| Challenger | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Place: |  Sun Valley, Idaho |
| Mountain: | Bald Mountain |
| Opened: | 13 March 1975 (50 years ago) |
| Downhill | |
| Start: | 8,783 ft (2,677 m) AMSL |
| Finish: | 6,076 ft (1,852 m) |
| Vertical drop: | 2,707 ft (825 m) |
| Length: | 1.53 mi (2.459 km) |
| Max. incline: | 28.8 degrees (55%) |
| Avg. incline: | 18.5 degrees (33%) |
| Min. incline: | 5.7 degrees (10%) |
| Super-G | |
| Start: | 8,120 ft (2,475 m) AMSL |
| Finish: | 6,076 ft (1,852 m) |
| Vertical drop: | 2,044 ft (623 m) |
| Length: | 1.17 mi (1.876 km) |
| Max. incline: | 28.8 degrees (55%) |
| Avg. incline: | 18.3 degrees (33%) |
| Min. incline: | 5.7 degrees (10%) |
Challenger is a World Cup downhill ski course in the western United States, on the north slope of Bald Mountain in Sun Valley, Idaho. The course is part of Sun Valley Ski Resort, the most prestigious in Idaho. [1] [2] [3] [4]
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Tom Johnston, a very controversial character known as "Cowboy", designed the new or mostly renovated slope, starting on the original old course at Steilhang Traverse; in mid-section it runs left from the original slope, then returns for the finish on the same terrain as the old one. Challenger has the steepest average incline on the World Cup circuit at 36%, surpassing even the Streif course in Kitzbühel. With a vertical drop of 2,707 feet (825 m), the steepness provides a very demanding but relatively short course at 1.53 miles (2.46 km); lasting about 85 seconds, [5] the average vertical descent rate is approximately 32 feet (9.8 m) per second.
