Whether you’re celebrity chasing or couch crashing, here’s the run down on where to stay, eat, and ski.

April 13, 2017 By Julie Brown

There are two ways to experience Sun Valley. The Hollywood way, with diamond-crusted facials and celebrity hobnobbing. Or the couch-surfing way, with a DIY flair that capitalizes on the local secrets of your hosts. Both are excellent approaches to the original American ski destination.

Where to stay

For a bit of Old Hollywood Nostalgia: Pull up to the Sun Valley Lodge, where furs and dark sunglasses are the norm. In the same realm of historic grand hotels as Yosemite’s Ahwahnee and Mount Hood’s Timberline Lodge, the Sun Valley Lodge has had a regular rotation of celebrities stroll through its hallways since it opened in 1936. Today those faces are preserved in the archival black-and-white photos adorning the walls. A renovation in 2015 kept that heritage and grandeur while updating the Lodge with amenities like larger guest rooms and windows, a limestone deck and heated pool. A visit here is not complete until you’ve bowled in one of the six regulation-length lanes on the ground floor.

The Sun Valley Inn, just across the courtyard, is a bit more of a throwback (as in, it hasn’t been renovated like it’s sister hotel). But with royal red printed carpet and a black grand piano in the lobby, it has a certain charm. Or go modern in downtown Ketchum at the Limelight Hotel.

If you’re on a tighter budget: Do what I did and crash at a friend’s. Hopefully they have a guest bedroom, or at least a couch. Or check out the new locally-owned hostel, the Hot Water Inn. A “boutique mountain lodge” in the price range of a single dollar sign, the Hot Water Inn offers 10 bedrooms—shared and private—at the base of the Warm Springs lift. Jam sessions encouraged.

Where to Ski

For courduroy cruising with the blue-hairs: Sun-starved Northwesterners flock to the sun-soaked and aptly named Seattle Ridge where blue-square groomers are a plenty. Of course, a few rounds of Warm Springs laps is a must. For more beta on where to ski, read it from a local.

If you don’t own a Mountain Collective pass and/or don’t want to throw down on a lift ticket: Sun Valley’s secret is its backcountry access. There are five mountain ranges within an easy drive of Ketchum. Mountains as far as the eye can see. Drive to Galena Pass and skin from the road. Or hike into a yurt in the Sawtooths for a weekend of couloir hunting.

Full Article Here

USATODAY-Larry Olmsted

The scene: Ketchum, Idaho was the last place Ernest Hemingway called home, and while Warfield Distillery & Brewery is new, there’s a good chance “Papa” would have liked it — the place not only serves great food, but makes its own beer and liquor as a rare combination brewery and distillery.

Ketchum is also home to the nation’s very first destination ski resort, Sun Valley, the place that invented the chairlift, but it’s one of the few ski towns that is busier in summer than winter, thanks to world class mountain biking, several golf courses, white water rafting, and a huge slate of festivals and symphony performances, so Warfield has a hungry (and thirsty) audience all year round.

It occupies a prime corner location in the heart of the town’s condensed Main Street, with one long, deep, big room. Despite the distilling and brewing operations, it’s more restaurant than bar, with three rows of tables and booths running front to back, an open kitchen across most of the back wall, a small sit down bar in the right back corner, and a glass encased pot still in the back left. The interior has a very Western feel, with worn wooden floors, dark wood tables, leather booths decorated with equestrian harness belting, and exposed brick walls. Overall, it’s got a cozy but refined “upscale tavern” aesthetic, and the antique safe built into the wall behind the bar is a nice touch.

