Alpenglow over Idaho Mountains, seen from top of Baldy at Sun Valley ski resort
Home to America’s oldest ski resort, Sun Valley can rightly boast that it literally put ski resort getaways on the map in the country. On any given winter day, the air is crisp with baby-blue skies and beckoning mountain peaks. With 12 lifts and 66 runs on Bald Mountain (fondly known as Baldy), Sun Valley is a skiers version of paradise.
With mountain views like this, Sun Valley is truly a world-class ski resort
With dozens of runs there is the need to keep the ski slopes well groomed. Sun Valley prides itself on laying out its “corduroy” – which means the snow surface is packed, compacted and groomed using massive machines called snowcats. These snowcats leave behind a pattern on the surface that is reminiscent of corduroy pants. Slopes laid with corduroy are a huge favorite with skiers and snowboarders.
View from inside the Beast!
One of the most unique winter activities offered by Sun Valley is the chance for visitors and locals to actually ride in the world’s largest snowcat, fondly known as the Beast! This snow-grooming mammoth is capable of transforming nearly 1,500 acres of mountain area into pristine corduroy slopes for skiing. Sun Valley has two of these half-million dollar, 30,000-pound, 527-horsepower Prinoth Beast machines in addition to their elite fleet of smaller Prinoth Bison snowcats.
A weekly raffle is conducted and the lucky winners get to climb inside the massive machine and sit beside the ski groomer who is always more than happy to talk about the art of ski grooming. Three lucky people are chosen every week and they get to “Ride the Beast” every Thursday, Friday and Saturday. When I visited Sun Valley for the first time this weekend, little did I know that I would be one of the lucky ones and would get to experience one of the most thrilling rides of my life.
Breathtakingly gorgeous sunset over the Idaho mountains, seen from Sun Valley, Idaho
My adventure was going to start at 4pm, when the first evening shift began. Most ski slopes are groomed late in the day, starting from evening through the night, so as to not disturb the daily skiing activities. Ski groomers work in two shifts, from 4pm to midnight and from midnight to 8am. I got the opportunity to ride the Beast on a Saturday, and had planned on reaching the River Run area in Sun Valley at 4pm. But the long drive from Grand Targhee in Wyoming to Sun Valley in Idaho ended up delaying me, so I reached River Run only by 4:30pm. Riding the Beast had been an activity that had fired up my imagination, so I literally ran into the ski administration office at River Run, looking for somebody who could tell me where I should go to meet the Beast. The folks at the admin office were incredibly friendly and helpful, when they heard I was supposed to be on the Beast that evening. They quickly communicated with ski patrol and the ski groomers who were already on top of Baldy starting that evening’s shift. When they confirmed with the groomers that I could in fact still go up the Roundhouse gondola and meet the Beast and get to ride in it, my joy knew no bounds!
Sunset view from the Roundhouse Gondola at Sun Valley
Without wasting another moment, I jumped into the next gondola carriage and eagerly looked forward to getting to the top of Baldy. On my way up, I saw some of the most spectacular vistas of Sun Valley as the sun set slowly behind the mountains, lighting up the peaks of the mountain ranges with a surreal golden glow. The day’s skiing had ended, and there was nobody else around. I was all alone in the gondola, admiring the sunset in the distance. It was a gloriously serene moment – which would turn out to be quite the opposite of the adrenalin-pumping thrill I was soon to experience on the Beast.
My first sight of the BEAST – the planet’s largest snowcat!
When I got off the gondola at the top of Baldy, I was greeted by friendly smiles and everybody seemed genuinely happy that I had been able to make it in time to ride the Beast. Then I heard a loud whirring in the distance and turned around to catch sight of what must’ve been the biggest snowcat I’ve ever seen. This massive monster, weighing in at 33,000 pounds, is one of the biggest snowcats on the planet. There are 2 of these mammoth machines at Sun Valley, whose sole job is to pack in the snow on the slopes and lay out pristine corduroy. It’s no wonder that SKI magazine has ranked Sun Valley’s grooming to be the second best in North America.
Hiking up the massive monster to get inside the Beast
In order to get inside the Beast I had to literally hike my way up, standing on intimidatingly sharp-edged wheel treads and pulling myself up through the door before settling into a cozy seat next to a smiling groomer – Jeff Dent. A popular song was playing on the radio. As I settled in, Jeff handed me the seat belt and pulled the snowcat door shut. We were ready to rock and roll!
