There is a particular kind of serenity on Bald Mountain before the lifts start spinning: cold air settling into the Wood River Valley, freshly groomed corduroy catching the first light, the whole mountain holding still for one more minute before the day begins. It is the same quiet that has welcomed every ski season here since 1936, when Sun Valley became America's first destination ski resort and installed the country's first chairlift that same winter.
When it came time to capture our Autumn/Winter 2026 Ski Collection, we searched for a location that represented our brand anthem: Beyond. Above. We found it at Sun Valley Resort, and in a ski town that has spent ninety years setting the standard. This was more than a location. It was an origin point, a place to test our newest designs against the terrain, light, and standards that helped define American skiing.
Why Sun Valley?
Sun Valley boasts an impressive 3,400 vertical feet descending from a 9,150-foot summit, more than 2,000 acres of terrain, and a reputation earned run after run for some of the most consistent pitches and groomers in North America. Locals will tell you Baldy doesn't have a bad line on it, and after a few days on location, we'd agree.
2026 is Sun Valley's 90th anniversary season, and the mountain added 90 acres of new terrain to celebrate, a fitting number for a resort that has never stopped growing into its legacy. Come March 2027, Bald Mountain will again host the Audi FIS Ski World Cup Finals, cementing its place among the sport's most serious proving grounds. For our Autumn/Winter 2026 Ski Collection, history mattered as much as the terrain. This is the mountain that set the bar. Shooting here meant our newest fabrics, insulation, and technologies had to rise to the occasion.
Arrival and First Impressions
The drive from Friedman Memorial Airport in Hailey runs north along the Big Wood River, with the Smoky Mountains rising on either side until Ketchum appears, low and unhurried, at the base of the valley. For nine decades, the town has welcomed royalty, Hollywood stars, and Olympic athletes, yet it has retained its intimate ski-town feel.
Our crew was based at the iconic Sun Valley Lodge, a short distance from the River Run Plaza, and spent the first evening walking the base area as the last skiers came down beneath the alpine light. Locals here talk about the mountain the way people talk about family. As one long-time Sun Valley skier told us:
"The views are like nowhere else, and there’s a quietness to the mountain that makes it really special (if you know the secret spots). It’s called Sun Valley for a reason — no matter how many days I spend up there, I still look around and think how lucky we are that this is home."
First Tracks on Baldy
Our first morning began riding up the picturesque Roundhouse Gondola followed by Christmas Chair as the sun cleared the ridge above Ketchum. The air held well below freezing, a dry, high-alpine cold, exactly the kind of condition our Autumn/Winter 26 Ski collection was built to endure.
Our local talent tested the collection's insulation and climate-adaptive layering against the sharp morning temperatures, while the waterproof and windproof construction held up against Baldy's famously fast, wind-scoured upper pitches. The mountain's long, uninterrupted lines gave our team a rare glimpse of continuous motion in a single frame, with runs long enough to build real speed and showcase the collection in motion.
By midday, we regrouped at River Run Lodge for lunch with a view back down the valley before heading out for the afternoon's shoot on Baldy's north-facing pitches. Here, the light stayed low and clean well into the late afternoon.
Chasing the Light
Over the course of the week, our team moved across nearly all of Baldy's 2,000-plus acres: wide-open groomers on the front side, long cruising fall lines down the middle of the mountain, and steeper, narrower terrain toward Christmas Bowl, Seattle Ridge, and College. That range was the point. A single run can flatter a jacket. A week on a mountain this size tells you whether it holds up.
It was on the steeper pitches that the collection's technical details earned their keep. The AC-Vent™ systems let our athletes dump heat on the climbs between takes and seal back up the moment the cameras rolled, without ever breaking stride. Graphene lining and Reactive Climate Control kept core temperatures steady throughout the day's full swing, from below-freezing first chair to sun-softened corduroy by early afternoon. And on the technical lines, where a restrictive fit would have shown up on camera immediately, the stretch panelling and hyper-stretch construction moved the way our athletes moved, turn after turn, without ever feeling restricted.
Between takes, we caught our breath with views stretching from the Pioneer Mountains to the Sawtooth Range, a reminder that this mountain rewards patience as much as it rewards speed.
Packing for Performance
Idaho's high-desert winters swing hard between sharp morning cold and strong midday sun, so our kits for this trip were built around range: warmth that could be shed as fast as the temperature climbed.
- Men’s Frozen Smoke Jacket: For the coldest first-chair mornings on Baldy, our Orange Label Frozen Smoke Jacket delivered in the environment for which it was intended. Its Aerogel insulation, the same material used in aerospace design, trapped heat in microscopic air pockets without adding bulk, while RidgeLogic Graphene technology delivered targeted warmth exactly where the wind hit hardest. As the light dropped low and the shoot ran into the late afternoon, the fixed hood's Sunfibre™ Wearable Active Lighting kept our athletes visible on the mountain, a small detail that mattered on the longest days.
- Men’s Cirque Jacket: On the steeper, more technical lines toward Christmas Bowl and Seattle Ridge, the Cirque Jacket's Reactive Climate Control kept pace with a body working hard on demanding terrain, while the AC-Vent™ system meant our athletes never had to choose between staying warm and staying dry. The stretch fabric moved with every turn, exactly what a full week of technical skiing in front of a camera demanded.
- Men’s Formula Tech Trousers:Baldy's terrain swings fast, from below-freezing shade to full sun within a single run, and the Formula Tech Trousers were built for exactly that range. Thigh vents and a breathable membrane let our athletes dial in temperature on the fly, while abrasion-resistant hems held up through hard edges on variable snow.
- Women’s Arrabella Jacket: The Arrabella Jacket's ultralight, perforated insulation gave our athletes warmth without ever feeling weighed down, essential on a shoot that demanded speed, agility, and hours on the slopes. Reactive Climate Control and the AC-Vent™ system meant the jacket adjusted as fast as Baldy's conditions did.
- Women’s Twilight Jacket: With its shorter silhouette and warming Graphene lining, the Twilight Jacket bridged the gap between the mountain and Ketchum's main street, worn on the slopes during the day and into town after the last chair. Fully waterproof and breathable, it proved just as capable off-piste as it looked on-mountain.
- Women’s Core Embrace Trousers: Built for a full shooting day in shifting conditions, the Core Embrace Trousers paired Graphene-lined warmth with an adjustable high waist and removable suspenders, giving our athletes a fit that held steady run after run.
Reflections on Our Journey
Sun Valley didn't give us a dramatic story to tell. It gave us something better: proof. Ninety years of skiers have tested themselves against Bald Mountain's pitch, and for one week, we did the same. That's what Beyond. Above. meant on this trip. It isn't about finding the most extreme terrain to shoot on. It's about finding a place with deep history in a remarkable location that has always demanded more. Sun Valley set the bar for American skiing ninety years ago, and our Autumn/Winter 2026 Ski collection was built to raise it.
