The Three Kings Challenge was established long ago and serves as a test piece in the lore of the XC ski racing community in Sun Valley. A simple linkup of 3 prominent peaks seen mightily and visibly from town - Glassford (11,602'), Ryan (11,714'), and Kent (11,664') in the Boulder Mountain range. Don't let the simplicity of this objective fool you though, it is a true challenge, testing mountain athletes' routefinding skills, technical ability over loose and exposed terrain, and of course: fitness.
With this route comes many route possibilities, but is generally around 19 miles with close to 10,000ft of elevation gain, and mostly off-trail. The original challenge is simply to tag the three summits, any way you see fit, in one day. Probably the most popular route is to summit Glassford first, Then Ryan, then Kent. There are multiple permutations, including navigating the infamous class 4 NW ridge between Kent and Ryan.
The route begins and finishes at the North Fork of the Wood River Trailhead, approximately 5 miles from the Sawtooth National Recreation Area north of Ketchum. Depending on the snowpack and weather conditions, this route can be completed from late June to early October.
