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Soldier Mountain

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Coordinates: 43°29′06″N 114°49′48″W / 43.485°N 114.830°W / 43.485; -114.830
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Soldier Mountain Ski Area
Soldier Mountain Ski Area is located in Idaho
Soldier Mountain Ski Area
Soldier Mountain Ski Area
Location in Idaho
Soldier Mountain Ski Area is located in the United States
Soldier Mountain Ski Area
Soldier Mountain Ski Area
Location in United States
LocationSawtooth National Forest
Camas County, Idaho, U.S.
Nearest major cityFairfield - 12 mi (19 km)
Hailey - 45 mi (72 km)
Mtn. Home - 76 mi (122 km)
Coordinates43°29′06″N 114°49′48″W / 43.485°N 114.830°W / 43.485; -114.830
Vertical1,421 feet (433 m)
Top elevation7,177 feet (2,188 m)
Base elevation5,756 feet (1,754 m)
Skiable area1,180 acres (4.8 km2)
Trails36
- 28% easiest
- 25% more difficult
- 47% most difficult
Lift system2 double chairs
1 magic carpet
Terrain parks1
Snowfall100 inches (250 cm)
Snowmakingnot in service
Night skiingnone
Websitesoldiermountain.com

Soldier Mountain Ski Area is an alpine ski area in the western United States, in the Soldier Mountains of Sawtooth National Forest in south central Idaho. Located 12 miles (19 km) north of Fairfield in very rural Camas County, its summit elevation is 7,177 feet (2,188 m) above sea level with a vertical drop of 1,425 feet (434 m). The area has two chairlifts in series on its east-facing slopes, and a magic carpet was installed in the fall of 2012 near the base.[1] The magic carpet was replaced in 2020 after the original was destroyed in a fire.

During its seasonal operations, Soldier Mountain is open from Thursday through Sunday, except for the Christmas holiday season when it is open daily.

History

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After watching the 1948 Winter Olympic tryouts in nearby Sun Valley, Bob Frostenson and his friend, Harry Durall, decided they could not turn their backs on the sport of skiing. That summer they raised $10,000 (equivalent to $126,800 today[2]) and began work on a base lodge, and purchased two rope tows, the first powered by a 1938 Chevrolet engine. They cut timber, installed lifts, and built lodges by hand.[3]

The first chairlift was installed in 1971, and the upper chairlift (Bird's Eye) was added in 1974. Soldier has 1,150 acres (4.7 km2) of variable terrain including a terrain park, glades, bowls, and tree skiing. Soldier maintained snowmaking capabilities, although it has not operated since 1996. Four miles (6 km) west of Soldier's summit is Smoky Dome, with an elevation of 10,095 feet (3,077 m). In between there are several peaks well over 9,000 feet (2,740 m): Peak 1 at 9,147 feet (2,788 m) and Peak 2 at 9,529 feet (2,904 m) are used in Soldier's backcountry skiing operations, served by snowcat.

Actor Bruce Willis, a part-time resident of Hailey, bought the ski area in the mid-1990s. It was speculated that Willis planned lift service to Peak 1 or Peak 2.[4]

An early morning fire on Monday, March 30, 2009, destroyed the 61-year-old base lodge. The cause was attributed to electrical wiring, and occurred shortly after the final day of the ski season.[5][6][7] A new 4,500-square-foot (420 m2) base lodge was constructed and Soldier Mountain reopened ten months later, on January 28, 2010.[8][9][10]

After nearly two decades of ownership, Willis donated it to a non-profit organization, "Soldier Mountain Ski Area, Inc", in 2012. Many of its members were from the area and had been skiing/boarding the mountain since childhood.[1][11][12] On November 4, 2015, the McFerrans of Bend, Oregon, purchased Soldier Mountain from a debt auction for $149,000.[13] In 2018, the McFerrans put the ski area up for sale for $800,000, listed it on Craigslist in 2019, and eventually sold it to an investment group called Ascent Ventures from Lehi, Utah, in 2020.[14][15]

