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Sun Valley Ski Holidays

At a glance

  • Glamorous old ski town
  • Glorious sunshine

Great for

  • Families
  • Intermediates
  • Non skiers

Ski Holidays in Sun Valley

Turning the grand old age of 80 in 2016, Sun Valley is the oldest resort in the US, the birthplace of chair lifts and - we kid you not - hot tubs. With a guest list that reads like a Who’s Who of old Hollywood, for a history buff its firing on all cylinders. It still remains as relevant as the good old days, thanks to almost year-round sun, endless vertical slopes and virtually no crowds.

  • Flight Time
  • 9 hours
  • From London
  • Nearest Airports
  • Denver, Jackson Hole etc.
  • Time zone
  • GMT -5 to -8 hours
  • Language
  • English
  • Currency
  • US Dollar
  • Ski Season
  • Dec - April

Sun Valley Stats

Top Altitude
9150ft / 2789m
Bottom Altitude
5920ft / 1805m
Resort Altitude
5920ft / 1805m
Total Piste
2154 acres / 121 runs
Longest Run
3 miles
Slope Orientation
Vertical Drop
Skiable Vertical
3000ft
Night Skiing
No
Glacier Skiing
No

It all started for Sun - and Alpine skiing in the US - not with an American, but an Austrian (and a Count, at that). Felix Schaffgosch spent weeks looking for a spot to rival the best resorts in Switzerland and Austria. When he came across the sleepy mining town of Ketchum and the stonking great Wood River Valley, he knew he’d found it. The rest, as they say, is history – some pretty important history – including the invention of the world’s first chairlift (adapted from a system used to haul bananas onto freight ships…).

Over the years, Sun Valley’s reputation as a cutting-edge resort has earnt it star-studded attention. Just check out the corridors of flagship hotel, the Sun Valley Lodge, for photos of the stars who’ve stayed and played here, and suites named after favourite guests, like Marilyn Monroe, Hemingway and Clint Eastwood (did you SNO: Hemingway finished “For Whom the Bell Tolls” in Suite 206...). The celebrity trend hasn’t abated, and famous faces you may spot on the slopes today include Zuckerberg and Oprah... Batman (aka Adam West) lives here too.

But why so popular? For a start, the mountains. 2 of them, Bald Mountain (“Baldy”) and Dollar Mountain have more than 121 perfectly groomed runs between them, and many at the constant pitches that make for effortless, dream-like skiing. There’s terrain for everyone and often not a soul in sight as you sail down it. Next, there’s luxurious Sun Valley village and the old mining town of Ketchum (just a short shuttle ride away) – a compelling mix of heart, history and modern infrastructure. Finally, Sun Valley is so-called for a reason. It sees an average 250 days of the stuff a year.

It’s not much of a surprise that 95% of visitors plan a second trip.

Winter Sports Ratings

Beginners

Intermediate

Advanced

Snowboarding

Sun Valley Transfer Times

Friedman Memorial Airport 15 miles, 30 mins
Salt Lake City International Airport 296 miles, 4.5 hours

The nearest airport to Sun Valley is Salt Lake City International at ? km or about ? by car

What's the ski area like in Sun Valley?

With a respectable 2154 skiable acres, a variety of terrain and a lack of lift lines, it’s not hard to see why Sun Valley has so many die-hard fans. The taller peak, Baldy (9150ft), is counted among the top ski mountains in the world for its groomers, towering high with an impressive vertical of 3400ft. Meanwhile, Dollar has progressed from having the world’s first chairlift to being “Park Central,” with some of the best pipe and park offerings in the North West (including a 22-foot super pipe).

For beginners and families, Dollar is the place to start, a friendly mountain made up almost entirely of blue and green runs. This is also the base of Sun Valley’s famed ski school. Once they’ve helped you’ve mastered your turns, Baldy has the trickier terrain, including green run U.College, dropping 3000ft from the Lookout restaurant.

With blue trails making up 42 percent of the terrain, Sun Valley is intermediate heaven, with the pick of both mountains depending on your mood. The endless groomers from the River Run Chairlift or the manageable (but exhilarating) bowls from the Mayday chairlift always leave a lasting impression.

There are no double black diamonds at Sun, but plenty of singles to please veteran skiers. Nowhere else in the US matches its long, steep groomers, perfect for high speed laps – and the reason you’ll catch so many famous racers here.

Heli-skiing is yet another activity in which this resort excels, with the largest permit area in the US, covering over 750,000 skiable acres. The Sun Valley Heli Ski guides have a collective 100 years of experience and have perfect heli ski trips down pat.

Ski Area Facts

LocationIdaho, USA
Established1936
Downhill2154 acres / 121 runs
Lift Pass$71-128 (adult pass per day)

Beginner Slopes

36%

Intermediate Skiing

42%

Advance & Expert Terrain

22%

Snowboarding Trails

2154 acres / 121 runs100%

Sun Valley Restaurants

Sun Valley Après Ski

Sun Valley Activites for Non-skiers

Clothing Food & Souvenir Shops

Sun Valley has a reputation for high calibre shopping in appealing boutiques. There are sophisticated collections of gifts, casual clothing, sportswear, books and jewellery. Stores sell fine art, fashions and photography, art gallery and fine chocolate shops also grace the charming village.

