Sun Valley Blog

By Mike McKenna

Ever wonder what to do with that old snowboard? How about making it into a bench?

Turning a used snowboard into a bench is surprisingly easy and cheap to do and it’s a lot better for the environment than dumping it in the garbage.

To help get you motivated, here are the Top 10 reasons to turn and old snowboard into a bench:

10) It gives you a great excuse to use power tools.

9) It’s a great way to honor something you loved and shared many great memories with.

8) It’s gives you good place to sit, indoors or out.

7) It’s a fun and practical way to recycle.

6) It’s pretty cheap to do, wooden benches cost less than $25 to make.

A wide variety of snowboard bench kits are available from places like the Snow Source.

5) It doesn’t take very long to make one.

4) It’s a more productive way to spend an afternoon than drinking beer and watching ski movie re-runs.

3) It gives you a great reason to enjoy a beer after you’re done—and new place to sit down to enjoy it.

2) Even most “Two Plankers” (aka skiers) think they’re cool!

1) It gives you the perfect excuse to buy a new ride for next season!

To find out the basic directions for building a bench out of wood or links to some different examples of snowboard bench designs, please check out , “Building A Snowboard Bench.”

Photo courtesy of Nils Ribi.

A new local marvels at his first end of the season party at Sun Valley

By Alec Barfield

I notice the costumes first. (Man, people in this town love to dress up.) Some are better than others, but everyone tries … it is the last day on Baldy after all.  At one end of the spectrum are the Halloween get ups. A batch of the good ones: a human parrot and a mystery bird, Pooh Bear and Eyeore, a woman attached to an inflatable horse and some businessmen. Then there are the one-pieces, those throwback neon wonders that we all should own—if not strictly to use on the ski season’s last hurrah. Finally, a quirky mess of accessories paints the rest of the crowd. Put on a wig and sunglasses and you’ve got a party. Put on some denim jorts (jean shorts), which just skied past me, and you’ve got an even bigger party. Today, all functionality is unquestionably displaced by the best on-mountain party of the year.

Skiing is still the priority, but not necessarily the ability to do it well. In terms of attire, the louder the better. In terms of skiing, don’t crash too hard.

The SunFest party (Sun Valley’s official tagging of Sunday’s ultimately unaccountable nonsense) is the skier’s warble of skiing and drinking, which every so often gets put on repeat. Today that winning combination won’t stop until the lifts shut down. To be clear, drinking and skiing has its risks. But that’s another conversation and for this day, it seems to be another day’s worry. It’s the last day of the year, the weather is sunny and warm, the snow is nice enough to handle tiny ski blades and decades-old snowboards; no one seems to be thinking twice about the beer. Or the mimosas.

Baldy’s last day witnesses the entire cross section of pass-holders. Regardless of whether you lumber up the mountain less than five days a year or crunch out more than 100, the season’s final opportunity is always a ski.

This was a town-wide celebration. One that was fatefully sunny, just warm enough to ski in almost anything. There were beers and birds, and some bad skiing. It happens once a year and it’s viscerally awesome. It is a day to celebrate the season. And celebrate we did. As my grandpa would say, “You done good, Sun Valley!”

[To check out more of Nils Ribi’s great photos from the final day or to read the full story please click here.]

The golf season is about to get underway

By Mike McKenna

Now that the slopes have closed for the season it’s time to turn our attention towards the links. This season Sun Valley will be offering 45 holes of world class golfing at three course: the longtime favorite of Trail Creek, the breathtaking track at the White Clouds and now entering it’s second season under Sun Valley’s management, the Trent Jones designed course at Elkhorn.

Trail Creek will be fully open this weekend (April 28^th), with Elkhorn opening to walking only on the front night on Monday (April 30^th) and White Clouds expected to start teeing off around May 4^th.

To get you fired up for another great season of swinging the stick in Sun Valley, here’s my write up on the White Clouds’ signature hole from Idaho Golf Magazine.

The spectacualr 8th hole at the White Clouds.

