Сол-Вэли закроет доступ на гору Бальд из-за строительства новых канатных дорог

Sun Valley Resort is scheduled to close public access to Bald Mountain on Saturday as a safety measure during ongoing chairlift construction and related helicopter activity. The all-day closure will include the Roundhouse Gondola and all trails on Bald Mountain, as well as the Roundhouse restaurant and its facilities, the resort stated in a news release this week. The resort’s ticketing office and retail operations at the River Run base area will remain open on Saturday. During the weekend work, helicopters will be flying in new lift towers as part of the ongoing replacement of the Christmas and Lookout Express chairlifts. “All guests and recreationists must avoid the mountain while this work is underway so it can be completed safely and efficiently,” the resort stated. The projects to replace the two chairlifts on the River Run side of Bald Mountain started in April, after the resort received approval of the plans from the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management, which manage the public lands on Bald Mountain. The Lookout Express—which has run from the top of the Lower River Run ski trail to the Lookout summit of Baldy for nearly four decades—is being upgraded from a quad to a six-person high-speed chairlift. The aging Christmas quad chairlift—which shuttles mountain guests from the Roundhouse to the summit—is being converted to a new high-speed quad chairlift. Operating at speeds of up to 1,000 feet per minute, both new Doppelmayr chairlifts will move riders up the mountain faster and will improve reliability, the resort has stated. The resort is working to have the new lifts fully operational for the 2026-27 winter season. Because the resort is replacing the Christmas chairlift, lift access to the top of Baldy has not been available to hikers, bikers or sightseers this summer. “Sun Valley has the most efficient lift system in the country, and these upgrades will ensure that continues for many years to come,” Pete Sonntag, chief operating officer of Sun Valley Resort, states on the resort’s website. The lift upgrades this year follow the recent installation of four other new lifts on Baldy: Seattle Ridge, Flying Squirrel, Challenger and Broadway. The chairlift projects this year have required extensive ongoing work on Baldy. By late May, the terminals of the two old chairlifts had been removed and crews were starting work to remove the lift towers, the resort reported. In June, helicopter crews worked to fly lift towers off the mountain. In July, helicopters flew in and poured thousands of pounds of concrete for construction of the tower foundations. Now, the project sites are prepared for the new lift towers to be flown in, the resort stated. Lower Bald Mountain Trail now closed Meanwhile, Sun Valley Resort closed the lower Bald Mountain Trail on Monday, with the closure to remain in effect through the end of September. The lower section of the Bald Mountain Trail starts at the River Run base area and gradually ascends above the Big Wood River before climbing to the base of the Frenchman’s chairlift and beyond. The city of Ketchum is now working to establish a new Warm Springs Connector trail that extends from the Bald Mountain Trail to the Warm Springs area of the city and its Warm Springs Preserve natural area. The closure of the lower Bald Mountain Trail will facilitate the city’s project, the resort stated. “There will be no access in this area, including down to the overlook or the base of Frenchman’s during this time,” the resort stated in its news release. “Alternate routes are available but may shift daily due to construction.”