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Latest in Idaho
Sun Valley Becomes America's First Dark Sky Certified Ski Resort
Sun Valley, Idaho has become the first ski resort in the United States to earn certification through DarkSky International's Approved Lodging & Resorts Program, recognising its outdoor lighting practices, environmental stewardship, and habitat protection. To mark the achievement, Sun Valley is running a Perseid Meteor Shower event on 12 August, with a 125 US dollar ticket covering a gondola ride up Bald Mountain, food and drinks, and guided astronomy programming.
Michael Fulton
U.S. Forest Service Approves 694-Acre Expansion at Grand Targhee Resort, Wyoming
The U.S. Forest Service has approved a 694-acre boundary expansion at Grand Targhee Resort in Wyoming, clearing the way for new terrain in Teton Canyon and a summit restaurant on Fred's Mountain. The decision follows a five-year review process and comes with wildlife protections, architectural restrictions, and a pair of objection windows before construction can begin.
Michael Fulton
Kelly Canyon to Extend Snowmaking to Top of Goldrush Lift Ahead of 2026-27 Season
Kelly Canyon in eastern Idaho is pushing snowmaking infrastructure to the top of its Goldrush lift this summer. The project aims to improve early season opening, snow coverage across the mountain, and overall season length ahead of the 2026-27 winter.
Michael Fulton
Western U.S. Ski Resorts Close Early as Warm Weather Compounds Poor Snow Season
A heat wave hitting the western United States has forced dozens of ski resorts to close early or abandon their seasons entirely. With below-average snowpacks across the region, the warm spell has ended operations at over 40 resorts from Arizona to Montana.
Michael Fulton
Sun Valley Replacing Two Key Lifts on Bald Mountain
Sun Valley has secured federal approval to replace the Lookout Express and Christmas chairlifts on Bald Mountain, with construction beginning April 2026. The Lookout Express quad will become a six-pack, while Christmas remains a quad. Both upgrades aim to increase uphill capacity and reduce ride times on the Idaho resort's primary mountain.
Michael Fulton
Inbounds Avalanche at Silver Mountain Raises Questions After Fatal 2020 Slide
Two skiers were caught in an inbounds avalanche on a double black diamond run at Silver Mountain Resort in Idaho, despite patrol conducting avalanche mitigation earlier that day. Both escaped without serious injury, but the incident raises questions about a resort that permanently closed terrain following a fatal 2020 slide.
Michael Fulton
Tamarack Resort Season Pass Pricing: What the Numbers Actually Mean
Tamarack has opened sales for its 2026-27 season pass at $499, claiming it's the best deal of the year. We break down whether the early-bird pricing represents genuine value or standard industry tiering tactics, and what the cap on pass sales really means for access.
Michael Fulton
Tamarack Resort Opens with Limited Terrain After Late Season Start
Tamarack Resort in Idaho has opened for the 2025-26 season on December 22, running three lifts with upper-mountain-only access. The delayed opening follows limited early snowfall, with skiers restricted from accessing lower mountain terrain as operations teams work to expand coverage.
Michael Fulton
Sun Valley Adds Multi-Day Adult Ski and Snowboard Camps for 2025-26
Sun Valley has launched four multi-day camp programmes for adult skiers and riders, including an all-women's intermediate camp. The structured packages aim to capture a growing segment of the lessons market, though the pricing and value proposition remain unclear.
Michael Fulton
Tamarack Resort's World's Best Award: Marketing Coup or Earned Recognition?
Tamarack Resort in Idaho has been named a Top Resort in Travel + Leisure's 2025 World's Best Awards. But what does this accolade really mean for skiers and riders considering a visit?
Michael Fulton
Sun Valley Resort Proposes Lift Upgrades, Are They Needed?
Sun Valley Resort's plan to replace four chairlifts faces regulatory hurdles and raises questions about long-term sustainability and guest experience impacts.
Michael Fulton
American Airlines Boosts Flights to Major Ski Resorts for 2025-26 Season
American Airlines announces new routes and expanded services to popular ski destinations for the 2025-26 winter season, including Sun Valley, Santa Fe, and Aspen.
Michael Fulton
Sun Valley's New Luxury Hotel: The Harriman Opening in 2026
Viceroy Hotels & Resorts announces plans for The Harriman, a new luxury hotel in Ketchum, Idaho, set to open in June 2026. The hotel will feature 73 rooms, 12 penthouse residences, and amenities including a spa, restaurant, and rooftop bar.
