Bald Mountain (9150 feet, 2789 m) is a mountain in south central Idaho, adjacent to the city of Ketchum in Blaine County. "Baldy" is the primary ski mountain of the Sun Valley ski resort, renowned for its lengthy runs of constant gradient, at varying levels of difficulty, with absence of wind.
In the resort's fourth year (1939-40), Bald Mountain was opened for lift-served skiing with three single chairlifts, in series, unloading at 9020 feet (2749 m), just below its summit. Baldy has one of the higher summits of the Smoky Mountains of Idaho, located in the Sawtooth National Forest. The wooded Smoky Mountains were named for their propensity for summer forest fires.
With a base elevation of 5750 feet (1753 m) along the Big Wood River at River Run, Baldy's vertical drop is 3400 feet (1036 m), along its northeast face. It is served by 14 ski lifts (7 detachable Quads, 4 Triples, 2 Doubles, 1 Surface); Baldy has more uphill capacity per skier than any other ski area. It has 75 runs with 2054 acres (8.31 km²) of on-piste skiing, 645 acres (2.61 km²) of which have snowmaking. The slope ratings are as follows: 36% Easiest; 42% More Difficult; 22% Most Difficult. These ratings are relative, not absolute; much of the "easiest" terrain on Bald Mountain would be rated as "intermediate" at most ski areas, as the beginner areas are on the gentler and smaller Dollar Mountain.
Bald Mountain is independent of the Bald Mountain Ski Area, a modest ski hill near Pierce in Clearwater County in northern Idaho.
Pop culture
In the NBC miniseries, 10.5: Apocalypse, this mountain was believed to be an extinct volcano, until it erupted with devastating force. An avalanche of hot gases and ash cascaded down the mountain and buried everything, including the mountain's ski areas, and the towns of Sun Valley, Ketchum, and Hailey, Idaho. Multiple rescue teams arrived at the scene and dug through the debris caused by Bald Mountain's eruption, looking for any survivors.
External links
- Sun Valley.com - Bald Mountain - ski report
- Idaho Summits.com - photo of Bald Mountain from Proctor Mountain
- Terraserver-USA.com - USGS topo map & aerial photo
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Coordinates: 43°39′18″N 114°24′33″W / 43.655°N 114.40917°W
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