Dollar Mountain


Dollar Mountain is a ski hill in south central Idaho, part of the Sun Valley ski resort. The treeless Dollar caters primarily to beginner and lower intermediate skiers; the primary mountain for advanced skiers is Bald Mountain, or "Baldy", next to the city of Ketchum.
Dollar Mountain is served by four chairlifts, named Dollar, Half Dollar, Quarter Dollar, and Elkhorn. Dollar and Quarter Dollar are detachable quads, Half Dollar is a double, and the Elkhorn lift is a triple, separated from the other three. The base of the Elkhorn lift is at Elkhorn Village to the south, but it is possible to ski between the Dollar and Elkhorn sides. A magic carpet is also available for first-time skiers. The Half Dollar chairlift serves a terrain park for snowboarders and skiers. Dollar Mountain consists of trails that are gentler in pitch and shorter than those on Baldy.
The base elevation of Dollar Mountain is above sea level; its vertical drop is, less than one-fifth of Baldy's. A new day lodge at the base of Dollar was built and completed in the fall of 2004 and is comparable in spaciousness and style to the day lodges at Bald Mountain. It was named for Carol Holding, wife of resort owner Earl Holding.
New permanent snowmaking was installed in the fall of 2006 on some of the ski runs on Dollar, ensuring better snow coverage during periods of low snowfall. The old Dollar and Quarter Dollar fixed-grip double lifts were recently replaced with Doppelmayr CTEC Uni-G model high-speed detachable quads for the 2007-08 ski season.