TL;DR
Exciting developments are underway at Sun Valley, Idaho, as ski enthusiasts eagerly anticipate the upgraded lifts for the upcoming winter season. The iconic Challenger Lift is undergoing a transformation into a high-speed six-seater, promising a 35% increase in speed compared to its predecessor. As part of the Warm Springs Enhancement Project, Sun Valley is also removing the Greyhawk four-seater lift but ensuring continued accessibility to its terrain by placing the new Challenger lift's mid-station at the previous top location.
As summer approaches, ski resorts across North America are actively working on improving their lifts. In Sun Valley, Idaho, a video captures the exciting progress of the iconic Challenger Lift renovation, as helicopters remove its final towers. The Challenger Lift is undergoing a transformation into a high-speed six-seater with a new mid-mountain off-load station. Sun Valley expects the upgraded lift to operate 35% faster than its previous version, which has now been dismantled. This replacement of the Challenger lift is part of a larger initiative known as the Warm Springs Enhancement Project, aimed at enhancing Sun Valley's Warm Springs base area. In addition to the Challenger Lift upgrade, the project involves the removal of the Greyhawk four-seater lift. To ensure continued access to Greyhawk's terrain, the mid-station of the new Challenger lift will be positioned at the previous top location of the Greyhawk lift.The Warm Springs Enhancement Project also includes the reintroduction of the four-seater Flying Squirrel lift. The original Flying Squirrel lift, which had fallen into disuse, was unfortunately destroyed in a fire back in 2014. Sun Valley plans to unveil the new Challenger and Flying Squirrel lifts for the upcoming 2023-2024 winter season. Refer to the image below for a detailed overview of the expanded lift offerings resulting from these improvements.


About the author

Michael Fulton
Melbourne-based skier and snowboarder with 50+ resorts across 5 continents. Specialises in Australian resorts and international resort comparisons.










