Soldier Mountain Ski Resort near Fairfield is adding two snowcats to its backcountry cat-ski operations, giving skiers and riders more ways to reach the resort's 2,000 acres of off-piste terrain this winter. One of the new machines seats four to five people, while a smaller Mini-TRAX can carry up to three, rounding out a fleet built for everything from solo adventurers to full private groups.
The expansion builds on momentum from last season, when the resort's original TRAX side-by-side debuted and, according to BoiseDev, proved an immediate hit with visitors. Soldier Mountain already runs a 12-person snowcat operation that offers both single-seat bookings and private charters for larger groups, and the new vehicles are designed to fill the gap for smaller parties who want more flexibility without needing a full group to book a trip.
General Manager David Alden said the appeal of the new option comes down to customization. “TRAX provides guests with a private experience tailored to their abilities, interests, and skiing styles, in the company of an experienced guide,” Alden said, per the station's report. That guided, small-group format has become a selling point for a resort that sits roughly a two-hour drive from Boise and built its reputation on deep, lightly trafficked powder.
2,000 Acres and 3,000 Vertical Feet of Terrain
The backcountry zone that these vehicles serve is substantial: Soldier Mountain's operations span 2,000 acres of terrain and 3,000 vertical feet, giving guided groups plenty of room to spread out. Smaller, nimbler vehicles have also proven useful for reaching terrain that bigger snowcats struggle to access quickly. As the resort's general manager told SnowBrains last year, “For small groups, they are a faster, nimbler way to move skiers and snowboarders up the mountain.”
That philosophy was already on display in the resort's Bridge Creek sidecountry zone, which opened to guests in March 2025. The roughly 250-acre area features mid-angle, north-facing slopes and ridgelines that had previously been accessible via a short skin out of the ski area, as SnowBrains reported at the time. Soldier Mountain said it planned to run its TRAX side-by-side on select days to ferry guests to the top of Bridge Creek, with bootpacking or a skin track as the alternative route up.
Multi-Day Trips and a Backcountry Yurt
For skiers looking to stay out longer, Soldier Mountain also offers the Smokey Dome Yurt for multi-day backcountry trips. Rentals start at $10,000, and because the resort runs seven-day operations over the holidays, the yurt is only available for rent Mondays through Wednesdays during that stretch, per the same BoiseDev account. The resort's own trip planning materials note that cat-ski days typically wrap up with a return to the lodge at approximately 4 p.m., and that staff monitor snow and avalanche conditions closely, generally reaching out to guests no less than 72 hours before a scheduled trip if concerns arise, according to Soldier Mountain.
Soldier Mountain offers single-seat cat-ski bookings.
A Busy Winter Ahead
The fleet expansion arrives as Soldier Mountain gears up for a packed 2026-2027 season that includes two major events. The NubAbility Snow Camp is set for March 4-7, 2027, offering limb-different kids full days of ski and snowboard instruction from limb-different coaches and adaptive instructors with Waves Idaho, a nonprofit that works to empower veterans through snow sports.
The resort is also bringing back the Uphill Battle for its second year, a pro snowmobile hill climb race that will be livestreamed on FloRacing. This year's event adds a kids' class and an athlete meet-and-greet. Soldier Mountain additionally serves as a training site for U.S. Ski and Snowboard slopestyle teams, adding another layer to a mountain that's increasingly leaning into both elite competition and backcountry access for everyday visitors.