Reason to visit: Duck drumettes, octopus, pork coppa steak, mussels, beer

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The insider’s tour of one of the most historic ski areas in North America

February 24, 2017 By Gabe Schroder

PHOTO: Courtesy of Sun Valley

Fun fact: Sun Valley is a town, a region, and a ski area. The town of Sun Valley is home to the Sun Valley Resort, which includes the lodge, golf course, Nordic skiing tracks, and Dollar Mountain (a small ski hill for beginners, with a big terrain park for the hardpack huckers). A mile or so away is the town of Ketchum that is full of charm, history, nightlife, and local flavor. Towering above the town of Ketchum is Bald Mountain (aka Baldy), the crown jewel of Idaho ski resorts. Together, the resort, the town, and the ski area can all be referred to as Sun Valley.

Taking its rightful place amongst North America’s most legendary ski areas, Sun Valley’s Bald Mountain serves up a unique and world-class ski experience. Some skiers, however, are quick to dismiss Baldy due to its fancy day lodges, low annual snowfall (220 inches, on average) and absence of cliffs, chutes, and other natural features.

All of which is true, to some extent. Sun Valley’s tree-cut runs and wide, open bowls don’t have the same alpine gnarl factor that other more jagged ski areas feature. But don’t be so quick to dismiss Sun Valley. The ski resort, which opened in 1936, has a cemented place in skiing lore, and skiers who have spent time here know this place is legit.

Easy access from town with 3,100 feet of sustained fall-line skiing and a cool ski patrol overseeing an open boundary policy combine to create a no-nonsense ski experience not easily found these days. This is a mountain where skiers come to ski—not to be seen or be a part of something cool. Skiing here is all about feeling the raw and continuous tug of gravity. For once a skier commits to Baldy’s uninterrupted fall line and surrenders to her relentless pull, her true beauty is revealed. Here’s all you need to know to make the most of skiing at Sun Valley.

Read more at http://www.powder.com/latitudes/us/idaho/sun-valley/tour-de-sun-valley/#UuAZFLmiJq5WACTE.99

BY KUTV MONDAY, JANUARY 16TH 2017

This week on Road Trippin’, Casey Scott visits the Sun Valley Resort in Sun Valley Idaho, to discover the fun things to do, places to eat, places to stay and more!

STAY – Sun Valley Lodge – Relax in style and comfort in the iconic Sun Valley Lodge. Completely renovated and reopened in June 2015, the Lodge offers the finest hospitality with 108 rooms – 65 with fireplaces – and five celebrity guest suites. Adjacent to the Lodge is the 20,000 sq. ft. Spa, with a year-round outdoor heated pool, hot tub and state-of-the-art fitness center. The Lodge is located in the Sun Valley Village, with dining, shopping, a movie house, outdoor ice skating rink, bowling alley and free shuttle service to town and all the base areas – all within walking distance from your room. Spend: Starting at $350/night – Website | Directions

RELAX – The Spa at Sun Valley – Relax and enjoy the 20,000 sq. ft. Spa with 15 treatment rooms, a year-round outdoor heated pool and hot tub and fitness center, after a day on the mountain. Massage, acupuncture, experience packages and a full-service salon are among many of the choices to help you unwind. An added bonus – guests receive a day pass to all Spa amenities on the day they receive their service. Spend: Varies on service. – Website | Directions

EATS – Gretchen’s – Gretchen’s restaurant, named after Olympian and Sun Valley native, Gretchen Fraser, is the perfect place to enjoy breakfast, lunch or dinner. Conveniently located in the Sun Valley Lodge, Gretchen’s offers a wide range of fresh and innovative selections for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Chef Derek Gallegos brings his culinary skills to each menu item, with such popular choices as the Huevos Rancheros de Inez at breakfast, Baby Golden Beet and Tuscan Kale Salad during lunch and 44 Farms Angus Flatiron Steak with a side of whipped Idaho potatoes for dinner. Healthy choices highlight the menu, such as the Lodge “Power Bowl” – an egg white scramble with quinoa, baby kale, edamame, roasted butternut squash and tomatillo salsa. A perfect protein boost after working out in the Spa fitness center or skiing at the Sun Valley Nordic Center. Whatever you’re craving, Gretchen’s is sure to have something from traditional dishes with a new twist to fresh classics with a little bit of extra flair. Spend: $12-$35 per entree – Website | Directions

