To start with, Sun Valley is a difficult mountain. Green-easy- runs at Sun Valley would be Blue- intermediate- at any other ski area in the country. Some runs are even verging on Black runs- difficult. The only easy runs on Sun Valley’s Baldy Mountain- are the run outs at the base of more difficult runs. There is another little area called Dollar Mountain that is set aside for beginners or those who want to ski only easy runs.
When we skied there in late January, the area was very short of snow. Much of the mountain was closed from lack of snow. The green runs had snow made on them and groomed, while other runs were very icy, so we skied green runs! Adventuring on to some others meant teeth- chattering, rock-hard surfaces to ski. But it was sunny and warm!
Then the much-needed snow came, but wet and heavy and thick fog! Visibility was close to zero! With dense snow covering our goggles (windshield wipers needed) and barely able to see a few feet in front of us, I decided to ski down. Trouble is, at Sun Valley, you can’t ski down from the middle of the mountain, without first taking the lift up to the top. As I planned to do that, I couldn’t even see the chairs on the lift going up, meaning the fog would be even denser at the top, so I wimped out and took the gondola down, where it was pouring rain at the base. I found out later that friends who tried to ski from the top down in dense fog had vertigo- unable to tell which was was up or down, and others called the ski patrol to guide them down to keep from skiing off the edge of the run in to steep chutes or who knows where?
To add to my malaise, my bad knee hurts more from working harder in heavy snow. I put up with the pain, but when it stops obeying and collapses under me, that is when I have to stop, go in and ice and then take advantage of the hot tub!
We stayed at the original Sun Valley Inn (recently renovated) for some of the local charm. Sun Valley is the oldest destination ski area in the country, built in the 1930s by Averill Harriman to get customers to ride his cross-country railroad. The ski area has been greatly changed since then, but still showcases many Hollywood celebrities and athletes who trained and won Olympic medals. There’s a black run named “Picabo’s Street", and runs named for other Olympic medalists.
One day two friends and I chose to poke around town instead of skiing. The town of Ketchum, Idaho is an interesting historic place, with small, well-designed museums and cute shops. We visited the Sun Valley Museum, the Wolf Museum, and some art museums showcasing local artists.
My ski club always plans an après ski party at the end of the day, so we have a chance to relax and compare adventures of the day.
