Filmgoers lined up at the Opera House Thursday afternoon before the doors opened for the 2013 Sun Valley Film Festival
It’s on! On Thursday, the second Sun Valley Film Festival kicked off and kicked into high gear on a gorgeous, warm spring afternoon. A full half hour before the 5:15 screening time for Running from Crazy, a documentary starring long-time part-time Sun Valley resident Mariel Hemingway, the line outside of the historic Opera House reached past the swan pond, almost back to the Sun Valley Inn. This alone indicates how excited people are about the Film Festival. “On time” in our casual town is a very subjective term. People often don’t arrive for an event, no matter how highly anticipated it may be, until five minutes before the doors open. But not for this, the first featured movie of the Film Festival. This was a sell out.
These two chic women were among the many locals clearing the weekend calendar for the Film Festival
Proudly wearing Festival passes on lanyards around their necks, filmgoers buzzed with excitement. “This is the highlight of the year!” enthused one woman waiting in line. Her friend added, “We are going to try to as many screenings as possible. I don’t want to miss anything!”
It would be impossible to attend the more than 40 offerings through March 17, but there are choices to fit everyone’s schedule and to appeal to every taste. A full complement of visual offerings includes dramatic features, documentaries, short films, works-in-progress, music videos, children’s programming and freebies. Screenings will be held at the Opera House in Sun Valley, the nexStage Theater and Magic Lantern Cinema in Ketchum, and the Liberty Theater in Hailey. For a full schedule, to buy tickets and to learn more about the Sun Valley Film Festival, click HERE.
Check in at Film Festival HQ at 251 N. Washington Ave. in Ketchum for tickets and information
And be sure to keep your ticket stubs while at the Sun Valley Resort. Sun Valley Film Festival ticket holders will receive 10 percent off of food and beverage at any Village restaurant with a valid ticket stub or festival pass. The offer is valid though March 17 (for the individual ticket holder only).
Fired up by what you have seen? Make your way to the Inn Lobby Lounge to continue the conversation. The Lounge will open early throughout the Festival, providing an elegant, comfortable spot to have a cocktail and a bite to eat while debating the finer points of a narrative arc and character development. On Friday, swing by the lounge beginning at 3 p.m., on Saturday at 2 p.m., and on Sunday at 2:30 p.m.
Sun Valley welcomes Festival goers
The lineup at this year’s Festival will take you around the corner and around the world. The films are thought provoking, hilarious, moving. Escape to the movies this weekend and be a part of what is sure to be one of the highlights of the spring season in Sun Valley!
Boarders took to Dollar's Terrain Park during this week's TransWorld Snow Conference
This week, Sun Valley morphed into Snowboard Town USA with an infusion of energy, ideas and mad riding skills brought to the Valley by participants in the annual TransWorld Snow Conference.
According to the organization’s website: “the theory behind the Snow Conference is to check your brand hat at the door … At the end of the day, our success, or failure, is mutual. Getting enough new participants on the slopes every year, and keeping existing shreds passionate, is no small task … That’s where we come in. We became snowboarders for the love the sport, for the creative connection with nature in its rawest form, for an escape from every day life, and a way to express ourselves on a canvas as grand as our passion for the next run.”
Some snowboard swag for conference attendees, because who doesn't love swag?
The four-day conference, based out of the Boiler Room in the Sun Valley Village, has included presentations on: “Sales Trends, Demographic Shifts and the Future” featuring Kelly Davis, Director of Research, SnowSports Industries America (SIA), “The Economic Horizon & Its Impact on Snowboarding,” featuring Peter Philips, PhD, Professor of Economics at the University of Utah, “China Rising: Breaking into Snowboarding’s Next Frontier,” featuring Miriam Deller and a lively debate and discussion on the topic of “Has Snowboarding Really Lost Its Edge?” featuring Nate Fristoe, Director of Operations, RRC Associated and, again, Kelly Davis.
Speaking to more than 70 people on Wednesday afternoon, these presentations generated spirited discussion that focused on the future. Where are the opportunities to grow the sport? How can resorts help to continue to attract snowboarders? In a sport that is maturing, what comes next? Retailers, resort representatives and manufacturers all added their input to the dialogue in a big brainstorming session.
