STORY AND PHOTO BY TONY HARRISON

Soldier Mountain is opening for the 2023-24 winter season in a limited fashion today and Sunday, Dec. 16-17. The resort will open four trails -- North Ridge on Chair 1, a.k.a. the High Tail Express, and Broadway, Claude Buster, and Fritz on Chair 2, the Bird's Eye lift -- with lifts turning from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Guests who purchase their lift tickets online will enjoy a 25 percent discount this weekend if they apply the promo code OPEN23.

Early season conditions exist and the resort's general manager, Paul Alden, wants to remind skiers and riders to use caution.

Soldier Mountain recently completed projects that will ensure a longer ski and snowboard season this winter and beyond.

Over the last two summers staff have worked to restore the resort's snowmaking system, which was first installed in 1976 but laid 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 Chair 1, also known as the High Trail Express, for the first time since the late 1970s," Alden said. "This lets us start spinning Chair 2, Bird's Eye, earlier, too."

In addition, he said the resort expanded brush cutting this season -- adding two more runs to the existing list of trails it mows -- to open more terrain earlier in the season and be able to leave it open longer.

Soldier Mountain replaced one of its three snowcats, too, with a top-of-the-line model from Piston Bully.

"Our new PB600 is a real game changer for us," Alden said. "It yields perfectly groomed slopes, plus it will allow us to build solid roads in our cat-skiing terrain earlier in the season to help us maximize permit time in the backcountry."

The resort will also redesign the tubing park this winter to make it more fun and user friendly.

Season passes are still available and cost $499 for adults (18-69), $299 for youths (7-17), $399 for military adults (18-69), $218 for military youths (7-17), and $199 for silver seniors (70+). Children ages 0-6 ski and snowboard free.

The resort also offers multiday passes that represent about one-third off standard single-day lift tickets. Three-day passes cost $135.20 and $103.20 for adults (18-69) and youths (7-17), respectively, and five-day passes cost $231.20 for adults and $175.20 for youths.

Soldier Mountain has assembled an impressive roster of reciprocating resorts for season passholders this winter. They can enjoy four days free at Bogus Basin (no blackout dates) and three days at Bridger Bowl in Montana, Lee Canyon in Nevada, Cherry Peak and Eagle Point Ski Resort in Utah, and Sleeping Giant and White Pine Ski Area in Wyoming.

You must present a valid Soldier Mountain season pass at reciprocating resorts to secure these deals. Some blackout dates apply to these offers and some participating resorts require reservations.

Soldier Mountain is an Indy Pass partner, and season passholders can join the Indy Pass waitlist to purchase a discounted Indy Pass add-on if additional passes become available. After record sales last spring, Indy Pass put sales on hold, but more than 50 additional resorts have become partners since, so the Indy Pass is back on sale in limited quantities to people who join the waitlist. Indy Pass add-ons start at $279 for adults and $139 for kids 12 and under vs. the regular prices of $399 and $199, respectively. Indy Pass holders enjoy up to two days each on the slopes at more than 180 resorts on three continents.

Soldier Mountain is also booking its backcountry snowcat trips for the 2023-24 ski season. It boasts 2,000 skiable acres and 3,000 ft. of vertical that tops out at nearly 10,000 ft. above sea level and includes big open lines, rolling glades, steep trees, and extreme chutes. Guests also enjoy epic views of the Sawtooths with Smoky Dome, the highest point in the Soldier Mountain Range and Idaho's 21st most prominent peak, towering in the background.

Single "cat scratch" seats on the snowcat cost $449 and will be cancelled if there are not more than six confirmed for the day. Guests can book the 12-seat cab privately, too, for $4,750 per day, $7,750 for two consecutive days, or $8,250 to spend the night in the mountain yurt between the two days of skiing.

The resort is the only ski area in Idaho that can be booked privately. You can have Soldier Mountain all to yourself on the days it is typically closed to the public -- Mondays through Wednesdays except holidays -- starting at $6,000. The lodge offers custom foodservice options that can include breakfast, lunch, and/or dinner, and you can book it separately for private dining events.