SUN VALLEY, IDAHO -- Pause at the top of Bald Mountain on a brilliant day and it's clear how the Sawtooth Range got its name -- its silver peaks glistening in the sunlight high above the Ketchum Valley that spreads out below. It's just as easy to see why Averill Harriman chose this area for Sun Valley, America's first destination ski resort. In 1935, the Union Pacific chairman had commissioned a young Austrian, Felix Schaff-gotsch, to find a suitable location for a winter resort to draw rail passengers to the West. After months of searching and rejecting such spots as Aspen and Mount Rainier, he stopped in what would become Sun Valley.
The resort's Web site quotes Schaffgotsch as saying: "This combines more delightful features than any place I have ever seen in Switzerland, Austria or the U.S. for a winter resort."
At a time when alpine skiing was a sport for an elite few, Harriman purchased 4,300 acres of ranch land outside the mining town of Ketchum. He envisioned a resort with every possible amenity to complement the stunning setting. After seven months' work, the resort opened in 1936, and the rich and famous have flocked to Sun Valley ever since, making the resort legendary.
Errol Flynn and Clark Gable were guests at the opening gala. Paul Newman and Clint Eastwood helped celebrate the resort's 50th birthday. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis are among today's luminaries.
The history of Sun Valley adds texture to any visit here. In addition to the famous names, the world's first chairlifts were installed in 1936 on Dollar Mountain and Proctor Mountain. Dollar remains one of the great "learners' mountains" in the country, but Proctor is no longer used for skiing. The lift is still there -- but now it's between the 14th green and the 15th tee of the Sun Valley golf course.
While nostalgia and scenery may feed the artist in each of us, a skier's soul is nurtured by the quality of the mountain and its runs, and Sun Valley delivers. Bald Mountain -- nicknamed Baldy -- is the centerpiece of the resort today. It has long cruising runs, mogul fields and spectacular bowls. It is a mountain that rewards confident skiers; cautious skiers may be intimidated.
The mountain's 3,400-foot vertical drop is the third largest in the country (after Jackson Hole, Wyo., and Steamboat Springs, Colo.), but it has just 2,054 acres of skiable terrain (roughly two-thirds that of Steamboat). And it's almost all relatively steep.
The resort rates 22 percent of Baldy's 65 runs as most difficult (advanced), 42 percent as more difficult (intermediate) and 36 percent as easiest, but few of Baldy's runs that are designated as easiest would carry those round, green trail markers at a number of other resorts in the Rockies.
Last January, I spent four days at Sun Valley, and since this was my first ski day of the season, I started on the most forgiving part of Baldy. After a quick warm-up, I headed for Seattle Ridge, which I knew from my previous visits was mostly easy-cruising runs. Three lift rides, a slow run across an access trail and 25 minutes later I was at the top, looking down Christin's Silver.
Seattle Ridge proved to be a fine starting point, and cruising on runs groomed table-top smooth merely whetted my appetite for more challenge. After a break for lunch, I took the Mayday lift to a ridge above the resort's bowls. While not as famed or as huge as Vail's back bowls, they can be just as much fun to ski.
Unfortunately, the snow conditions didn't cooperate. Bare patches dotted most of the bowls, especially the expert (difficult / advanced) ones. Easter Bowl was closed, and Lookout Bowl probably should have been. Two intermediate bowls -- Farout and Sigi's -- were skiable, but without fresh snow they were just nice intermediate runs.
By the time I had tried those bowls, it was mid-afternoon and the sun had started to make the snow a bit mushy. I decided five hours was enough time to spend on the mountain on Day 1. Then I was reminded of one of the drawbacks of spending all day on this side of the mountain: I had to ski most of the way to the bottom, then take the Cold Springs lift back halfway up the mountain and then head down Canyon to the base to catch the shuttle -- so I ended up spending almost six hours on the mountain by the time I got back to the lodge.
Apres ski in Sun Valley tends toward the quiet side, especially if you stay at the resort village as I did. The resort makes it easy to get into Ketchum: Just let the Sun Valley Lodge front desk know, and the lodge's shuttle will take you into town -- and pick you up.
Ketchum has evolved into a rather typical ski town with lots of restaurants and ski shops, and a smattering of older establishments that pay homage to its past. Condos are springing up all around the town.
For a gourmet dining experience, I tried Felix's Restaurant, where the Muscovy duck with apples and port wine sauce was quite tasty.
Day 2 dawned cold and brilliant. On the lift ride to the top of Baldy, I could hear the scrape of skis over the snow that had frozen overnight, but I knew it would soften quickly in the sun. This was my day to spend on the Warm Springs area, my favorite portion of the mountain.
The longest run on Baldy, Warm Springs is a fabulous cruise from Lookout Peak for about 2 miles all the way to the day lodge at the bottom. The top is an intermediate pitch, but the bottom levels off and widens into an easier run.
The Challenger high-speed lift whisks skiers 3,000 vertical feet back to the top in just 10 minutes. Intermediate skiers don't have a lot of choice at the top, but the options appear halfway down Warm Springs. A turn to the left brings them to Cozy, Hemingway and Greyhawk. The upper portion of each is rated advanced (marked with a black diamond), but if the runs have been groomed any good intermediate will find them a rewarding challenge.
