Bald Mountain (Idaho) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bald Mountain |
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Bald Mountain from Sun Valley Lake
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 Bald Mountain
Location in Idaho
Bald Mountain
Location in the United States
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| Location | Ketchum & Sun Valley Blaine County, Idaho, U.S. |
| Nearest city | Twin Falls - 80 mi (130 km) Boise - 150 mi (240 km) Salt Lake City - 330 mi (530 km) |
| Coordinates | 43°39′18″N 114°24′33″W / 43.65500°N 114.40917°W |
| Vertical | 3,400 ft (1,036 m) |
| Top elevation | 9,150 ft (2,789 m) |
| Base elevation | 5,750 ft (1,753 m) River Run |
| Skiable area | 2,054 acres (8.3 km2) |
| Runs | 75 - 36% easiest - 42% more difficult - 22% most difficult |
| Lift system | 15 - 1 gondola (8 person) - 1 high speed six pack - 7 high speed quads - 2 triple chairlifts - 1 surface |
| Snowfall | 220 in (18 ft; 560 cm) |
| Snowmaking | 645 acres (2.6 km2) |
| Night skiing | none |
| Website | Sun Valley.com |
Bald Mountain is a tall mountain in Idaho, in the western United States. It stands next to the city of Ketchum. This mountain is one of the highest peaks in Idaho's Smoky Mountains. It is also part of the beautiful Sawtooth National Forest. These mountains are called "Smoky Mountains" because they sometimes have summer forest fires. Bald Mountain reaches a height of 9,150 feet (2,789 meters).
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Skiing Fun at Bald Mountain
Bald Mountain is the main mountain for skiing at the Sun Valley ski resort. It's famous for its long ski runs that have a steady slope. This means the runs are fun for all skill levels, and there's usually not much wind.
Skiing started on Bald Mountain way back in 1939! They first used three single-seat chairlifts to take skiers up the mountain. The top of the lifts was at 9,020 feet high.
The base of the mountain, where you start, is at 5,750 feet near the Big Wood River. This means Bald Mountain has a huge vertical drop of 3,400 feet! It has 15 ski lifts, including an eight-person gondola and many fast quad chairlifts. Bald Mountain can move more skiers up the mountain than almost any other ski area.
There are 75 ski runs on the mountain, covering a large area of 2,054 acres. About 645 acres of these runs can make their own snow, which is called snowmaking.
The ski runs are rated by how difficult they are:
- 36% are the easiest (green circle runs).
- 42% are more difficult (blue square runs).
- 22% are the most difficult (black diamond runs).
It's good to know that even the "easiest" runs on Bald Mountain might feel like "intermediate" runs at other ski resorts. This is because the very first beginner areas are on a smaller, gentler mountain nearby called Dollar Mountain.
It's important not to confuse Sun Valley's Bald Mountain with another, smaller ski area called Bald Mountain Ski Area. That one is located in a different part of Idaho, near Pierce.
Green Circle Runs: Easiest Trails
These runs are great for beginners and those who like a relaxed ski.
- Lower River Run
- Lower College
- Olympic Ridge
- Olympic Lane
- 42nd Street
- Upper College
- Broadway
- Broadway Face
- Lilly Marlane
- Maiden Lane
- Mid Warm Springs
- Lower Warm Springs
- Lower Greyhawk
- Sunset Strip
- Roundhouse Slope
- Roundhouse Lane
Blue Square Runs: More Difficult Trails
These trails are perfect for skiers who are ready for a bit more challenge.
- Mid River Run
- Flying Squirrel
- Upper Canyon
- Blue Grouse
- Cutoff
- Christmas Lane
- Wolverton
- Christmas Ridge
- Upper Janss Pass
- Upper French Dip
- Upper Can-Can
- Graduate
- Lower Cozy
- Lower Limelight
- Warm Springs Face
- Upper Warm Springs
- Race Arena
- Mid Hemingway
- Mid Greyhawk
- Mid Cozy
- Lower Picabo's Street
- Lower Hemingway
- I-80
- Brick's Island
- Upper Canyon
- Mid River Run
- Lower Canyon
- Lower Blue Grouse
Black Diamond Runs: Most Difficult Trails
These runs are for experienced skiers looking for the biggest thrills.
- Sleeping Bear
- Exhibition
- Inhibition
- Olympic (This is a different run from Olympic Lane or Olympic Ridge)
- Fire Trail
- Mayday Bowl
- Lookout Bowl
- Easter Bowl
- Little Easter Bowl
- Rock Garden
- Upper Limelight
- Upper Hemingway
- Upper Picabo's Street
- Upper Greyhawk
- Upper Cozy
- Mid Picabo's Street
- Mid Limelight
- International
- Arnold's Run
- Upper River Run
- Upper Holiday
- Mid Holiday
- Lower Holiday
Bald Mountain in TV Shows
Bald Mountain has even been featured in television! In the NBC miniseries called 10.5: Apocalypse, this mountain was shown as a fictional volcano. In the show, it erupted with a lot of force. Hot gases and ash flowed down the mountain, covering everything. This included the ski areas and the nearby towns of Sun Valley, Ketchum, and Hailey. Rescue teams in the story searched through the debris for survivors. Remember, this was just a fictional event for the TV show!