White Clouds Golf Course

Signature Hole: #8

Yardage: 523

Par: 4

Offering some of the most stunning views found on any course on the planet, the White Clouds Golf Course in Sun Valley is known for its striking topography. The ridge-lined course overlooks the picturesque Wood River Valley, the White Cloud Mountains and the Ernest Hemingway Memorial.

Opened in 2008, the long, links-style course was designed by Don Knott and is considered challenging by any standard, with several long Par 5s and undulating fairways that yield few, if any, flat stances.

The signature hole at White Clouds is the 8th. Standing on the tee-box nearly 300 feet above the fairway below, take note of the wind before teeing off. It’s important to hit a solid drive on this long, downhill par 4. Anything hit too far left makes it a near impossible up-and-down.

Advice: Jeff Peterson is White Clouds’ Director of Golf: “The ball will stay in the air forever, but will need to favor the right side of the fairway due to a severely sloped fairway and bunkers on the left. The long second shot plays downhill and should also favor the right side of this large undulating green.  Misses need to be short and right.”

For more information, check out www.sunvalley.com/golf/whiteclouds/ or call 208.622.2251.   

 [To read about other Signature Holes in the Gem State, check out the entire article.]

Skiers and riders salute another epic season at Sun Valley.

By Mike McKenna

Closing weekend for Sun Valley was a huge success. From the two day lodges to the top of Baldy, another terrific ski season in the heart of Idaho culminated with live music, plenty of folks in funny costumes and dayglo ski gear and lots of fun-filled festivities.

The first-ever end of the season party at River Run was a big hit. DJ McClain spinning tunes and a bouncy house for the kids highlighted the celebration. Warm Springs was rocking to a live band and the final lifts of the year closed down amid fireworks shot off from Lookout at the peak of the mountain.

Now it’s time to tune up the mountain bikes, dust off of the hiking shoes, shine up the golf clubs and start counting the days until the next glorious ski season at Sun Valley kicks off next fall.

Funny costumes and ski outfits were the dress code for the weekend.

Time to trade in the skis for the clubs, the bike and the hiking shoes.

Bob L. salutes the close of another season.

A local family enjoys a few days in America’s original ski resort

Vacations in Sun Valley are fun for the whole family.

By Nicky Elsbree

In recognition of one’s dedication to Sun Valley Company, they offer “R & R” packages to employees who have reached certain milestones in their careers. At the end of my 5^th season of teaching skiing, I was awarded a three-night stay, all food and activities included, at a Sinclair Company (Sun Valley’s parent company) run resort.

The vision of scooting down to Utah and experiencing Snow Basin’s light and fluffy powder seemed attainable. The reality of our energy levels, however, caused my husband and me to reconsider. In other words, we were tired and the thought of loading up and traveling five hours south with two young kids didn’t sound as glamorous or easy as it once did.

So, instead of letting the certificate collect dust for a couple more years, we took action. With one of their nicest resorts right next door, Spring Break Sun Valley-style here we come!

The view from the Sun Valley Lodge.

At 5 o’clock on Sunday afternoon we loaded Clayton (7) and Hadley (3) into the car with DVD player and drinks available (their bags stashed secretly) for our long road trip. “Hot Springs?  Camping?  Boise? C’mon! Where are we going?”

As we took a left onto Saddle Road and crossed Highway 75, they were really befuddled. Without saying much, we pulled into Sun Valley’s parking lot and walked to the big doors of the Lodge where we were treated like royalty,  as everyone is.

It was not until I presented a key to Clayton and told Hadley to hit the elevator button to the third floor that they started to engage in the possibility of…drum roll please…being able to spend the night at a hotel here in their hometown.

Yes, room #325, staring out at Baldy and over the hot pool, beckoned us. The kids were delighted as they chose their beds and took a few spins around the room, trying on bright white robes and too big spa slippers and even discovered a tiny box wrapped in gold ribbon hiding some fancy chocolates. For a moment, I think they forgot where they were… the transformation from locals to visitors was complete.

At Bald Mountain Pizza the atmosphere was relaxed, but we still reminded our kids of their manners. Our waiter Jonathan was cool and engaging without, you know, over doing it.

