STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK

Season passes for the 2021-22 winter season at Sun Valley Resort are now on sale with special early pricing.

And those who pay for a Challenger Pass in full now will get to ski this spring for free.

The Season Pass Protection Program, which debuted this season, will be back next year. It will cover Challenger, College, Freedom Found, 15 Day Plus, Sun & Snow and Dollar Mountain pass holders if their season is cut short due to injury, military service, pregnancy or stay-at-home orders issued by the county, state or country due to the COVID pandemic.

New this year is a season pass comparison chart that helps individuals and families choose the right pass for them.

There are three Challenger pass options for different age ranges. All offer unlimited skiing and riding at both Bald and Dollar Mountains, plus other benefits such as 20 percent off lodging at any Grand America Hotels and Resorts properties.

The Challenger Season Pass, which costs $1,859, is for those 30-plus. The Young Adult Challenger Season Pass, which costs $1,099, is for ages 13 to 29, and the Child Challenger Season Pass, which costs $609, is for those ages 5 to 12.

The Sun & Snow Pass is back by popular demand. It offers six days of skiing at Sun Valley Resort and its sister resort Snowbasin with no black-out dates or restrictions. Sun & Snow Pass holders may use 50 percent off lift ticket pricing in the 2021-2022 early season before using the six days of skiing during peak season.

The College Pass costs $409.

Sun Valley will offer some of its best lodging deals of the year for this year’s spring skiing, which usually starts around March 15 as the weather warms.

Deals include:

 * 30% off lodging at Sun Valley Resort for Epic Pass holders

* 20% off lodging for Sun Valley Season Pass holders, including Sun & Snow

* 20% off lodging for Idaho residents

For more information regarding season passes and spring lodging specials, visit www.sunvalley.com/mountain-passes, season pass comparison at https://bit.ly/3pXv0Re and our specials page at https://www.sunvalley.com/deals.

Sun Valley, named North America’s No. 1 ski resort by SKI Magazine this year, has been a boon for those seeking something to do during the pandemic. It’s attracted 20- and 30-years who have been living with parents and grandparents in Sun Valley since the pandemic began.

It’s attracted pandemic refuges who moved to Sun Valley because of the pandemic. It’s attracted Utah skiers frustrated by their resorts’ early lack of snow and crowded conditions. And it’s attracted plenty of Epic passholders from as far away as Florida.