(KELLOGG, ID) – With all eyes in the skiing world on Sun Valley Resort March 22-27, 2025, for the Audi FIS Ski World Cup Finals, the spotlight will be on the hidden Gem State of ski resorts and its 19 destinations.
Most Idaho ski areas have made noteworthy improvements in anticipation of this winter:
* Bogus Basin Mountain Recreation Area — which opens Nov. 23 — is replacing the Coach and Bitterroot chairlifts, expanding its beginner area, and creating two new trails. It is also implementing several major sustainability initiatives, including composting, solar power, and phasing out its usage of single-use plastics.
* Brundage Mountain Resort — which opens Nov. 22 — will debut its Mountain Adventure Center, a new 18,000-square-ft. guest-services base lodge, and has established its own fire department and expanded its EMS services. The Brundage MTN Sports School & Daycare will offer expanded programs for kids, including the MTN Explorers program for ages 7 and up, and the daycare is state-certified and offers care for children ages 6 weeks to 6 years.
* Kelly Canyon Resort — which opens Nov. 22 — doubled its snowmaking capacity, and its new terrain park will sport new rails and a competition-style 8-ft. half pipe done right thanks to the purchase of a quarter-pipe cutter. It redid all the signage on the mountain and expanded and improved the parking lot, too. The resort will release its 10-year master plan to the public soon.
* Little Ski Hill — which is projected to open Dec. 20 — is fully illuminated for night skiing now and the team there is excited to see its full potential in action this winter.
* Lookout Pass Ski & Recreation Area — which opened for weekends Nov. 8 and is open Nov. 22-25 — added three new glades and expanded its parking area, adding 150 spaces. It also added two new permanent bathrooms at the base of the Eagle Peak chairlift. Idaho’s oldest ski area, Lookout Pass is celebrating its 90th season this winter,
* Magic Mountain Ski Resort — which plans to open Dec. 7 — is opening new glades this winter and mowed additional terrain to improve runs and snow retention. One of 11 Idaho ski areas that allow skibobbing, the resort is promoting SNO-GO ski bikes and cross-country skiing this winter via events and instruction. It also made improvements to its kitchen (think Magic Burgers!).
* Pebble Creek Ski Area — which is targeting Dec. 13 as its opening day — is expanding its beginner area by installing one of America’s longest magic carpets, which spans 700 feet from the lower parking lot to the top of the First Timer run. The resort has also significantly expanded its snowmaking capabilities and tripled the amount of water storage available, with the eventual goal of being able to make snow higher on the mountain.
* Pomerelle Mountain Resort — which typically opens between Thanksgiving and the first full week of December — added big, brand-new windows to the lodge looking south onto the base area, remodeled the women’s restrooms, and replaced the lodge and ticket office roofs. It also expanded its rental gear fleet and did more glading and deadfall removal between Instructor and Lift Line, yielding some amazing tree skiing in there. It added a new Pisten Bully 400 groomer at the end of last season and recently purchased a lift truck with a hydraulic arm and bucket.
* Rotarun Ski Area — which is slated to open Dec. 21 for Saturdays and Sundays only until January, when it offers night skiing on Wednesdays and Fridays — completed an exterior renovation of the lodge and installed its third tower snow gun.
* Schweitzer — which opens Nov. 22 — purchased Selkirk Powder, bringing the snowcat operation in-house. Schweitzer Backcountry Adventures will also offer guided snowmobile tours. The Ski & Ride School will begin offering guided half-day and full-day tours to show guests the best runs on the mountain. The resort is hosting a Kids Ski Free Week Dec. 7-13 where kids ages 17 and younger are eligible to receive up to seven free single-day lift tickets to use that week.
* Silver Mountain Resort — which opens Nov. 22 for weekends only until Dec. 13 — regraded the slopes on several trails, thinned out the cluster of trees between Saddleback and Paymaster to create a new pow stash, and renovated the Mountain House lodge. It is also introducing a new Friday-only season pass, which costs $149 for youth and $199 for adults, to keep students with increasingly popular four-day school weeks active throughout the winter.
