After watching the 1948 Winter Olympic tryouts in nearby Sun Valley, Bob Frostenson and his friend, Harry Durall, decided they could not turn their backs on the sport of skiing.

That summer they raised $10,000 (equivalent to $126,800 today[2]) and began work on a base lodge, and purchased two rope tows, the first powered by a 1938 Chevrolet engine.

[8][9][10] After nearly two decades of ownership, Willis donated it to a non-profit organization, "Soldier Mountain Ski Area, Inc", in 2012.

[13] In 2018, the McFerrans put the ski area up for sale for $800,000, listed it on Craigslist in 2019, and eventually sold it to an investment group called Ascent Ventures from Lehi, Utah, in 2020.

[14][15] The new ownership then built a few lift-served mountain bike single track trails that were set to open on August 7, 2020.