STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK

Mother Nature isn’t cooperating—much. But Sun Valley Resort is going ahead and opening for skiing, anyway.

Sun Valley will kick off its 90th winter ski and snowboard season at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 3.

Bald Mountain will be open from top to bottom with Upper College, Lower College, Sunset Strip and Lower River Run in play. The River Run Express and Lookout Express will ferry skiers to the top.

Snow guns have been making little mountains of snow on Dollar Mountain this week when temperatures are cold enough.

Sun Valley will greet first-day skiers with commemorative Sun Valley opening day mugs and hot cocoa, a live DJ at the base of River Run and other stoke. It will open more terrain as temperatures drop, snowstorms move through and snowmaking continues.

“We’re thrilled to welcome guests back to the mountain this Wednesday," said Pete Sonntag, Chief Operating Officer at Sun Valley Resort. “Our teams have worked around the clock to open the mountain, and we’re grateful for everyone’s patience as we begin an incredible 90th season.”

As the snow piles up, advanced skiers will get to schuss through 90 acres of newly gladed terrain between Canyon, Exhibition and Olympic runs, thanks to trees that were removed this summer as part of the Bald Mountain Forest Stewardship Project to reduce fire risk and improve forest health.

The new terrain features four distinct runs: Tim’s, named after former General Manager Tim Silva, located skier’s left of Exhibition; the black diamond Pioneer Bowl skier’s left of Sleeping Bear, and the black diamond Bear Den and the intermediate Sheep Camp, both of which are skier’s left of Olympic Lane.

Lower River Run looked pretty bleak the Friday before Thanksgiving, thanks to temperatures that were too warm for snowmaking. But snowmakers have been able to make snow whenever the temperature’s dipped below freezing since.

The resort has added more than 350 acres of gladed terrain in the last five years, making it North America’s premier destination for advanced gladed skiing.

The Sun Valley Snowsports School will offer new multi-day Adults Camps tailored to various ability levels for those wanting to take their skills to the next level. They include a new all-women’s camp.

And a new bright and whimsical Sunny’s Adventure Park will make its debut on Dollar Mountain, where the snow guns have been a-blazing. The park will feature fun, imaginative terrain park-style features that will appeal to kids and adults alike.

The resort is also introducing RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology across the base areas of Bald Mountain and Dollar Mountain this year so that guests can leave their passes in their pockets, no longer needing to take them out to show them to ticket checkers.

Snow groomers have pushed small hills of manmade snow across Lower River Run. Don’t rush out to ski it just yet, though—the snow is in chunks, rather than smooth corduroy.

Sun Valley has been able to open on Thanksgiving Day, if not before, for as long as anyone can remember. Learning that the first day this year would be in the middle of week while he’s in class did not make Truman Tarrant happy.

“I was mad when they didn’t open on Thanksgiving Day,” said the Hemingway STEAM School student as he struggled to put his ski boots on at the bottom of River Run Sunday afternoon to try his skis on the snow groomers had plowed next to the River Run Plaza. “Now they’re going to open when I’m in school!”

His fellow schoolmate Domanic Zuck was not upset.

“I moved here not that long ago from Utah where it was so crowded, and I’m just looking forward to learning to ski for the first time,” he said.

This is what Bald Mountain looked like Sunday afternoon.

Deron Hagherg was assisting skiers with poles and boots in the ski shop at Pete Lane’s as the word came down Sunday afternoon that Sun Valley would be opening.

“It was like a ghost town in here Thanksgiving Day without the skiing, but we expected that,”   he said. “It felt kind of weird not opening on Thanksgiving—we’ve done so in the 18 years I’ve been here. I bet there’s a lot of kids who will call in sick to school on Wednesday.”

He paused.

At least we’re not the only ones in this boat. Everyone in the West is in the same situation. I talked to someone today who said they were just in Salt Lake City and it was dry and brown.”

As Hagherg noted, only a few ski resorts in the West, including Solitude in Utah and a few ski resorts in California, have just begun announcing opening dates. And they’re just opening a run or two.

Deer Valley, which had not received an inch of snow by Thanksgiving, has not announced an opening date. Neither has Snowbasin or Park City. Targhee is not open and Jackson Hole is awaiting the next snowstorm. Mt. Bachelor in Oregon is awaiting snow; so are Mt. Baker and Crystal Mountain in Washington.

Bogus Basin Ski Area near Boise opened its Easy Rider conveyor, which provides access to a small terrain park, on Saturday with the help of last season’s snow, which it preserved under a white tarp. Mother Nature seemed to smile, gifting the resort with 2 inches of snow on Friday.

Sun Valley is considered the grand dame of all ski resorts, having been built in 1936 as North America’s first destination ski resort, noted Sonntag. It features world-class slopes, ski lifts, grooming and lodges. And it pivoted to the top of European skiers’ radars last year when it hosted the 2025 Audi FIS World Cup Finals.

“Sun Valley has never been just a ski resort,” said Sonntag. “For 90 seasons, families and friends have been coming here to build tradition and make special memories, from generation to generation. This milestone season we're carrying that legacy forward while remaining invested in the guest experience.

“From newly gladed terrain to upgraded RFID systems to exciting Dollar Mountain updates, we're honoring what Sun Valley has always been while introducing enhancements that make each season feel memorable.”

WHITHER NORDIC?

Downhill skiers and boarders can rejoice, what with Sun Valley Resort opening on Wednesday. But those who like to kick and glide down a Nordic trail will have to wait a bit longer.

Galena Lodge has only patchy snow so far, thanks to warm temperatures. And other North Valley trails are more suited to hiking right now than skiing.