There are essentially four different iterations of the ski resort commonly known now as Iron Mountain, each with different names. The first iteration of the ski area was Silver Basin.

In April of 1970, local resident John Allen  announced the development of the Silver Basin ski resort. Located 46 miles east of Jackson and with a 7200 foot vertical drop, Silver Basin was initially constructed with one SLI double, and one Poma lift. As part of the development, a two story base lodge, ski shop, dormitories, a dining room, and a ski patrol building were constructed. Interestingly, a 10-acre Snow Play area was also developed. By January of 1971, Silver Basin was officially open, with the Timber Chair servicing quite a few terrain options. That summer, John Allen installed a second SLI double servicing the beginner terrain, replacing the rope tow. 

Unfortunately for John Allen, Silver Basin wouldn’t last long. After running into financial difficulties in early 1974, Allen claimed the Bank of Stockton promised to loan him refinancing and operating funds after Allen gave them a blanket deed of trust on his land. Allen did this, but the bank reportedly did not lend him the money, leaving Allen in a bind. Because the land was in a deed of trust, no other bank would loan him the money he needed. Interestingly, Allen claimed the bank had a stake at the Kirkwood ski area, and thus had conspired to put him out of business. Whether this is true or not, I’m not really sure. But Silver Basin was no more.

The ski area sat dormant from 1974 until 1977, when the second iteration, Ski Sundown was formed. The land was bought by two local residents in 1976, who sold everything to a local company titled Crowder Development Company. By January of 1978, Ski Sundown was operational, and had drawn up plans to install two new chairlifts, servicing intermediate and advanced terrain. According to the resort, it was crucial that Ski Sundown expand, or the business would not survive.

In 1978, Ski Sundown installed two new Riblet triples, now known as Eagle’s Nest and Wildcat. Additionally, the resort repaired and opened the motel, whose roof partly collapsed 

In 1975. In 1979, the Crowder Development Company sold the resort to a group titled Pacific Western Ski Resorts Incorporated.

Despite the new ownership and new lifts, Ski Sundown closed in early 1980. There were several reasons for the closure, most notably the drought years of the late 1970s which brought little natural snow, and created variable openings. Another reason for the closure was the lack of marketing the ski resort did. With Kirkwood down the road, Sundown struggled to make a name of itself.

In 1983, Richard Scott purchased all assets of the ski resort, and announced a reopening under the name Iron Mountain for the 1983-84 season. The ski resort opened with the identical footprint and operations of Ski Sundown, just under new ownership. IN the summer of 1984, Iron Mountain installed the Bruin triple chairlift, finally bringing reliably open advanced terrain to the resort. Throughout its life, Iron Mountain suffered from being in the shadow of Kirkwood. While Kirkwood was a household name, Iron Mountain struggled to gain a market share, struggling to attract either families or expert skiers.

In 1986, Iron Mountain was abruptly shuttered after the operator was unable to cover the minimum insurance amount. Iron Mountain stayed closed for 3 years until it re-opened in 1989 under new ownership. Under the new owner, Iron Mountain hired a marketing firm, and actually started to prosper. The new owner purchased used chairlifts, and drew up expansion plans, which were in the review process by the USFS. Unfortunately, a dispute arose between the owners of Iron Mountain and the Forest Service regarding trees logged. Despite litigation on both sides, the dispute was resolved. Nonetheless, Iron Mountain still sat unused from 1991 to 1994.

This brings us to the final iteration of Iron Mountain. In 1994, the resort was purchased by a New Zealand based operator, who purchased all assets and renamed the resort to Carson Ski Area. The new operator had a greater focus on the terrain parks, and planned to construct a superpipe. During the process of re-certifying the chairlifts, a huge snowstorm hit. Because all the lifts weren’t ready, the operator was only able to open limited terrain on 3 chairlifts. While Carson Ski Area operated from 1994-1995, the operating company went bankrupt after this season, and closed the resort permanently. The Forest Service revoked the Special Use operating permit in 1998.

In 2000, a new group seeked to revive the ski area under a new name and branding. Unfortunately, the Forest Service seeked to remove Iron Mountain from its Winter Sports Site Designation, which the land had had since 1970. The new group claimed that all Iron Mountain needed was an infusion of cash and a solid business plan. Unfortunately, the Forest Service was just done with Iron Mountain at this point, quoting, "We've been through (bankruptcy so many times, we said never again, no more. We don't want to deal with it. We don't have the people, the time or the money to sink into this bottomless pit that Iron Mountain is.”

On October 1, 2000, the Forest Service re-affirmed their decision to Delist Iron Mountain from a winter sports site, effectively removing any hope of the ski resort operating again. As part of the decision, the forest service stated that 

“The operation of a ski area at Iron Mountain will not be economically viable in the long term, solely based on the physical characteristics and potential market. This conclusion would remain the same regardless of the quality of management or financial backing.”

Since this decision, Iron Mountain has not changed much. Every year, the remaining ski lifts and structures continue to deteriorate further and further.