When he drifted back to the kitchen, we discussed the idea of “being from somewhere else,” in effort to make ourselves more, well, touristy. Clayton promptly decided he wanted to be from San Jose. I guess the fact that he’s a hockey fanatic and a huge Sharks fan came into play. So as we gobbled up pizza, we had fun trying on our new identity and then weaved our way back to the Lodge.

The birthday boy gets hugs from Clayton and Hadley.

Clayton even got nervy enough to tell another elevating family when asked, that we were from San Jose. The mom, who mentioned they were from Idaho Falls exclaimed, “Wow, we’ve never met anyone from there before and isn’t that exciting?” Clayton’s everlasting grin grew even bigger.

The next day the rain came crushing and I actually felt bad for the “real” visitors.  Skiing in the rain can be good, but this was a soaker and back-up plans, which included raincoats, came into play. For us it was breakfast at Gretchen’s followed by feeding the ducks and out to the hot pool.  The temperature dropped just enough for the rain to transition to large wispy whiteness floating down. My daughter, Hadley, thought the flakes looked like the swan feathers she had found outside by the pond. They did and it was magical.

It felt like camp when we received a message in our room about an impromptu matinee showing “The Big Miracle,” with Drew Barrymore.  As all good movies do, it provided an escape out of our own little world into someone else’s.

Ah let’s see, what next, a little bowling. We saw local friends and a plethora of visiting families as kids wore their cool kicks and hurled bedazzling balls down the lanes.  Parents tried to remember how to score as a few “oh yeahs” and “oh shucks” echoed throughout.

It's easy to keep the kids happy when you're hanging out in Sun Valley.

Dinner in the Lobby Inn and ambling about the Sun Valley grounds brought us up to 9 o’clock.  After reading the kids “Little Clyde, Horsing Around in Sun Valley,” falling asleep to an NHL game on TV was an easy end to an enjoyable day.

The next morning was filled with a series of “Happy Birthdays” shrieked to my husband, Mark. Good thing we were on the end room as to not disturb many people with our off-tone singing. We marched to the Konditeri for a casual breakfast and out to the hot pool for a finale soak prior to checking out.

Two nights and a couple days of crossing over into Sun Valley’s fancy laid-backness gave us a refreshing perspective on the town next door. No, we didn’t ski and it was too wet to skate, but we did what young kids inherently like to do. Sleep in a hotel bed, ride the elevator and get tired out at the pool. It was fun to play the “we are from San Jose” game and easy to understand why people travel great distances to experience this special resort. With the pop of our tourist bubble, we hopped back in the car for our 12 minute drive home out Warm Springs Road.

And then the birthday boy grabbed his skis and headed for Baldy, the reigning king of Sun Valley, while the kids and I unpacked from our stay-cation.

Dressing up is half the fun at the Janss Pro Am.

By Laurie Sammis

I arrive at the bottom of the mountain last weekend in a hot pink one piece, ski boots and leather chaps … only to find that I am a tad underdressed. It is the 15th Annual Janss Pro-Am Classic on Baldy and the costumes and props are over the top.

The first person I see is Langely McNeal  dressed as a Twister™ board game and moving in a sea of red, yellow, green and blue dots. Langely is standing next to her teammate, who is decked out in striped thigh-highs beneath a colorful minidress (bare-legged on a ski hill, as far as I can tell) and a blue wig with a lollipop hat, in what I can only imagine as the Candyland™ game.

Their team theme is “Vintage Games”—to match the “Vintage” theme for this years 2012 Stifel Nicolaus Weisel Janss Pro-Am. Langely is joined by the rest of her teammates, which include Monopoly™, Barrel of Monkeys™, Mr. Potatohead™ and Operation™. Brilliant. They end up sweeping the costume contest award at the end of the weekend, followed in close second by the 10th Mountain Division, and the Gender Benders, with Honeymooners and Tinseltown as Honorable Mentions (be sure to check out the photo galleries below).

The Janss Pro-Am is probably one of the most spirited and lively annual fundraisers in the Valley. It features three nights of hosted parties and revelry sandwiched between two days of dual Giant Slalom racing on lower Warm Springs—in costume and with an announcer to heckle you (if you take yourself too seriously)—all to benefit the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation (SVSEF) and its training programs for youth skiers, boarders and Nordic athletes.

