When do the new Lookout Express and Christmas lifts start turning? Sun Valley Resort's answer, from its September 16 season announcement, is "December 2026." That's the only date it gives. Down in Sun Valley Village, the bleachers at the outdoor rink open at 3 p.m. on Christmas Eve, the tree lights at 6 p.m. on December 12, and Snow Ball tickets won't be sold at the door. For residents, December on the mountain comes with a soft date. December in the village runs on a schedule, and the schedule rewards two habits: showing up early for the free nights and booking early for the paid ones.
Where the two lifts stand two weeks before Thanksgiving
The replacement lifts are a high-speed six-seat Lookout Express, replacing a lift built in 1993, and a detachable high-speed Christmas quad, replacing one from 1988. The resort's Future of Sun Valley progress log has tracked the work in stages. Helicopters poured the tower foundations in July. A Chinook was setting steel towers along both lift lines by August 19. Concrete and helicopter work wrapped by September 24. The newest entry is dated October 12:
"Crews completed the haul rope splice for both the new Christmas and Lookout Express lifts... Splicing the haul rope is one of the most technically demanding parts of the entire lift installation process, and with it done on both lifts, the finish line is in sight."
The season itself opens Thursday, November 26, at 9 a.m. at River Run, weather and conditions permitting. The resort is calling it the start of its 91st winter season. Once the new lifts are running, they lead to more of the mountain. The resort says it has added 50 acres of glades between Christin's Silver, Leigh Lane and Upper Broadway and upgraded all four of Bald Mountain's snowmaking pumphouses.
The December lineup, weekend by weekend
Sun Valley Resort's events calendar sets the village's December in order. Visit Sun Valley describes the umbrella festival, Winter Wonderland, as a month-long, all-ages series running December 5 through 31.
Date | Event | Where | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
Sat., Dec. 5, noon–4 p.m. | Winter Wonderland Kick-Off, Santa photos, cookie decorating, Colla Voce caroling | Sun Valley Village, Santa in the Boiler Room | Decorating cookies $15 each |
Sat., Dec. 12, from 4 p.m. | Tree Lighting Ceremony | Duck pond by the Sun Valley Inn | Free cookies and cocoa |
Dec. 12–13 | Holiday Market, 10th year | Sun Valley Village | 11 a.m.–7 p.m. Sat., 11 a.m.–4 p.m. Sun. |
Wed., Dec. 16, 7:30 p.m. | Après Sea: An Evening with Taryn Smith | Sun Valley Opera House | $30 ticket |
Dec. 18–Jan. 1 | Trail Creek Sleigh Ride Dinners | Depart Sun Valley Inn | Reservations, from $315 adult |
Dec. 18–19, 7 p.m. | Let It Snow: A Jazz Holiday Concert with FAUNA | Sun Valley Opera House | $30, advance registration |
Sat., Dec. 19, 5–7 p.m. | Skatin' Around the Christmas Tree with Santa | Outdoor rink behind the Lodge | $45 plus tax and fees |
Dec. 23–24, 9 a.m.–2 p.m. | Brunch with Santa | Sun Valley Club | Reservations required |
Thu., Dec. 24, 5:30 p.m. | Christmas Eve Ice Show, Torchlight Parade and Fireworks | Outdoor rink, Bald and Dollar mountains | Free |
Dec. 26 and 27, 1–4 p.m. | Clicquot in the Snow | River Run Plaza, then Warm Springs Plaza | Live patio DJ |
Thu., Dec. 31 | New Year's Eve Night Skiing, then the Snow Ball | Dollar Mountain, then River Run Lodge | $65 adult, then $145 plus fees |
The table also shows how the month is built. Through December 13, the village's big weekends are mostly free to attend. From December 16 on, nearly every evening needs a ticket, a registration or a reservation. The free nights still come with logistics, though, and those logistics are about timing.
The free nights run on arrival time
December 12, tree lighting
The Tree Lighting Ceremony takes place in front of the duck pond by the Sun Valley Inn, and it starts well before the tree lights up. An ice-carving demonstration begins at 4 p.m. near The Ram. The festivities pick up at 5:30, and the tree lights at 6. Faculty Lounge plays, Santa appears, and there's an outdoor bar alongside free cookies and cocoa.