The Kitzbuhel Collection has a fascinating selection of books and cards and the Chocolate Foundry sells truffles and homemade chocolates. Pete Lane's , Panache, Sgt. Leisure are some of the fashion stores and Sun Valley Art Gallery has exhibits of local aritst's water colors, oils, acrylics, cast paper originals and prints, as well as steel and bronze sculptures. Towne & Parke has an exquisite collection of jewellery.

Best Time to Visit Sun Valley

One of the largest snowmaking systems in the country (covering 78% of the ski area) joins an average 225 inches of annual snow here, ensuring a healthy amount of the white stuff all season long. Called Sun Valley for a reason, something like 250 days of sun each year means blissful bluebird days are often a reality, even in December and January.

What's Sun Valley like at Christmas?

This resort claims to be St. Nick’s favourite stop, and in recent years he’s certainly had his fill of fun over Christmas in Sun Valley with the annual Nutcracker on Ice show, carolers, fireworks and torchlit parades down Dollar.

What's Sun Valley like in the New Year?

Besides the traditional music, s'mores and night skiing on Dollar mountain to sail into the New Year in Sun Valley, the Bubbly Bash at the River Run Lodge has annually soaked revellers in free Champagne and there’s booze-fuelled fun to be found down in the Ketchum bars.

What's Sun Valley like in Half-Term?

With slopes this quiet and terrain this good, it’s worth taking the road less travelled to spend Half Term in Sun Valley for a relaxing break from the classroom.

What's Sun Valley like at Easter?

With beautiful warm spring weather, and high-altitude snow to ski on, Easter in Sun Valley is sure to put a spring in your step…

Sun Valley Snow Conditions

Snow Report, History & Forecast

View our detailed Sun Valley snow report to see skiing confitions now. Our Sun Valley snow history shows you what snow depths have been in recent years month-by-month. If you're visiting soon, use the Sun Valley snow forecast to see predicted snowfall over the coming days.

  • Current snow depth at top
    N/A
  • Alternate Text
  • Current snow depth at base
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With an entire mountain (Dollar) dedicated to less steady skiers and boarders, and a parent-free beginner’s area, Sun Valley is a fantastic place for the little ones to get to grips with their turns. The Sun Valley Snowsports School offers lessons to kids aged 4-12 (which can be combined with day-care so you don’t have to cut your skiing short), as well as special Teen Adventure programmes. Over on Baldy Mountain, themed Adventure Trails, like Foxy Forest never fail to delight. Best yet, on special weeks, the ski area frequently offers free lift passes to kids under 12.

If they’re too young for salopettes, childcare is available for ages 1-5 and makes sure tots get out and enjoy all that this resort has to offer – with plenty of snowshoeing and sledding expeditions.

Whether you’re planning a getaway for four or forty, this is a cracking resort. Even the sleighs here hold up to 20, and for an evening activity it doesn’t get better than a group sleigh ride and dinner at Trail Creek Cabin. There’s après for all tastes, ranging from the live music and dancing at Whiskey Jacques to the ice cold beers at Lefty’s Grill, and the resort has been known to host special events on request.

Between the bowls and glistening groomers of Baldy and beginner-friendly Dollar mountain, no one’s going to feel short-changed at Sun Valley.

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Ski Extras

How much is a ski pass in Sun Valley

Maximum and minimum adult Sun Valley lift pass prices ranged from $? to $? for 6 days access to the Sun Valley ski lift system at the start of the 2025 winter season. Our lift passes are part of a packaged Sun Valley holiday with accommodation, so prices vary depending on chalet or hotel suppliers. Confirm price for the lift ticket before booking your holiday.

Lift Tickets Child Adult Senior
1 Day Price N / A N / A N / A
6 Day Price N / A N / A N / A
Age Range N / A 13 - 64 65+

Getting to Sun Valley

Most of our ski holidays to Sun Valley packaged with flights include airport transfers. We can also arrange private transfers to Sun Valley from nearby airports

How long does it take to fly to Sun Valley from the UK?

Flights from London take about 9 hours to Denver, Jackson Hole etc.. This table shows approximate transfer times to Sun Valley from the nearest airports, smaller airports can be more prone to delays.

Airport Distance Transfer Time
Salt Lake City International ? km ?
Hailey ( Idaho ) 15 km ?
Friedman Memorial ? km 25 minutes

How long is the transfer from nearest United States train station to Sun Valley?

The transfer time from alpine train stations are generally shorter than from airports, Call us for details of Sun Valley transfers.

Station Distance Transfer Time
? ? km ?

Sun Valley Maps

Sun Valley piste map
Click to Enlarge

Sun Valley Ski Holiday Resources

Need help choose your Sun Valley ski holiday? Call us on 020 7770 6888 or click Enquire - we love to help!

Enquire

Similar Ski Resorts to Sun Valley in United States


Every Sno holiday packaged with flights is ATOL protected by the Civil Aviation Authority. All our suppliers are ATOL bonded, so your money is safe. In addition to this, payments for your holiday are held in trust, by NatWest bank and the Travel Trust, who insure every booking against supplier failure.

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© 2025 SNO Group Ltd • company no. 5995288 • VAT no. 946 9394 63 SNO, Apsley House, 176 Upper Richmond Road, London, SW15 2SH.

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