Michael Fulton
Idaho Ski Resort Closing Dates for 2025 Season
As spring approaches, Idaho ski resorts announce their closing dates for the 2025 season. Bogus Basin, Brundage, Tamarack, and Sun Valley share their final operating days and special events.
Michael Fulton
Latest News
More from the SnowStash desk
FIS Weighs Holding World Championships in Almost Every Winter, Starting 2032
The International Ski and Snowboard Federation is looking at a major shake-up to its title events calendar. From 2032, World Championships could run not just in odd-numbered years but in every non-Olympic winter too, effectively putting a global title event on the calendar almost every season. The FIS Council has approved the concept following a feasibility study, though an accelerated rollout as early as 2028 is also under consideration.
4 Sept 2026
Mount Buller Becomes Latest Australian Resort to Call Time Early on 2026
Mount Buller closes out its 2026 season this Sunday, joining Falls Creek, Hotham and Charlotte Pass in a cluster of closures landing almost simultaneously and roughly a month ahead of schedule. The culprit is stark: Spencers Creek's benchmark snow depth hit 31.2cm on 3 September, just 18% of the 73-year average and an all-time low for this point in the season. Six of Victoria and NSW's best-known resorts will have shut their lifts early within a span of about two and a half weeks.
4 Sept 2026
Tremblant to Add New Timber Summit Ski Sector for 2027/28 Season
Tremblant has confirmed a major expansion of its Quebec ski area, with a new Timber Summit sector adding 62 acres of terrain, eight trails and a high-speed quad chairlift for winter 2027/28. It's part of a CAD 42.5 million investment that also includes a new beginner learning zone at Versant Soleil opening this coming season. The project has grown considerably since it was first announced back in 2020, when it carried a far smaller budget and an opening date that never eventuated.
2 Sept 2026
Mount Hotham to Close for the 2026 Season on Sunday, September 6
We knew when the Bird Bath Pond Skim showed up on Hotham's Instagram that the season was on its way out. It's been a rough one - I only managed two days on snow all year, at Falls Creek - and now Baw Baw, Selwyn and Hotham have all called it, possibly the worst Australian season I've seen in a decade. Hotham's last day of lift operations is Sunday, 6 September, with a Retro Day, Father's Day après and closing sales before the lifts stop turning for good.
1 Sept 2026
Thredbo to Replace Ageing Gunbarrel Quad With New Six-Seat Chairlift for 2028
Thredbo Alpine Resort has confirmed plans to replace its 37-year-old Gunbarrel quad chairlift with a new six-seat Doppelmayr D-Line, targeting winter 2028. The AUD 35 million project will keep travel time roughly the same but lift capacity from 2,800 to 3,000 skiers per hour. It's part of a broader investment push that also includes doubled snowmaking capacity at Friday Flat for 2027, with the ageing Kosciuszko Express now flagged as the resort's next major lift replacement after Gunbarrel.
31 Aug 2026
Aerial Tram Collides With Crane at Alpe d'Huez: 23 Injured
An aerial tram carrying around fifty passengers struck the boom of a construction crane on the route to Pic Blanc at Alpe d'Huez on Wednesday morning, injuring 23 people, three seriously. The cabin tipped on impact before the operator reversed it to right the car. Most of the injured were treated on site, with five taken to hospital in Grenoble, including a pregnant woman assessed as a precaution.
28 Aug 2026
Why Glaciers Are Collapsing - And What Happens When They Do
A deadly flood on the Nepal-China border, a decade-old tragedy on Italy's Marmolada, and an unstable glacier right now above a village near Zermatt - three very different mountain ranges, the same underlying story. Warming ice is destabilising terrain that was considered settled for generations, and the results range from catastrophic floods to slow-motion monitoring situations that could go either way.
27 Aug 2026
Pitztal Glacier Set to Reopen for the 2026/27 Ski Season on 26 September
Tyrol's highest ski area is gearing up to open a full month ahead of most of the Alps. The Pitztal Glacier is scheduled to start its 2026/27 season on Saturday 26 September, running through to 2 May 2027, with the lower-altitude Rifflsee area following in December. High-altitude terrain up to 3,440 metres gives the glacier a head start on snow, though as always, the actual opening extent will depend on how September's weather plays out. Early online ski pass bookings can save up to 30%.
26 Aug 2026