SUN VALLEY. America's first destination ski resort is loading its 91st winter season with new lift infrastructure. Sun Valley Resort plans to open two new high-speed lifts in December 2026: the Doppelmayr Lookout Express, a high-speed six-pack with a 2,673-foot vertical rise and an 8.5-minute ride replacing the original 1993 lift, and the Christmas lift, a high-speed detachable quad with a 1,354-foot vertical rise replacing the original 1988 lift.
The Stifel Sun Valley Finals return to Bald Mountain March 20 through 25, 2027, the second time Sun Valley has hosted the season-ending Finals. The 2025 event drew the world's top skiers, including Mikaela Shiffrin's slalom win and Lindsey Vonn's first World Cup podium since returning to racing.
New terrain, snowmaking, and dark skies
The resort is adding 50 acres of newly gladed terrain between Christin's Silver, Leigh Lane and Upper Broadway, building on 90 acres completed last summer, and upgrading snowmaking across all four pumphouses on Bald Mountain. Dollar Mountain's Sunny's Adventure Park, the beginner learning area, opens for its second season in December.
Sun Valley Resort also earned certification from DarkSky International this year, the first U.S. resort to receive the designation through the DarkSky Approved Lodging and Resorts Program, recognizing responsible outdoor lighting, habitat protection, and public education around light pollution.
The annual Pray for Snow Party returns to River Run Lodge on Saturday, November 7. Season pass partnerships with Ikon Pass and The Mountain Collective continue, with December Ski Free lodging offers from November 29 through December 20 and Kids Ski Free for children 12 and under booked into resort lodging for three or more nights.