My thrilling ride in the Beast has finally begun!
As Jeff accelerated, the Beast growled like it was an actual living thing before moving easily and steadily up the slope. We headed towards Christmas mountain, these would be the first slopes which we would be grooming tonight. Jeff was excited to show me the sunset views from top of Baldy! The sun was about to set, but not before a magnificent alpenglow lit up the mountain tops in shades of pinkish-orange and bluish-purple. Expertly maneuvering the Beast, Jeff quickly ascended to one of the highest points on Baldy and stopped just short of a steep downhill slope (yes, my heart was in my mouth). We sat there looking at the sunset and the golden mountains in silence – wonderstruck at how beautiful they looked.
The Beast packing in the snow on top of Christmas Ridge
It was back to business after admiring the sunset. We started to slowly and steadily groom Christmas mountain inch by inch. As we got to talking, Jeff told me more about himself and why he does what he does. Being a groomer is not an easy job! The hours, the work, one has to love it to be able to do it day in and day out. Jeff has been grooming ski slopes for 20+ years at Sun Valley, he mentioned that there are others who have been doing this for 30+ years! All these folks are experts at handling the Beast and they are the best in the ski grooming business. Jeff likes the 4pm – 12am shift, he gets to see the sunset every day, and those who do the morning shift always talk about how incredible the sunrises are. All the groomers love skiing, so it is their passion which keeps them happy with what they do, they take real pride in laying down pristine corduroy on the mountains and getting the slopes ready for the skiers.
Amazing contrast between corduroy run and yet-to-be-groomed snow surface on Warm Springs
Jeff is usually done with his shift by 12am, which means 8 hours of grooming nearly 300+ acres of slopes. He catches up on his night’s sleep and gets started the next day with some skiing in the morning, before heading home for lunch, some TV and a nap. Then it’s time to get back to the 4pm shift. He asks me “What’s not to love? I get to groom the slopes, I get to ski, I get time to rest, I get to watch my favorite TV shows, (he’s a fan of the Big Bang Theory) and I get to take two days off every week”. On his days off he visits friends and family and catches up on weekend chores just like the rest of us.
Jeff Dent with his “serious” look which he reserves for photos. He’s actually a very jolly guy!
I ask Jeff what some of the funniest questions anybody has asked him during the ride or at the 4pm review session are. He starts laughing before divulging what he finds so amusing. Apparently at one of the meetings prior to riding the Beast, somebody had posed a question with a very serious face – “Which snowcats go up the slopes and which ones go down?”. Jeff laughingly admits this question left them all dumbstruck, wondering how to answer it with a straight face. We discuss and debate whether the person might’ve been afraid of heights and therefore wanted to only ride the snowcat that went uphill. Perhaps, but it does not change the fact that this was indeed a hilarious question.
Click here to see a video of the Beast in action at Sun Valley, Idaho!
I have no idea how 3 hours sped by, as Jeff and I talked and laughed and chatted easily as though we were old friends. He told me his favorite moments on the mountain were when he was handling the Beast and grooming the slopes, because it is the most peaceful feeling in the world. He liked getting into a meditative state, away from the hustle bustle, just focusing on the job at hand.
The Beast is hungry and needs some fuel!
We stopped to fuel up the Beast since Sun Valley’s grooming machines consume nearly 1000 gallons of diesel every night! There’s a diesel fuel stop right on top of Baldy next to Ski Patrol. It was freezing outside, but Jeff seemed to find the weather to be perfectly tropical in just his sweatshirt and pants! He laughed my concern away, saying he’s used to the cold by now.
Here I am in the driver’s seat, pretending to be Jeff!
Jeff kindly took a photo of me sitting in the operator’s seat inside the Beast. Don’t I look like I am thoroughly enjoying the ride? I really did enjoy it! It was one of the most thrilling rides I’ve done. If Riding the Beast at Sun Valley, Idaho was not already on your bucket list, it definitely should be!