* Snowhaven Ski & Tubing Area — which is eyeballing Dec. 21 as its opening date — will begin offering an individual season pass for skiing and tubing for $250. Meanwhile, full-day lift tickets are increasing by $1 to $25 per day. However, Snowhaven, one of America’s few municipally owned ski areas, may not open this year if the City of Grangeville is unable to find a mountain manager by Dec. 1. Anyone interested in applying for the position should contact city administrator Tonya Kennedy at (208) 983-2851.
* Soldier Mountain — which opens Nov. 29 — doubled its snowmaking capabilities, adding new state-of-the-art TechnoAlpin TR10 snow guns for top-to-bottom coverage on the runs Canyon and North Ridge. Improved signage and extensive brush cutting throughout the inbounds and snowcat terrain will improve the guest experience. Plus, it will host inaugural annual training camps in December and March for the slopestyle teams of the Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team and the Stifel U.S. Freeski Team and a Rocky Mountain States Hill Climb Association snowmobile hill climb Jan. 25-26.
* Sun Valley Resort — which opens Thanksgiving Day — is replacing the high-speed detachable quad on Seattle Ridge with a high-speed detachable six-pack. Plus, the resort has added 91 acres of new gladed terrain in the Sunrise area through the Bald Mountain Stewardship program in partnership with the National Forest Foundation, U.S. Forest Service, and Bureau of Land Management. Sun Valley Resort has officially been named host of the Audi FIS Ski World Cup Finals March 22-27, 2025, including all four disciplines for men and women and is thrilled to welcome the world’s top athletes to the Stifel Sun Valley Finals vying for the overall World Cup title.
* Tamarack Resort — which opens Nov. 29 and is celebrating its 20th anniversary — will debut its new, 12,000-square-foot mid-mountain lodge this winter. It will also unveil enhanced terrain, six new ski runs, and nearly three extra miles of trails in the meadow to extend its Nordic skiing, snowshoeing, and fatbiking network. In addition, former U.S. Ski Team member and Olympic athlete Erik Fisher has joined Tamarack’s Sports School as its director and is launching snow bike, Nordic, and Olympian ski clinics. Plus, the resort is offering families a new option: the Basecamp daycare and activity center for kids up to 12 years old that is open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Après Basecamp is also available Fridays-Sundays from 5-8 p.m.
After several years and millions of dollars of capital improvements, Grand Targhee Resort — which opens Nov. 22 — is not introducing any significant upgrades this winter.
Bald Mountain Ski Area (in North Central Idaho near Pierce), Cottonwood Butte Ski Area, and Lost Trail Ski Area have not announced any significant upgrades for this winter. Bald Mountain expects to open Dec. 26 and Lost Trail plans to open Dec. 5, while Cottonwood Butte has not announced a projected opening date yet.
ADAPTIVE SKIING & SNOWBOARDING FOR VETERANS
WAVES, short for Western Adaptive Veteran Education Snowsports, empowers veterans through adaptive snowsports education, providing them with opportunities to overcome limitations, foster healing, and build camaraderie on the slopes. The group is staging several events at Southern and Southwest Idaho ski areas for disabled and able-bodied veterans this winter:
* Jan. 11-12 at Magic Mountain — all veterans, both disabled and able-bodied, are welcome
* Feb. 13 at Soldier Mountain — all Air Force personnel, both able-bodied and disabled, are welcome at the resort’s annual Airman Day event
* Feb. 14-16 at Soldier Mountain — WAVES will help the national NubAbilty Athletics Foundation stage a ski and snowboarding camp for young limb-different athletes who are congenital, traumatic, or medical amputees
* March 8-9 at Pomerelle — all veterans, both disabled and able-bodied, are welcome
* March 22-23 at Tamarack — the first day is an all-women event for female veterans led by all-women instructors, and the second day is for veterans of all genders
Visit wavesidaho.org for more details about participating in and volunteering for the events.