Image Credit: Silver Mountain Resort

Kellogg, Idaho — Hi, I’m Ian Wood. Welcome to what used to be known as Jackass Ski Bowl.

Yesterday, Silver Mountain Resort celebrated its 58th birthday. The festivities included $20 lift tickets ($23 if you purchased the day of), a birthday cake, and an obligatory singing of Happy Birthday. After a slow start to the season, Silver Mountain has been able to open up more terrain and lifts this week. This includes Chair 4, which is also known as the Jackass chair.

First opened in 1967, Jackass Ski Bowl was once a hard-to-reach ski area. Guests had to drive up and down a steep access road. It was also known as Silverhorn for a good chunk of its history before taking the name Silver Mountain Resort. Meanwhile, the town of Kellogg was on the decline due to mine closures and its designation as a Superfund site. Then the gondola changed everything.

Installed in 1990, the Silver Mountain Gondola is the longest in America. The lift eliminates the need to use the road, creating a safe, less stressful trip up the mountain. Silver Mountain Resort has gradually expanded its infrastructure in Kellogg, including a golf course, hotel, indoor water park, condos, shops, and restaurants.

Jackson Hole Ski Patrollers Voted Against Unionization

For more information on the story of Silver Mountain and its future, this podcast episode from the Storm Skiing Journal is a good listen/watch.

An old map of Silver Mountain. A portion of Wardner Peak is now closed to the public.

Image/Video Credits: Silver Mountain, The Storm Skiing Journal & Podcast

Born and raised in New Hampshire, Ian Wood became passionate about the ski industry while learning to ski at Mt. Sunapee. In high school, he became a ski patroller at Proctor Ski Area. He travelled out...