Sun Valley, ID, Report: Long Runs, Longer History, and Sweeping Vistas

In 1936, the Union Pacific Railroad changed the sport of skiing forever, when, in Sun Valley, Idaho, it fired up the world’s first chairlift. In the 90 years since then, Sun Valley has remained a lauded and legendary place to ski, playing host to celebrities and celebrated skiers alike, including Gretchen Fraser, the first American to win an Olympic Medal in Downhill Skiing, and Warren Miller, who needs no introduction. Sun Valley provided an ideal finish to Visit Idaho’s Gem Line trip. And, true to form, there was plenty of sunshine during my visit.

Sun Valley sits next to the town of Ketchum. From the center of the “doughnut hole” that silver miners picked out for the site of the town in the late 1880s, Bald Mountain, or Baldy, climbs more than 3,000 feet above the valley floor, providing expansive, and occasionally exhausting, skiing opportunities. In the midst of The Winter That Never Came, aka this year, Sun Valley has managed to open almost all of its terrain through a combination of high enough elevation on the upper part of the mountain, and a more expansive snowmaking system than I ever thought possible on the lower part of the mountain.

We were staying in the Sun Valley Inn, located in the Sun Valley Village, which is not at the base of the lifts, but located just on the other side of Ketchum. I was thrilled to find that there is a free bus line running between the Sun Valley Village, Ketchum, and the two base areas on Baldy. The bus also runs to the base area of Sun Valley’s other mountain, Dollar Mountain, which was the site of the original ski area. Skiing opened on Baldy a few years after Dollar. Grabbing our skis off the ski rack on the bus, we headed straight for the Roundhouse Gondola, and transferred to the Christmas Chairlift, where we were greeted with stunning views of the surrounding mountains and Ketchum nestled in the valley far below.

Our first run gave us a taste of the kind of skiing that we were in for. The runs are so long, and so consistent in pitch, it is possible to lose yourself in a kind of mesmerizing rhythmic trance state in the first two thousand feet of the run, only to find that you still have an entire ski run worth of skiing left and now your legs are on fire. We found ourselves at the Warm Springs Base Area and headed back up for another run, grateful for the chance to rest our legs. The second run felt even better, as muscles loosened up and skis got a feeling for the snow.

After a few more runs on the Challenger and Frenchman’s Chairlifts, we ventured over towards the Seattle Ridge Day Lodge. I was struck by the elegance of all of the lodges we went into at the ski area, and it seemed that none of them contained any drywall anywhere. Giant logs, stone fireplaces, wood paneling, and marble adorned pretty much every surface in sight, and the effect was marvelous. We were also pleased to find that the exclusively green terrain in the Seattle Ridge Area would push into the blue or black categories at other ski areas, providing more fabulous trails to lose yourself in turn after turn after turn. I don’t know if I’ve ever had so much fun on a groomer.

Tempted by the fixed grip Mayday Chairlift climbing the opposite face of the Seattle Ridge Chairlift, we soaked in views of Easter, Lookout, and Mayday Bowls before us, and wondered what it would be like to catch them on a powder day. Reasonably encouraged by the sun warming our faces on our way up the chair, we decided to take an exploratory lap through one of the bowls, to see if the bumps had softened yet in the spring-like conditions. The upper part of the bowl was still a little firm, the January sun not bringing as much power as a true spring day, but as the bowl funneled into a field of slightly larger moguls, the snow softened enough for some of the best bump skiing I’ve had since my last trip to Colorado.

We spent the rest of the afternoon filling in a few of the groomers we had not yet gotten to, before hopping on the bus back to the Sun Valley Inn. After a quick swim in the heated pool, we headed back into Ketchum in search of food and beer. We had heard from friends that Rickshaw was worth the wait, so we added our names to the piece of butcher paper in the vestibule of the restaurant and ventured towards beer options while we awaited their call. We stopped in at the Casino Bar, a game filled establishment that used to serve Hamms Beer, but sadly was out during our visit. Any ski trip with a fixed grip chairlift and a dive bar is a good ski trip in my book. After the Casino Bar, we came across the TNT Taproom, a delightful place with free popcorn and good vibes all around, and just after the bartender finished pouring the second round, we got a call that our table was ready at Rickshaw. Our meal was worth the wait, with a stunning menu of small plate selections. Everything was delicious, but the Chiang Mai Curry Noodles won the day, though, when I go back, I’ll have to try everything else we weren’t able to get.

The next day, we started with bagels and coffee from Maude’s Coffee and Clothes, and then headed back up the Gondola/Christmas combo for a few more runs before the drive home. On our second day, we were a little bit more prepared for the length of the runs, and knew our way around the mountain that much better. The air temperature was slightly cooler than the day before, and skiers were throwing up beautiful, billowing clouds of tiny ice crystals freshly cleaved from the surface of the groomed snow as they rocketed past us. After a few reruns on our favorites from the day before, we bused back to the Sun Valley Village for a delectable lunch of fondue and steak from The Ram before hitting the road.

Thanks, Sun Valley!

Those interested in skiing the Gem Line Idaho ski resorts should visit VisitIdaho.com.