The new ownership then built a few lift-served mountain bike single track trails that were set to open on August 7, 2020. However, a lightning strike started a wildfire on August 5 that spread through most of the area, either damaging or destroying most of the equipment on the mountain while leaving the lodge area untouched.[15] The ski area was able to make enough repairs to open for the 2020–21 season.[16] The mountain added four more bike trails in early 2021 and opened the trail system on May 21, 2021.[17]

Lifts

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Lift name Vertical
drop 		Length Type Ride
time 		Hourly
capacity 		Gradient Year
High Trail 876'
(267 m) 		3740'
(1140 m) 		Double Chair 7.5 mins 23.4%
(13.2 deg.) 		1971
Bird's Eye 599'
(183 m) 		2265'
(690 m) 		Double Chair 5 mins 26.4%
(14.8 deg.) 		1974
Miss Belle 50'
(15 m) 		220'
(91 m) 		Magic Carpet 2.5 mins 16.7%
(9.5 deg.) 		2020

Video

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  • You Tube   Soldier Mountain lodge fire - March 30, 2009

References

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  1. ^ a b Zatkulak, Karen (December 27, 2012). "Soldier Mountain reopens as nonprofit ski area". KTVB. Archived from the original on December 2, 2013. Retrieved November 24, 2013.
  2. ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  3. ^ Stahl, Greg (April 23, 2003). "Soldier Mountain founder killed in vehicle accident". (Ketchum) Idaho Mountain Express. Retrieved November 24, 2013.
  4. ^ Kauffman, Jason (February 6, 2009). "Soldier Mountain dreams bigger". (Ketchum) Idaho Mountain Express. Retrieved November 24, 2013.
  5. ^ Kauffman, Jason (April 1, 2009). "Soldier lodge victim of electric fire". (Ketchum) Idaho Mountain Express. Retrieved November 24, 2013.
  6. ^ Finn, Natalie (March 30, 2009). "Bruce Willis' ski lodge burns down". E! Online. Retrieved November 24, 2013.
  7. ^ "Willis aims to rebuild lodge at his Idaho ski area". USA Today. Associated Press. July 6, 2009. Retrieved November 24, 2013.
  8. ^ (Boise) Idaho Statesman - Old memories, new lodge at Soldier Mountain - 2010-02-11
  9. ^ "Soldier Mountain Ski Resort opens with new lodge". KTVB. January 28, 2010. Archived from the original on December 2, 2013. Retrieved November 24, 2013.
  10. ^ Tucker, Hailey (Winter 2011). "Soldiering on after disaster". Sun Valley magazine. Retrieved November 24, 2013.
  11. ^ Crisp, Andrew (December 12, 2012). "Soldier Mountain ski area changes hands, eyes opening day". Boise Weekly. Retrieved November 24, 2013.
  12. ^ "Bruce Willis offers to donate Idaho ski area". Yahoo! News. Associated Press. April 4, 2012. Retrieved November 24, 2013.
  13. ^ Ryan Thorne (November 11, 2015). "Soldier Mountain sold for debt owed: More than 2,000 applicants vied for ownership of ski area". Idaho Mountain Express. Retrieved March 29, 2020. Bend, Ore., residents Matt and Diane McFerran purchased the resort for $149,000 on Nov. 4 after being chosen from more than 2,000 candidates who applied in a special auction, according to the organization's Facebook page.
  14. ^ "Soldier Mountain Ski Area to change hands again". KTVB. September 10, 2020.
  15. ^ a b "Fire Burns Through Heart Of South Central Idaho Ski Resort". Boise State Public Radio. August 12, 2020.
  16. ^ "Sprucing up the place. Soldier Mountain prepares to open after devastation from Phillips Fire". Magic Valley. October 29, 2020.
  17. ^ "New mountain bike park opens Friday at Soldier Mountain". KTVB. May 19, 2021.
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