(Click here to read the full recap or to check out more photos from this year’s Janss Pro Am.)

A Wet, Wild and Wacky End-of-Season Ritual in Sun Valley

By Laurie Sammis

More than 125 of the bravest, and perhaps craziest, skiers and riders in Sun Valley put their skills to the test last Sunday as they attempted to cross the pond in front of Carol’s Dollar Mountain Lodge during the 3^rd Annual Dollar Dayz Pond Skim event. Competitors were judged on skim, costume, splash and crowd cheer as they careened across, or into, the nearly 60-foot ice cold pond.

The rest of us were there as unapologetic gawkers.

We filled the air with “oohs” and “ahhs”…we gasped and cheered as competitors skied, boarded, slid, skidded and (sometimes) cartwheeled across the pond. The in-water crashes were spectacular and onlookers were not guaranteed to stay dry either—as many a pond-skim-gone-sideways ended up dousing the crowd in a water ski-worthy spray of water.

Luckily the sun was out, the beer was flowing and the BBQ grill was fired up with tasty treats as the crowd gathered to watch what has become one of Dollar’s most anticipated events. It is also happens to be a great excuse for cross dressing!

This year’s event was no exception as there was everything from geishas and aliens to Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny barreling down the hill at full speed in an attempt to make it across the nearly 250,000 gallons of water with an average temperature of 34 degrees. A chicken was spotted amidst the ubiquitous sea of tutus, coconut shell bikinis and super hero capes. And the gorilla suit nearly cleared the crowd.

Best guess on your odds to make it across: 50 / 50. So whether you choose to skim or spectate, make sure not to miss this wacky event next year. And bring a towel!

Sorry you missed it? Live vicariously—that’s what the rest of us did. Check out more Pond Skimming videos online, including the Making of the Pond from start to finish!

Sun Valley is ending the ski season in style, by offering lots of great deals at their restaurants.

Here’s a rundown of local restaurant specials and check here for  links to menus.

Gretchen’s Restaurant
Ladies Day Lunch Special
•    Half price entrées & wine (glass and bottle)
•    Tuesdays & Thursdays from 11:30am till 3pm
•    Offered 04/24 through 06/07

Bald Mountain Pizza
Free starter or dessert with purchase of any large pizza
•    Offered 04/04 through 04/21

Sun Valley Club Restaurant
Happy Hour Specials from 3pm to close
•    Domestic draft beer$2, import draft beer $3, glass of wine $6
Prime Rib Sundays
•    A full entrée special for only $18
•    Offered 04/15 through 06/10

Trail Creek Cabin
Two Entrée for $20
•    Entrées may be chosen from our Special menu
•    Offered 04/04 through 04/14

The RAM Restaurant
Buy one entrée and take 50% off your second entrée (of equal or lesser value)
•    All wine 15% off (glass and bottle)
•    Offered 04/04 through 04/14

Costumes and GS Races draw professional skiers to the slopes of Baldy

By Laurie Sammis

The 2011 "Cougars" team pose with their fellas for a team photo, including: Karen Holzman, Jane Renolds, Bedford Nabors, Kim Taylor, Samantha Busby and Langley McNeal.

It may look like it … but it’s not all fun and games, parties, costumes and hilarity at the Stifel Nicolaus Weisel Janss Pro-Am events and giant slalom races on Baldy’s Lower Warm Springs this Friday and Saturday. In fact, the Janss Pro-Am is one of the most important fundraisers for the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation (SVSEF), a valley organization which provides year-round ski and snowboard training and competition opportunities for athletes from the Wood River Valley and beyond.

And they do a good job of it too! Over the past 45 years, the SVSEF has helped launch many athletes onto the world stage. Past alumni include Christin Cooper, Picabo Street, Reggie and Zach Crist, Lynsey Dyer, Morgan Arritola, Jake Adicoff, Tanner Farrow, Kaitlyn Farrington and Langely McNeal, among many others.