DEALS – Ski & Stay Packages – Discover your unbeaten path in Sun Valley. Save over 25% on lodging, lift tickets and kids 12 & under ski for free**based on 3 night minimum stay. One free kid’s lift ticket per one paid adult lift ticket.Package available / now through Feb. 15 and Feb. 20-April 3, 2017.To reserve your spot on the Sun Valley trail, please call / 800.786.8259 – Spend: Varies based on availability, dates & room type – Website | Directions

MOUNTAIN COLLECTIVE – Mountain Collective – Sun Valley Resort is a part of the Mountain Collective! Hit Sun Valley for two days of skiing/boarding with your Mountain Collective pass, then 50% off each additional day of skiing/boarding! No blackout dates. That’s a deal! Spend: Varies based on when pass purchased. Current price / $499 per adult Site – Website | Directions

Last year, savvy travelers flocked to Rio for the Olympics; Cuba, because they could; and America’s national parks, to celebrate the 100th birthday of the natural wonders in their own backyards. In 2017, we’ll see hot spots like Sri Lanka, Colombia, and Oman remain popular, but travelers will venture off the beaten path, beyond each country’s tried-and-true holiday escapes.

7. Idaho
   Idaho is having a moment. The capital, Boise, may not have an Ace Hotel yet, but it’s quietly setting itself up to be one of America’s most desirable second-tier cities with hip lodging like theModern Hotel + Bar, indie coffee shops,creative hubs, distilleries, and a serious craft beer scene. And then of course, there’s the incredible access to the outdoors, including more than 190 miles of trails to hike, run, and bike in the Boise Foothills. Hemingway’s beloved Sun Valley, while often overlooked for glitzier mountain towns like Telluride, Park City, and Jackson Hole, is having a renaissance. America’s first destination ski resort area offers some of the best slopes in the U.S. and still maintains a laid-back mountain-town feel (think Aspen in the ’60s). The December 30 opening of the Limelight Ketchum, the first new hotel in more than two decades, will bring some youthful energy to the mountains. Farther afield, Selkirk Powder Company recently announced it will be offering heli-skiing trips to the Idaho panhandle beyond the Schweitzer Mountain backcountry, giving adventurers access to the rugged and untapped American Selkirk Range of northern Idaho.

See Full Article Here

Last year, savvy travelers flocked to Rio for the Olympics; Cuba, because they could; and America’s national parks, to celebrate the 100th birthday of the natural wonders in their own backyards. In 2017, we’ll see hot spots like Sri Lanka, Colombia, and Oman remain popular, but travelers will venture off the beaten path, beyond each country’s tried-and-true holiday escapes.

7. Idaho
   Idaho is having a moment. The capital, Boise, may not have an Ace Hotel yet, but it’s quietly setting itself up to be one of America’s most desirable second-tier cities with hip lodging like theModern Hotel + Bar, indie coffee shops,creative hubs, distilleries, and a serious craft beer scene. And then of course, there’s the incredible access to the outdoors, including more than 190 miles of trails to hike, run, and bike in the Boise Foothills. Hemingway’s beloved Sun Valley, while often overlooked for glitzier mountain towns like Telluride, Park City, and Jackson Hole, is having a renaissance. America’s first destination ski resort area offers some of the best slopes in the U.S. and still maintains a laid-back mountain-town feel (think Aspen in the ’60s). The December 30 opening of the Limelight Ketchum, the first new hotel in more than two decades, will bring some youthful energy to the mountains. Farther afield, Selkirk Powder Company recently announced it will be offering heli-skiing trips to the Idaho panhandle beyond the Schweitzer Mountain backcountry, giving adventurers access to the rugged and untapped American Selkirk Range of northern Idaho.

See Full Article Here