Be careful of the Beast’s sharp treads on the wheels
The Beast moves as easily and stealthily as a cat, no matter how steep the slope or how much snow has accumulated. Groomers operate the Beast in all types of weather, be it snowstorms or clear skies. The razor sharp toothed treads of the wheels on the snowcat clear out the snow bumps and pack in the surface, while the groomer at the back lays down the corduroy perfectly. These wheels turn continuously on the slopes, transforming bumpy moguls into buttery ski runs of pristine beauty. Watching the snowcat do it’s job is mesmerizing.
The wheels on the Beast go round and round, round and round, round and round
It was evident how much pride Jeff took in his job. We groomed two ski slopes on Baldy – Christmas and Warm Springs. Warm Springs was steeper and I ended up squealing a bit when we first went downhill. I think the downhill part is scarier than uphill since it feels like you are at an impossible angle on the slopes and the seatbelt in the snowcat is the only thing holding you back from tumbling down the mountain. Jeff did some amazing turns in the Beast which made me feel like I was on a joyride at an amusement park, only for real! He took great care to make sure every inch of the mountains were groomed properly. We had just finished a run when we turned back to do the adjacent area and found that some night-skier had decided to ski all over our freshly laid corduroy! I was astonished at how a skier was actually out there in the middle of the night, skiing just with a headlamp on these steep slopes! Jeff was less astonished and more admonishing, as he said he has seen this before – thrill-seekers hike up at night and ski downhill especially during full-moon nights!
Enjoying a mellow sunset as we groom the ski slopes on Baldy
As we chatted, Jeff recalled past incidents when he was doing steep slopes and the snowcat had actually slipped! My heart skipped a beat when I heard that. “You mean to say, that this snowcat we are sitting in can actually slip down the mountain slope!?”, I wanted to timidly ask. Why on earth would I have assumed that just because the snowcat is enormous and heavy (33,000 pounds!), it was as good as glued to the slopes and could never ever slip? Learning that there was potential for slippage banished some of the serenity I’d been feeling and replaced it with pure adrenalin. More than ever, I admired the groomers passion for their work in the face of real danger.
How would anybody ever tire of such a view while at work?
Folks with motion sickness or vertigo – be warned. Sitting inside the Beast might make you feel queasy if you are very sensitive to motion in a vehicle or afraid of heights. Thankfully I did not feel queasy, just a bit of that funny feeling at the pit of the stomach you get when riding a Ferris Wheel. If you are sensitive, better to take some Dramamine to help with the motion sickness.
The Beast at rest when we make a fuel stop
All too soon, we headed back to the Roundhouse gondola for me to get back down to River Run. I couldn’t believe I’d been sitting in the Beast for 3+ hours, it definitely felt a lot shorter. With Jeff leading a sparkling conversation, I learnt so many interesting and fascinating tidbits about ski grooming. Jeff Dent is a truly wonderful host. He graciously allowed me to peek into his day-to-day work and personal life, showing me how much he loved his job as a groomer and how happy he was to share this experience with others.
Immaculately groomed ski slopes on Warm Springs
As I got down from the Beast, I was again helped by the gondola operators, who were as excited to see me now as they had been when I’d first come up the gondola. I thanked Jeff for the wonderful time and for an unforgettable evening riding the Beast. As I waited for the next gondola, I saw the snowcat driving back up the mountain. Jeff had work to finish. In the distance I saw him making his way up the slope. As they disappeared into the darkness, I thought of all the hard work that goes on behind the scenes to make skiing possible and enjoyable. The Ski Patrol, the Groomers, the Gondola operators, the folks running the Snow Makers, the managers, everybody works so hard, day in and day out, no matter how good or bad the weather is – each and every one of these people should be thanked profusely the next time we are on the slopes. If not for them, there would be no slopes to ski on. Thank you Jeff. Thank you every one of you, who work at all hours of the day to help keep the slopes at Sun Valley world-class. Here’s to you all!
Click to see video of the Beast (aka Snowcat) driving away in the distance
Happy Skiing!
~ Trupti
If you go to Sun Valley: Sign up for “Ride the Beast” – the world’s largest snow-grooming machine. Winners are announced by raffle for Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Sign up for the raffle at the Recreation Center at Sun Valley Village. For more information, call (208) 622-2135.
Disclosure: Ski Idaho, Idaho Tourism and Sun Valley provided for my travel and accommodation in exchange for writing about my experience at Sun Valley ski resort. Regardless, everything I have said in this post reflects my honest observations and opinions.