Opened on December 20, 2023, the Warm Springs Enhancement Project greatly improves skier circulation on the mountain, allowing skier traffic to flow over a wider area of skiable terrain. The upgrades improve lift quality, efficiency and sustainability and provide multiple options for accessing the mountain from the Warm Springs area.
Warm Springs Enhancement
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This undertaking has been one of the most ambitious mountain projects we've accomplished in many years, and I could not be more proud of our team and excited to show our guests what we've been hard at work on since last spring. These two new lift openings mark an exciting next chapter for Sun Valley Resort and we look forward to celebrating with our community, our guests and the entire Sun Valley team.
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– Pete Sonntag, Vice President and General Manager of Sun Valley Resort
Project Overview Map
Flying Squirrel Lift Top Terminal
Flying Squirrel Lift Top Terminal
Flying Squirrel Lift Bottom Terminal
Challenger Top Terminal
Challenger Top Terminal
Challenger Mid Station
Challenger Mid Station
Warm Springs Base Terminals (Left: Flying Squirrel; Right: Challenger)
PROJECT PLANS
- Whisked away. The Challenger and Greyhawk lifts have been replaced with a cutting-edge Doppelmayr 6-pack, covering a distance of 3,138 vertical feet in just 8 minutes. The new lift will honor the same name as its predecessor, Challenger, and will boast the largest vertical rise in North America.
- Streamlined access. The Challenger replacement features a convenient mid-lift unload, which will replaces the old Greyhawk lift and streamlines access to the Greyhawk terrain and popular race venues.
- Reintroducing Flying Squirrel. Having lost the former lift to fire in 2014, the new Flying Squirrel chairlift, a Doppelmayr 4-pack, transports skiers from the Warm Springs base to mid-mountain, offering access to terrain of all difficulty levels and the River Run base area. Advanced skiers can now conveniently reach Warm Springs via the newly extended Lower Flying Squirrel trail.
- Making better connections. Combined, these new lifts not only improve skier circulation, they also offer simplified ways to access other regions of the mountain. Explore more of Bald Mountain with the ability to easily return to your Warm Springs home base.
Warm Springs Enhancement Details
Challenger Lift
Introducing the first D-line chairlift with a mid-station in North America.
- Slope Length: 8,693 feet
- Vertical Rise: 3,138 feet — the biggest vertical rise chairlift in North America
- Lift Time (bottom to top): 8 minutes
- Lift Time (bottom to mid-station): 3 minutes, 20 seconds
- Motor Size: 1,690 Horsepower
- Speed: 1,181 feet per minute
- Capacity: 2,465 people per hour
- Chair Lifts & Towers: 109 Chairs and 28 Towers
Flying Squirrel Lift
A Doppelmayr 4-pack, Flying Squirrel transports skiers from the Warm Springs base to mid-mountain, offering access to terrain of all difficulty levels.
- Slope Length: 6,252 feet
- Vertical Rise: 2,353 feet
- Lift Time (bottom to top): 6 minutes, 15 seconds
- Motor Size: 800 Horsepower
- Speed: 1,000 feet per minute
- Capacity: 1,795 people per hour
- Chair Lifts & Towers: 98 Chairs and 21 Towers
New Lower Flying Squirrel Trail (Opening Soon)
Advanced skiers will be able to conveniently reach Warm Springs via the newly extended Lower Flying Squirrel trail.
- Rating: Black Diamond
- Pitch: 38% slope; 21.8 degrees
- Vertical: 1,500 feet
- Snowmaking Towers: 14
Progress Updates
Watch the Warm Springs Enhancement Project unfold over an incredible 35 weeks.