Sun Valley Stampede Day 1 Report: Sun, Snow, and Fast Skiing

Riding up the Challenger Lift at 9:01 a.m., POWDER's Ian Greenwood and I shared a look of concern.

A thick fog had settled in over Sun Valley's Warm Springs base, and a light, but persistent drizzle was accumulating on our goggle lenses.

"I'm a bit worried," Ian said as we disembarked at the Challenger mid-station. The meticulously groomed snow crunched and made a jarringly loud noise with each turn. "It definitely froze up overnight," I said unnecessarily.

As we joined the...