The same weekend is the European-style Holiday Market's 10th year in the village. It's open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, so it runs right through the tree lighting, and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. If you go on Saturday, you can shop the market in the afternoon, watch the carving at 4, and stay for the tree without moving the car.
December 24, the evening in order
Christmas Eve is the longest free evening of the month, and its timing is the tightest. Per Visit Sun Valley's listing, it runs in this order:
- 3 p.m. Bleacher seating at the outdoor rink opens. The resort says the seats can't be reserved in advance.
- 5:30 p.m. The Sun Valley Carolers perform, followed by the holiday ice show.
- About 6 to 6:10 p.m. Skiers carry torches down Upper and Lower College on Bald Mountain, and fireworks launch from Dollar Mountain.
- Throughout Complimentary cookies and cocoa are served outside the Lodge, first come, first served.
Upper and Lower College are River Run trails on Baldy, so the torchlight descent and the fireworks happen on two different mountains. For guests who don't want to hold a bleacher seat from 3 p.m., the listing names the Sun Valley Lodge, the Pavilion lawn and the surrounding parking lots as good places to see both. That makes it a reasonable plan for out-of-town family who arrive after the ice show has started.
The ticketed nights run on booking
From mid-month, the bottleneck is the booking itself. Tickets for Taryn Smith's December 16 talk at the Opera House are $30. Smith is the first American woman to row solo in the World's Toughest Row, and she'll present a slideshow on the crossing. Doors open at 6:30 for a 7:30 start. Two nights later, the Los Angeles-based jazz trio FAUNA returns to play the Let It Snow concerts on December 18 and 19 at 7 p.m. The trio is Dominic Melendrez on bass and vocals, Sam Rossi on drums and Abe Luedtke on keys. Tickets are $30, and the resort asks for advance registration.
The Trail Creek Sleigh Ride Dinners take the most planning. Sleighs leave the Sun Valley Inn every hour from 4 to 8 p.m., December 18 through January 1, for a four-course dinner at Trail Creek Cabin about two miles north of the village. Reservations and advance payment are required. Rates are $315 and up for adults 13 and older and $189 and up for children 3 to 12, and children two and under eat free. Tax is extra, gratuity is included, and the bar tab is separate.
For families, the Santa skate on December 19 runs 5 to 7 p.m. at the outdoor rink behind the Lodge. It costs $45 plus tax and fees, skate rental included. Brunch with Santa moves north of the village to Sun Valley Club on December 23 and 24, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., and reservations are required.
New Year's Eve has the strictest rules of the month. Night skiing on Dollar Mountain runs 6 to 9 p.m., with music and fireworks at 9. Tickets must be bought in advance, and season passes aren't valid for it. An adult night-ski ticket is listed at $65 in the resort's shop. At 9 p.m., the night moves to River Run Lodge for the 21-and-over Snow Ball, running until 1 a.m. with Player Dave and support from DJ Jake Ryan. Tickets are $145 plus taxes and fees, quantities are limited, and none will be sold at the door. A pass holder who usually skis Dollar on a whim will need a separate ticket that night.
Where the mountain joins the village calendar
The village calendar also brings the mountain into it. On Christmas Eve, the evening's closing act happens on Baldy and Dollar. The day after Christmas, Clicquot in the Snow sets up at River Run Plaza from 1 to 4 p.m., then moves to Warm Springs Plaza on December 27 at the same hours, with bubbles and a live patio DJ. On New Year's Eve, Dollar's slopes are the venue.
Lodging guests share the village during the early weeks too. The resort's December Ski Free offer includes two lift tickets per night for stays at the Lodge or Cottages from November 29 through December 20. That window covers the Winter Wonderland kickoff, the tree lighting, the Holiday Market and the Santa skate.
If you're planning a winter with family visiting, or weighing how a home near the village fits around December evenings like these, Wood River Properties is glad to talk through what this part of Sun Valley is like through the season. Contact Us.
