Soldier Mountain is an alpine ski area in south central Idaho in the Sawtooth National Forest. It is 12 miles north of Fairfield in very rural Camas County. The elevation of its summit is 7177 feet above sea level and the vertical drop is 1425 feet. The area has two chairlifts in series on its east-facing slopes. A handle tow is near the base.
Inspired by the 1948 Winter Olympic tryouts in nearby Sun Valley, Bob Frostenson and his friend, Harry Durall, decided they couldn’t turn their backs on the sport of skiing. That summer they raised $10,000, began work on a base lodge, and purchased two rope tows, the first powered by a 1938 Chevrolet engine. They cut timber, installed lifts, and built lodges by hand.
The first chairlift was installed in 1971, the upper chairlift (Bird's Eye) was added in 1974.
Four miles west of Soldier's summit is Smoky Dome, with an elevation of 10,095 feet. In between there are several peaks well over 9,000 feet. Peak 1 at 9,147 feet and Peak 2 at 9,529 feet.
An early morning fire on Monday, March 30, 2009, destroyed the 61 year old base lodge and ski school/rental shop building.
The cause was attributed to electrical wiring, and occurred the night following the final day of the ski season. Following the construction of a new 4500 square foot base lodge, Soldier Mountain reopened ten months later, on January 28, 2010.
