Soldier Mountain Ski Resort
Soldier Mountain Ski Resort is the antithesis to its high profile neighbor
Sun Valley. It’s not a destination ski resort, it’s delightfully isolated, it doesn’t attract the crowds, and it’s got a laidback friendly vibe with an emphasis on community spirit.
Pros
- Soldier Mountain is uncrowded.
- The ski area is family friendly a vibe that’s just generally friendly.
- Lift tickets, lessons and rentals are very affordable, and Soldier Mountain is also on the Indy Pass.
- The Soldier Mountain cat skiing is quite affordable.
Cons
- The lift serviced terrain is not large and the lift infrastructure is simple.
Pro or Con Depending On Your Perspective
- It’s off the beaten track so it takes a little commitment to get there, yet this helps to keep the skier traffic low.
Ski and Snowboard Terrain
Soldier Mountain is not an overly developed or large ski area and it consists of 1,150 acres of skiable terrain on mostly east facing slopes. Soldier Mountain Ski Resort has 35 marked trails and elevations from 5,756 ft up to 7,177 ft on Soldier Peak.
The named trails are a pretty even spread of beginner, intermediate and advanced.
The Soldier Mountain ski area is serviced by two chairlifts. The High Trail Express heads up from the base, whilst above that is a fixed grip double chair. The base area also has a magic carpet for novices.
There is also the backcountry terrain behind and above the lift-serviced terrain for
Soldier Mountain cat skiing and Trax skiing.
The ski resort is open from Thursday to Sunday and you can book the ski resort as your own private Idaho mountain on Monday to Wednesday.
Snow
Reliable statistics on the season snowfall at Soldier Mountain are not available but it’s thought to be somewhat less than nearby Sun Valley and in the realm of 100 inches.
Where is Soldier Mountain?
Soldier Mountain is in South Central Idaho in the Sawtooths. It’s located in the sparsely populated Camas County and the small town of Fairfield (population approximately 400) is 12 miles (19km) to the south.
To get there from Fairfield, drive north on Soldier Rd for 2 miles, head east on Base Line Rd for 0.3 miles, then north on Soldier Creek Rd for 9 miles.
The
Sun Valley Ski Resort is 64 miles to the northeast.
Boise Airport is 109 miles by road west of the ski field.
Lodging
There are a few options for lodging. You can stay at the Prairie Inn in Fairfield or there are cabins and vacation rentals nearby.
Or if you’re a van lifer or have a motorhome, there is camping in the north end of the parking lot at Soldier Mountain Ski Resort.
Facilities
The day lodge at the base has a little cafeteria or you can eat at the pub.
The resort offers inexpensive ski and snowboard equipment rentals.
Inexpensive ski and snowboard lessons are available Thursday to Sunday.
There is also a tubing hill for more sliding fun.