountains of the Sawtooth National Forest. It is about two hours from Boise, 80 minutes from Sun Valley, and 90 minutes from Twin Falls. The resort offers skiing and snowboarding on 35 named trails and a terrain park on the frontside comprising 1,150 lift-served skiable acres and 2,000 acres of snowcat-accessible backcountry. Soldier Mountain has two chairlifts reaching an altitude of up to 7,177 ft., a magic carpet, and a tubing hill. In the summer it offers five mountain biking trails, a skills park, and a nine-hole disc golf course. Its lodge restaurant serves homemade fare while The Fox Den Pub provides guests with a cozy spot to hang out after a great day on the mountain. Camping spots are available at the end of the resort’s parking lot at Pioneer Campground and along the road beyond, and motel lodging and vacation rentals are available in Fairfield about 10 miles away. As an Indy Pass partner, Soldier Mountain also offers season passholders discounted Indy Passes as an add-on. Visit soldiermountain.com for more details.