Soldier Mountain facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Soldier Mountain Ski Area
Soldier Mountain Ski Area Location in Idaho Show map of Idaho Soldier Mountain Ski Area Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	Sawtooth National Forest Camas County, Idaho, U.S.
Nearest city	Fairfield - 12 mi (19 km) Hailey - 45 mi (72 km) Mtn. Home - 76 mi (122 km)
Coordinates	43°29′06″N 114°49′48″W / 43.485°N 114.830°W / 43.485; -114.830
Vertical	1,425 feet (434 m)
Top elevation	7,177 feet (2,188 m)
Base elevation	5,752 feet (1,753 m)
Skiable area	1,150 acres (4.7 km2)
Runs	36 - 28% easiest - 25% more difficult - 47% most difficult
Lift system	2 double chairs 1
Terrain parks	1
Snowfall	100 inches (250 cm)
Snowmaking	not in service
Night skiing	none

Soldier Mountain Ski Area is a fun place to ski and snowboard in the western United States. It's located in the Soldier Mountains within the Sawtooth National Forest in south-central Idaho. The ski area is about 12 miles north of Fairfield in a very quiet area called Camas County.

The highest point you can ski from at Soldier Mountain is about 7,177 feet above sea level. From there, you can ski down about 1,425 feet. The area has two chairlifts that take you up the mountain. There is also a "magic carpet" lift near the bottom, which is like a moving sidewalk for skiers and snowboarders. This magic carpet was added in 2012.

History of Soldier Mountain

After watching the tryouts for the 1948 Winter Olympics in nearby Sun Valley, two friends, Bob Frostenson and Harry Durall, really wanted to create their own ski area. In the summer of 1948, they raised $10,000 to get started.

They worked hard to build a base lodge and bought two "rope tows" to pull skiers up the hill. One of these rope tows was even powered by an old 1938 Chevrolet engine! They cut down trees, put in the lifts, and built the lodges all by hand.

The first chairlift at Soldier Mountain was installed in 1971. A few years later, in 1974, the upper chairlift, called Bird's Eye, was added. Soldier Mountain has a large area of 1,150 acres for skiing. This includes a terrain park (where you can do tricks), glades (open areas in the trees), bowls (wide, open slopes), and tree skiing (skiing through trees).

The ski area has equipment to make artificial snow, but it hasn't been used since 1996. Soldier Mountain is usually open from Thursday through Sunday. During the Christmas holiday season, it is open every day.

About 4 miles west of Soldier Mountain's highest point is Smoky Dome, which is much taller at 10,095 feet. Between these two points are other peaks that are over 9,000 feet high. Some of these higher peaks are used for backcountry skiing, where skiers go off the marked trails into wilder areas. Special vehicles called snowcats take people to these spots.

On March 30, 2009, an old base lodge that was 61 years old was destroyed by a fire. The fire started because of electrical wiring, and it happened right after the ski season ended. A new, bigger base lodge was built. Soldier Mountain reopened just ten months later, on January 28, 2010.

In the mid-1990s, the famous actor Bruce Willis, who lived part-time in Hailey, bought the ski area. After owning it for almost 20 years, he gave it away in 2012 to a non-profit organization called Soldier Mountain Ski Area, Inc. Many people in this group grew up skiing and snowboarding at Soldier Mountain. Then, on November 4, 2015, a family from Oregon, the McFerrans, bought Soldier Mountain and have been running it ever since.

Lifts at Soldier Mountain

Here are the main lifts you'll find at Soldier Mountain:

Video