The run down Warm Springs and then to Greyhawk quickly earned a place among my favorites -- steep enough to provide a challenge, wide enough to vary your line each time you ski it and blessed with beautiful scenery .
When I got back to the lodge, my knees were reminding me that I wasn't even close to 25 any more. I wasn't up for another gourmet extravaganza, so I opted for Bald Mountain Pizza and Pasta in the resort village.
The next morning, I headed over to Dollar Mountain, which I hadn't visited in nearly 30 years. Dollar is an ice- cream scoop of a mountain, with just a bit less than 700 vertical feet of skiing. It is difficult to imagine a bevy of celebrities flocking to this little hill when it opened in 1936.
But Dollar can hold its own as a teaching mountain. Gentle, wide-open slopes make learning to turn a breeze. But the only reason for anyone but novice skiers to go to Dollar is to teach someone else to ski.
If I weren't such a ski nut, this would have been a fine day to try some of the other outdoor pastimes available at the resort. The Sun Valley Nordic & Snowshoe Center can outfit you for a day of exploring. Figure skaters can rent skates and try the ice where Sonja Henie starred in "Sun Valley Serenade" in 1941.
But I went back to Baldy for an afternoon of cruising on the intermediate runs. For dinner I took the shuttle again to Ketchum to satisfy my craving for spicy food at Desperado's, a Mexican restaurant where all the entrees were under $10.
My last day was spent sampling the few remaining runs I hadn't been able to fit in so far, and revisiting my favorites.
The next day, on the shuttle to Hailey / Sun Valley Airport, I reviewed my stay. As on my other trips, I had to give Sun Valley somewhat mixed reviews.
It is a fabulous skier's mountain, but at a relatively low altitude for a ski resort -- 9,150 feet at the peak, 5,750 at the base. That means less of a problem getting used to the altitude, but it also means less reliable snow. The snow was a bit slushy every afternoon when I was there.
I love the challenge of Baldy, but less aggressive skiers are likely to find their choices too limited.
Sun Valley's remoteness adds to its aura, but it also means a day of traveling each way. I skied four days, but the trip took six days. The Sun Valley resort village wraps visitors in a cocoon of luxury and legend, but its remoteness will be a negative to some.
Randall Weissman writes for the Chicago Tribune.
IF YOU GO
GETTING THERE
Reaching Sun Valley, Idaho, doesn't make for the most convenient of ski trips. First, you fly to Salt Lake City, Utah, where you connect for a 55-minute flight to Sun Valley Airport in Hailey, Idaho. From there, it's a 15- to 20-minute drive into Ketchum or the Sun Valley Resort. If bad weather closes Hailey, planes are re-routed to Twin Falls, a 90-minute bus ride from Sun Valley. Visitors also can fly into Boise and then drive or take bus/shuttle to Sun Valley. The 170-mile trip takes 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Sun Valley Express is one of several firms providing shuttle service; prices range from $54-$74 per person. 877-622-8267; sun valleyexpress.com.
GETTING AROUND
The Sun Valley Resort is a 5- to 10-minute drive from the town of Ketchum. If you stay at any of the resort properties, there's free shuttle service to and from town. If you are staying in Ketchum, there is free bus service around town and to the mountain.
LODGING
Sun Valley Resort:
The resort can accommodate about 1,200 visitors among several lodging options. The Lodge and the Inn are hotel-style properties with rooms ranging from standard doubles to luxury suites. Room rates range from $119 to $199 per night in low season to $229 a night at Christmas to suites that run from $509 in low season to $519 at Christmas. The inn's apartment suites range from $379 in low season to $609 at Christmas. Christmas season is from Dec. 21 through Jan. 5.
Tamarack Lodge:
Located in nearby Ketchum, each of its 26 rooms has a refrigerator, microwave and coffee maker. A room with a king bed or two double beds ranges from $94 per night to $149 per night during Christmas week; suites range from $114 to $185 per night. 208-726-3344; tamaracksunvalley.com.
Clarion Inn:
The 58-room inn has standard double rooms ranging from $139 to $169 in high season and suites from $169 to $249 in high season. Its amenities also include a microwave and coffee maker in each room, plus a pool and hot tub. 208-726-5900; resortswest.net.
Condos:
Numerous firms offer condo or private-home lodging. Two are ResortQuest (888-799-1394, resortquestsunvalley.com) and High Country Resort Properties. 800-726-7076, highcountry-rentals.com.
SKIING
Depending on the time of the ski season, daily lift tickets range from $54 to $79 for adults and $32 to $45 for children; a five-day pass ranges from $240 to $370 for adults and $135 to $200 for children.
The resort also offers 25 miles of groomed Nordic trails. A Nordic pass is $16 per day for adults; $12 for children. Equipment rental is available for all the activities.
MORE INFORMATION
Sun Valley Resort,
800-786-8259; sunvalley.com
Sun Valley/Ketchum Chamber & Visitors Bureau,
866-305-0408; visitsunvalley.com.
[RANDALL WEISSMAN]