Sun Valley - Dollar Mountain

Dollar Mountain is Sun Valley’s beginner-oriented area. The area was actually the primary part of Sun Valley ski resort through the late 1930s, but as the resort grew, management felt it needed to move to a bigger and better location to attract a wider range of clientele. But skiing at Dollar Mountain has remained throughout the decades, and the mountain might be one of the most unique family-friendly hills out there.

The first thing you’ll notice about Dollar Mountain is how striking its topography is. The entire hill is treeless, making the area essentially into one giant bowl (with only rope lines and some rock formations separating many of the trails). The mountain is about as short as it gets in Idaho, with a vertical drop of less than 650 feet, and the top affords overlooks of the town of Ketchum and nearby, much bigger Bald Mountain.

Dollar Mountain’s short vertical means none of its runs are particularly long. However, the resort offers quick and easy access to its main terrain zones through available high-speed lifts. The Dollar high-speed quad brings guests from base to summit in under 3 minutes and provides access to the overwhelming majority of terrain. But for guests who are looking for shorter rides than that, the resort even boasts a second high-speed quad, Quarter Dollar; this lift only goes a fraction of the way up the hill and has to be one of the shortest detachable lifts out there. The Half Dollar fixed-grip double also provides helper service in the area.

There’s no question that Dollar Mountain is a beginner-oriented mountain, and nearly two-thirds of its terrain is rated green. The lifts of varying lengths are great for progression for true beginners. The more formidable Bald Mountain’s presence nearby keeps more aggressive skiers off the slopes and makes for a protected learning environment. On all but the busiest days, crowds are essentially nonexistent.

Despite Dollar’s beginner-centric bent, the hill offers a surprising selection of terrain for more experienced visitors. That’s not to say it’s anything crazy, but some intermediate and even advanced terrain can be found across the footprint. These runs are short, but the unique, treeless footprint makes them unexpectedly fun. However, the advanced runs are rarely open.

Dollar Mountain also hosts a remarkably solid terrain park setup. The mountain offers the extra-small and small progression features one might expect from a beginner hill, but it also boasts very competitive medium and large parks. The largest jumps are over 50 feet tall and fall well into advanced proficiency territory.

Most guests will spend their time on Dollar Mountain’s main terrain zone serviced by the Dollar-named lifts. But directly south of this area is the Elkhorn pod, which hosts a handful of trails served by a fixed-grip triple chair. Elkhorn does not have snowmaking and faces east, making for extremely variable openings—in fact, this zone typically only opens a few weeks each season. However, when Elkhorn does open, it’s usually after snowstorms; powder tends to stay untouched there longer than anywhere else at either of the Sun Valley mountains, making the zone a low-key powder haven. Besides Elkhorn and Dollar’s two black-diamond runs, nearly all runs have snowmaking and remain reliably open throughout the season.

As one might expect from a small hill, Dollar Mountain only has one indoor lodge on site. But this lodge enjoys the same ultra-luxury vibe as Sun Valley’s other facilities, with fancy carpets, throne-like couch seating, and a grandiose ambiance. Moreover, the lodge is generous in size, with plenty of capacity for guests as well as Sun Valley’s ski school. If you take your kids to this lodge for their first ski trip, you’ll be setting a high standard for their future expectations.

Lodging

Sun Valley’s Dollar Mountain area sits in between Ketchum, a charming mountain town with lots to do, and the actual town of Sun Valley, which is more sprawled out and gives off country-club-like vibes. Accommodations chiefly consist of upscale-to-luxury hotels and condos, especially in Sun Valley proper. Dollar Mountain does have a few lodging options directly neighboring the mountain, but there is a huge catch—they’re all at the Elkhorn base, which is rarely open. Those looking for economical accommodations won’t have many choices; the cheapest options are Ketchum’s two Best Westerns, but they’re actually pretty nice despite the brand name.

Aprés-ski

Sun Valley exudes a moneyed, upscale vibe, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t fun to be had in the area. Dollar Mountain’s aprés vibes aren’t as strong as those at the Bald Mountain base lodges, but numerous bars can be found in Ketchum. However, Sun Valley contains much more of an inner-social-networking scene than an environment to meet new people, and nobody will mistake the area for a true party town.

Verdict

Nobody should go to Sun Valley exclusively to visit the Dollar Mountain side—the mountain is way too small and variable to warrant a trip to. But beginner skiers and riders who happen to already be in town will find Dollar a more-than-decent area to learn. And even for more experienced guests, the unique footprint is worth stopping at—and perhaps skiing for a few hours—for a look at one of the most unconventional physical ski hills in North America and a piece of ski industry history.