Sun Valley Resort, Idaho, Announces Opening Of New Chairlift With The Largest Vertical Rise In North America

Ian Greenwood
·2 min read

Sun Valley Resort, Idaho, has announced the opening date for two new chairlifts in the Warm Springs area of the mountain: the upgraded Flying Squirrel and Challenger. Sun Valley says the new Challenger lift has the largest vertical rise of any chair in North America.

The new lifts will start spinning tomorrow, December 20th.

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Opening day festivities begin at the Warm Springs base area at 8 a.m. with live music from DJ Alex and comments from Sun Valley spokespeople. At 8:55 a.m., a ribbon cutting and customary bell-ringing will occur, followed by the Flying Squirrel and Challenger opening at 9 a.m.

The new lifts will open with access to four runs: Upper Flying Squirrel, Maiden Lane, Lower Picabo Street, and Lower Warm Springs.

Sun Valley underwent construction for the new lifts this past summer.

The new Flying Squirrel, whose predecessor was damaged in a 2014 fire, is a Doppelmayr four-seater that provides access to various run options from the Warm Springs base.

The updated cutting-edge six-person Challenger lift also departs from the Warm Springs base, whisking skiers to the upper mountain—a distance of 3,138 vertical feet—in only eight minutes.

To make way for the new Challenger, Sun Valley removed its predecessor and the Greyhawk Lift. The resort installed a Challenger mid-station to preserve access to Greyhawk's terrain network.

In addition to constructing both lifts, Sun Valley cut a new black diamond run during the off-season: Lower Flying Squirrel.

The Warm Springs base area, which is separate from Sun Valley's main base area, the River Run Plaza, hasn't opened yet this season, meaning Wednesday will bring a secondary opening day for the Idaho ski resort.

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