Soldier Mountain will open on a limited basis on Saturday after pushing back opening day several times and missing the holiday break. However, they might also have some of the best snow conditions in their cat ski operation.
"Interestingly, it was not a precipitation problem; it was a temperature problem," said general manager David Alden. "Community hills like Soldier operate very tightly, and we need every ski day we can get, so it has been a big hit to our season, but there is a lot of season left, and we think we have time to recover."
Check out the video to see the conditions and the unique events that have helped in this challenging year.
Soldier Mountain has sold more season passes this year than they ever have before after investing in a marketing campaign in 2025. Last year also gave this mom-and-pop resort momentum because of the partnerships they formed and the unique events they hosted.
Last winter, Soldier Mountain welcomed Team USA Slopestyle to Idaho for training on massive jumps at the resort. Team USA purchased snow-making equipment to build these jumps and allowed Soldier Mountain to keep that equipment, and it has been put to good use this winter.
Soldier also hosted the Rim Shaw Snowmobile Hill Climb, and they were scheduled to host the first race in a week. That has been pushed back to February 27 and 28, but Alden credits these partnerships with creating excitement at this local mountain.
"Every one of those new partnerships [has] really contributed even in the face of a dry season to a really bright future," said Alden. "We wouldn't have the infrastructure to make snow without the partnership with Team USA."
Soldier Mountain also features a cat skiing operation, and because both Peak 1 and Peak 2 are above 9,000 feet of elevation, this zone has been cold enough to get snow instead of rain. I went cat skiing with Soldier Mountain two years ago, and it was a blast. Tickets are available if you have a craving for some fresh powder.
"We are finding almost record-level snowpack, and the conditions in the cat ski area are all-time," said Alden. "We think some of the best conditions right now are in the Soldier Mountain cat ski area."
The team at Soldier Mountain has been working hard to prepare for skiers, as this community resort has had a few owners since Bruce Willis sold it in the late 90s. The new owners took over and immediately had to deal with a wildfire, and they could use the support, as Soldier is the second closest ski resort to the Treasure Valley.
"We are closer than you think to Boise, and that is something we like to stress," said Alden. "Soldier is not as far from Boise as people might think."
