Sun Valley Plans Complete Overhaul of Warm Springs Lift Network
A view of the existing Challenger and Greyhawk lifts from the Warm Springs base in March 2021.
UPDATE: This project is confirmed for the 2023-24 season.
Earlier this week, Idaho’s Sun Valley released a draft USFS proposal to entirely revamp its Warm Springs lift network. This considerable project would replace the existing Challenger and Greyhawk high-speed quads, both of which are now over three decades old, with two brand new lifts—a six-pack, and a new detachable quad. The initiative would also entail one new ski trail with snowmaking coverage.
The new six-pack would directly replace both the Challenger and Greyhawk lifts, using the same lift line as the current Challenger lift but featuring a mid-station at the current Greyhawk terminus. The high-speed quad would run in a completely new alignment, starting at the Warm Springs base but mostly replicating the lift line of the long-removed Flying Squirrel lift after that. The new Lower Flying Squirrel trail would be cut to support additional guest traffic around the lift.
The Warm Springs lift replacement project is currently in the public comments stage. If approved, the new lifts could enter into service as early as the 2023-24 season.
Sun Valley released a diagram detailing the lift and trail alterations as part of their Warm Springs proposal.
Our Take
While capacity is often sufficient to handle the demand in the area, Sun Valley’s current Warm Springs lift pod is not the best designed. The only way out is through the protracted Challenger lift, which extends the vast majority of the resort’s vertical drop. On top of that, there’s no mid-mountain option to return back to the top—which means those entering the Warm Springs area must endeavor a more-than-3,000-foot vertical journey before earning a break.
The Challenger lift replacement won’t make lapping upper-mountain Warm Springs terrain any easier (the proposed mid-station won’t have a loading area, but maybe it should). However, the second planned lift will make it a whole lot easier to get out of the area—and will significantly cut down travel time from Warm Springs to mid-mountain trail pods. Moreover, the revamped lift network will finally provide redundancy for guests to leave the Warm Springs area in the event that Challenger sees issues, relieving what’s perhaps Sun Valley’s biggest chokepoint.
The proposed setup as part of this plan isn’t perfect, but it should go a long way towards better integrating this pivotal mountain pod—which often enjoys some of the best snow preservation at Sun Valley—into the rest of the resort.
Considering a trip to Sun Valley next season? Check out our comprehensive mountain review, as well as our take on the resort’s switch from Epic to Ikon for the upcoming season. Additionally, check out our full Rockies rankings.
