Sun Valley is one of the nation's most well-known ski resorts. Photo: KJELL LINDER/Getty Images

Sun Valley Wants To Upgrade Two More Chairlifts

Originally posted on Powder | By Ian Greenwood | Last updated Jul 15, 2025 7:14 AM ET

Sun Valley, Idaho, announced Friday that, pending required U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) approvals, it will move forward with the replacement of a popular chairlift on Bald Mountain after the upcoming ski season, among other projects.

The Lookout Express is currently a four-person high-speed chairlift that transports skiers from the mid-mountain to the Lookout Restaurant. After being replaced, it would have a six-person lift capacity.

Another lift set for replacement is the four-person high-speed Christmas chairlift, which also deposits skiers at the Lookout Restaurant. It will be replaced by another, newer quad. This part of Sun Valley's plans has already been scoped and approved.

The Christmas and Lookout Express chairlifts were installed in 1988 and 1993, respectively. Should the project get underway, both replacements are expected to open during the 2026-2027 ski season.

Pete Sonntag, COO at Sun Valley Resort, said the upgraded chairlifts “will ensure fast, reliable access to some of Sun Valley’s best terrain for many years to come.”

Sonntag added that the new chairlifts are bundled with several other infrastructure improvements "are intended to modernize critical infrastructure."

They include a new shared maintenance building near the top of Lookout and trail improvements, alongside upgrades to Sun Valley’s snowmaking, domestic water, and electrical power systems.

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Sun Valley also intends to allow e-bike access on all mountain bike trails in the future if it receives approval.

“Our goal, as always, is to maintain Sun Valley’s reputation as one of the world’s great mountain destinations while staying true to our roots of being a warm and welcoming family-owned business,” Sonntag said.

Two more chairlift replacements are noted in the project proposal—one for River Run and another for Frenchman’s—but this portion of the proposal has no established timeline.

Sun Valley has replaced several chairlifts over the past few winters. During the 2023-2024 ski season, it unveiled a new six-person high-speed chairlift that replaced the Challenger and Greyhawk lifts.

The ski resort has also replaced the Seattle Ridge chairlift and installed a reimagined Flying Squirrel chairlift, which, in 2014, was damaged by a fire.

This article first appeared on Powder and was syndicated with permission.

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