“It happened in Sun Valley”

Skiing on Saturday, February 26, 2011

Mt. Baldy from Dollar Mountain

I’ve always wanted to visit Sun Valley. The allure of a resort with so much history and heritage beckoned me. Sun Valley has been on my dance card for 20 years and as I get another year older the dance card is becoming a bucket list. I can hear Warren Miller shouting out to me from his old Airstream trailer in the parking lot at Sun Valley, “Ski it now Scott, because if you don’t, you’ll be another year older when you do.” 

From Park City to Sun Valley is about a 5-1/2 hour trek west on I-84 to north on I-15 to Highway 75. I hit the road about 5:45 am on Saturday. Once down from Parley’s Canyon on I-80 traveling around Salt Lake was fairly easy but for tractor trailers and the single cleared lane on I-15. These two factors probably added 45 minutes to the trip. Once off the interstate I travelled through farm land, prairies and changing landscapes, often wondering if I was approaching mountains or not. It was cloudy and therefore long-range visibility was limited to maybe a mile. Eventually the foothills up into the Sawtooth range appeared to the west, along with highway signs mentioning Sun Valley at various mileage intervals. The first town coming into the valley was Bellevue, fairly unremarkable. Then Hailey which has a population of about 6,500. Cute homes, neighborhoods and a long view of the mountain ridge immediately to the west. Once in Hailey, the sun was shining brightly. I had entered 'the donut' as I was later to learn. 

Sun Valley's iconic barn

From there into Ketchum and Sun Valley was just a dozen miles. There’s a certain excitement about snow-covered mountains on a sunny day, promising recreation opportunities and experiences to get me salivating. Once in Ketchum, the lifts at Bald Mtn. were clearly visible with long bump runs plunging into the river. How to reach them was not very clear. Soon I found myself at the junction of Main and Sun Valley Road. A right turn brought me the two miles into Sun Valley. Another intersection at Saddle, and a chose a left to head out to Warm Springs, the furthest outreaches of Bald Mountain and the entry to Sawtooth National Recreation Area (USFS). Now having looped the town, I headed back to the River Run base on the southern end of the resort where I parked and opted for a little skiing. It was a perfect afternoon, not too cold, not too warm. Just right for scooting around and learning a new ski area. I stayed with my policy of sticking to groomers and getting the lay of the land, spanning River Run to Warm Springs, stopping into each lodge, taking in the view, and summing up the place. The facilities are fairly unbelievable, way over the top for what one would expect. Almost to the point where you’re not sure that ski boots are welcomed in the ski lodges. Oriental carpets grace the floors, gilded wall sconces, and furniture that’s on the formal side for ski area dining. 

Soon the day ended and it was time to explore the town of Ketchum. Going on a recommendation, I had dinner at The Sawtooth Club, a steak house very similar to the Sirloin Saloon restaurants of Vermont. Enjoyable, nice surrounds, average steak. From there to the Best Western Tyrolienne lodge for a solid 9 hours of sleep.