The Valley Sun

Sun Valley Powder Festival – The Ultimate Snow Dance Weekend

A roundup of our favorite on-mountain refueling options.

By Katie Matteson

We all get tired and cranky. I will be the first to admit that I am completely susceptible to the "Hangry" attitude that comes with being hungry and tired at the same time. And often times, on the mountain, in the middle of a pretty epic powder day, it can hit me the worst.

Not being much of a cook, and being even less of a breakfast-lover, there are days I have headed to the mountain with nothing but a cup of coffee in my belly. And on a good day, I perhaps had a piece of toast and banana before clicking into my powder skis. One such incident happened only weeks ago on a bright, snowy Saturday when skiing with my step-dad. Upon noticing that I was struggling through each turn and had a huge frown on my face, he suggested, as any good parent does, that we stop in to the Lookout and take a break. Rather than taking a leisurely snack/lunch/brunch break (at 11:00 AM, it really wasn’t time for lunch yet), he grabbed two glasses of water and dropped a NUUN tablet in each. Five minutes later, we were dropping into Lefty’s Bowl, he was skiing just as good as ever and I was feeling completely rejuvenated.

A day on the mountain, at any level can be exhausting. Breakfast is always key but carrying snacks always helps. So to help out those other non-breakfast eaters, or anybody that needs a little help refueling on the hill, we created a roundup of our favorite fueling options for Bald Mountain:

1.     NUUN: These "Optimal Hydration" tablets work wonders, upping your electrolytes and readying you for a few more laps in the bowl.

2.     Sun Valley Bar: This delicious fruit, nut and seed bar fits perfectly in your pocket and was originally created right here in Sun Valley. Now repackaged and distributed by Good N’ Natural, it still gives you the same Sun Valley Bar pick-me-up.

3.     Mom’s Chocolate Chip Cookies: Chocolate chip cookies almost always hit the spot, so they definitely do the trick on the mountain. Or stop by the Warm Springs Lodge when the bell rings for some of their fresh-out-of-the-oven cookies, eat half and stash the other one in your pocket.

4.     Tanka Bars: This bar is kind of new to the scene and is perfect for someone looking for the gluten-free option. Made from cranberries and buffalo jerky, it also gives athletes the protein other solutions might be lacking.

5.     Clif Bar Shot Blocks: My friend pulled a peach flavor Shot Block out of her pocket last weekend and it totally hit the spot and gave me the energy I needed for some more powder shots in Frenchman’s, completing its mission of "replacing carbs and electrolytes during activity."

6.     Haribo Gold Bears Gummi Candy: One of the best endurance athletes I know, a gnarly mountain biker and Nordic ski coach, always has a bag of this classic gummy bears handy for any time she bonks.

Precursor to the 2013 US National Masters Championships. 10 and 5km, 10am mass start. Registration at the SV Nordic Center begins Tuesday, 1/31, and ends Wednesday, 2/1 at 8:30am

Entry Fee: 10km – $15, 5km – $10. Awards at 12:30pm.

Town Series #2 on Cozy

Contact Mike Wrobel at Sun Valley Race Desk, 622-6356

Appearing at The Boiler Room

Kip Attaway, Singer, Songwriter, Musician & Funny Guy.  Kip released his first album in 1980.  Two songs from that record made it into the top 100 on the country charts.  In 1986 his band took first place in the Marlboro National Talent Search.  Since then Kip has released twelve more CDs and tours relentlessly.  His solo career has evolved into a combination of comedy, music and mayhem.  He has entertained all over the world, including Hawaii, Bermuda and Australia.  Kip is a favorite at the Catch a Rising Star comedy club, and stays busy livening up the corporate party circuit with his parodies and impersonations poking fun at rock & roll and country music.

• Every Wednesday, Jan 11- Mar 28
• 6pm; Tickets $10 available at the door
• Doors open 1 hr before showtime; Cocktails at fire pit 2 hrs before showtime
• Ages 21+

*Special Holiday Show

Thursday, December 29

$15 Adults

8pm

2nd Annual Sun Valley Nordic Festival

Jan 28-Feb 5, 2012

The 2nd annual Sun Valley Nordic Festival will feature nine days of activities, races, clinics and fun events, discounts on nordic ski passes, discounts on demos/rentals, lodging and dining, which showcase and celebrate Sun Valley’s well-deserved reputation as "Nordic Town USA.”