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THE BEGINNER
For beginners who want a day off from the ski slopes, snowshoeing is a perfect way to get outside on a sunny winter day. Photo courtesy of Sun Valley Resort
What Sun Valley newcomers need to know By Freddie Harris Sun Valley Guide
DOLLAR BOASTS 10 RUNS AND FIVE LIFTS ON ITS 628-FOOT VERTICAL RISE, INCLUDING TWO HIGH-SPEED QUAD LIFTS.
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If you’re a first-timer in Sun Valley, you’ve picked the perfect winter destination; after all, we are ranked No. 4 in SKI magazine’s listing of the top Western mountain resorts. The resort area and the surrounding Wood River Valley is like a romantic memory—simply gorgeous and ever so slightly elusive. The intimate towns of Bellevue and Hailey are bookended by sage-frosted hills to the south; Ketchum and Sun Valley burrow in the stunning Central Idaho Rocky Mountains to the north. Sun Valley is remote, but our elusiveness is part of the area’s charm. Unspoiled by corporate commercialism that has leached through the borders of other mountain resort towns, and beloved by locals who are loyal to businesses that have withstood the test of time, Sun Valley boasts a unique character reflected in an array of human personalities. “There’s an incredible collection of people here,” says Paul, an elderly gentleman whom I encounter at
a coffee shop in Ketchum. “And everyone mixes very well.” Sun Valley’s varied personality is further reflected in the multiple things one can do here. So, for your first time in Sun Valley, what are your options? What to do? Where to go? Like anywhere, in Sun Valley people, businesses and fads come and go. But some things, like the mountains that surround us, have been around for ages. These are the places that a first-timer should visit. These are Sun Valley staples. sleeping in histOric cOmFOrt If you are looking for a place to stay that oozes with traditional Sun Valley charisma, try the Sun Valley Inn. Originally opened as the Challenger Inn in the 1930s, the Inn offers a charming alternative to the Sun Valley Lodge, which is a short stroll away through a picturesque pedestrian village of shops, restaurants and even a movie theatre. The Inn, which was inspired by the movie “I Met Him In Paris,” is winter 2013/14 • sun valley guide