And the program keeps growing with the likes of current SVSEF Snowboarder Chase Josey, who recently claimed the top American male spot in the halfpipe at the World Junior Championships in Spain, or SVSEF Gold Team member Shane Cordeau who took Bronze with a podium finish at the U.S. National Freestyle Championships at Stratton Mountain, Vermont, or Tai Barrymore was recently named to the U.S. Freestyle Pro Halfpipe Team.

And while the development, grooming, nurturing and elevation of all that raw talent is certainly the focus of the SVSEF, some of the serious business of those achievements will be temporarily put on the back burner by each of the thirty-two teams of six (which include one pro racer from the ranks of Olympic, World Cup and Pro Tour athletes, and one junior pro SVSEF athlete, combined with four “citizen” skiers/riders of all ski levels) for the next two days in favor of everybody having a good time and letting their how down in celebration of skiing and riding.

Each team dresses in costume in honor of the race theme and in the spirit of the event’s namesake—former owner of Sun Valley Resort, Olympian, SVSEF supporter, and ski and costume party enthusiast: Bill Janss.

The costumes are always creative, entertaining, and wide open to interpretation of the “Vintage” theme, with many details being acquired only after serious consultation with the staff of the Ketchum Sun Valley Ski & Heritage Museum to ensure authenticity. The race format is a dual slalom that is entertaining for both racers and spectators (for a sneak peek, check out the photo gallery from last year)—and you may even see a few wine bottles racing down the slopes, right alongside a team of Austrian ski instructors or 80’s one pieces.

It makes for great spectating!! So look out for the costumed racers of the Janss Pro-Am this Friday and Saturday—you’re likely to see somebody you know.

JANSS PRO-AM EVENT DETAILS

• Handicap races start today (Friday, April 6, 2012) in full costume at 10:30 AM and continue throughout the afternoon on Lower Warm Springs.

• Saturday (April 7, 2012) races begin at 10:30 AM, then break for lunch and are followed by the Race Finals—the four top teams competing in a round robin format to determine the winner—after lunch.

• Sun Valley Resort’s Limelight Room also hosts the Awards Celebration Dinner and Vintage Party on Saturday night, April 7, 2012.

All the money raised by the Stifel Nicolaus Weisel Janss Pro Am goes to help support the 500 youth skiers and snowboarders on the SVSEF’s teams. For more information on the Pro Am or the SVSEF, visit www.svsef.org.

Take me home, Warm Springs!

by Alec Barfield

My favorite run on Baldy is Warm Springs, top to bottom. Okay, so I live at the base. Bias established. But how can I deny Warm Springs the title? What’s not to like about being able to walk home after a day on the hill? No cars, no bus, no fuss. I love Warm Springs because the run, in its proximity to where I live, is a reminder of why I moved here. Live in the mountain’s shadow, watch the snowcats at night, ski it in the morning and go home.

That’s not to say Warm Springs gets my vote simply because it drains homeward. No, Warm Springs is still a solid 3,000 foot descent with some of Sun Valley’s best snow. North-facing, that’s just how it goes.

Technically, I’m speaking about Warm Springs the run. Warm Springs can also, however, be a connector, a faithful linker to the gems tightly sandwiched beneath the lowest ridge: Greyhawk, Hemingway and Cozy. So cozy. Often stitched with race gates, that trio undoubtedly sees the mountain’s fastest skiers.

Warm Springs base photo by Katie Matteson.

“Take it over to Hemingway,” patrol told me long ago, trying to get my friends and I off of College.

Well, I did.

… But not all the way. I ski Hemingway fast, but I ski Warm Springs the fastest. Even if it’s not as steep, Warm Springs is open and normally uncrowded. Let ‘em run, I say. The base is watching. Seriously, they are. The lodge’s long windows give a fantastic view of Lower Warm Springs, which becomes a show in and of itself, with skiers fast and slow meandering toward the bridge.

My second favorite run on Baldy? The trees off Fire Trail — and for entirely different reasons: Woods, silence, powder. Yet my answers are just that, my own. Anyone who spends time on Baldy, depending on their priorities, will tell you that this or that is best. They’re right because we’re all right. At Sun Valley there’s hardly anywhere to go wrong and you may as well ski the groomers, the bowls and the trees with the same lofty expectations.