Thursday was dedicated to the topic of “Rolling Up Our Sleeves: The Big Issues & Big Ideas,” featuring panel discussions and featured speakers on topics such as “Increasing Participation,” “Conversion and Retention” and “Adapting to the Changing Market Cycles.”
All eyes were on the featured presenters at the TransWorld Snow Conference on Wednesday
But all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, so participants also took the hills. Sun Valley showed off our gorgeous spring conditions by inviting participants to take advantage of Early Ups on the mountain, to freeride on Dollar and Baldy and to challenge colleagues and friends on Dollar’s amazing Boardercross course. Other diversions and pleasures included cocktail receptions, dining at the Resort’s many restaurants, on mountain and in the Village, parties at the Sun Valley Inn Pool and even a friendly get together at the Lodge’s historic Bowling Alley.
Local business owner Jim Slanetz of Ketchum’s Board Bin has attended the conference for the past two years and thinks it is a terrific way to connect with others in the industry and to get a big picture perspective on the world of snowboarding. “It’s always good to see what other people are doing,” he said. “I’ve gone to all the talks and while some apply more to manufacturers than to retailers, I’ve gotten a lot out of it. It’s also nice to get on the mountain with everyone. It’s a great vibe.”
Dollar's Boardercross course -- the scene of some action this week
Sun Valley is honored that TransWorld again chose Sun Valley as headquarters for their conference. It is very exciting to be at the epicenter of what comes next in snowboarding.
In the second in the Sun Valley Movie History series celebrating the Sun Valley Film Festival, guest blogger Jennifer Tuohy compiles a list of movies shot in Sun Valley. The festival opens tomorrow, for more on the event, which runs through March 17, visit sunvalleyfilmfestival.org.
Arguably the most famous movie star to shoot a film in Sun Valley, Marilyn Monroe is pictured here at the North Fork store just north of Sun Valley, where she filmed scenes for Bus Stop.
From standing in as the mountains of Europe to being celebrated as a character in its own right, Sun Valley’s role as a favorite Hollywood shooting location often had as much to do with the stars’ and producers’ wish to ski there as it did its suitability for filming. Following the opening in December 1936, a total of 32 Hollywood movies have been shot in and around Sun Valley. Over 300 have been shot across the great state of Idaho (for that list click here), but for the sake of my sanity I focused the following chronological list solely on Hollywood movies shot in Sun Valley and its surrounding mountains. I also chose to excluded TV specials (such as Lucy Goes to Sun Valley and Raquel Welch’s variety show), promotional videos, documentaries, and independent movies shot in the southern Wood River Valley. I also left out the unique genre of Ski Films, which is a whole blog in itself – for another day perhaps. The resulting list reflects the birth, intense early passion, slow burn phase, and eventual break up of Sun Valley’s relationship with Hollywood location scouts (Shredder? Really?). Hey Hollywood, maybe it’s time to make up and give it another shot? Jennifer Tuohy
1937 I Met Him in Paris Claudette Colbert, Robert Young, Melvyn Douglas. Dir: Wesley Ruggles The first Hollywood flick to be shot in the newly-christened Sun Valley-area was filmed at Baker Creek in the Smoky Mountains, where a Swiss village, complete with its own grand lodge, was created. Filming began as soon as Sun Valley Lodge opened, with the stars staying in Sun Valley and the crew finding lesser accommodations in the town of Ketchum. (For more on I Met Him In Paris’ Sun Valley connection click here.)
1939 Stanley and Livingston Spencer Tracey, Walter Brennan, Nancy Kelly, Richard Greene Dir: Henry King, Otto Brower The head of Twentieth Century Fox, Darryl F. Zanuck (also responsible for Sun Valley Serenade), was a frequent guest at Sun Valley. He arranged for the opening sequences of this movie to be shot in the Boulder Mountains just north of town.
1938 Everything Happens at Night Sonja Henie, Ray Milland, Robert Cummings Dir: Irving Cummings Scenic shots of the area were used in this Swiss-set comedy/drama. Ice-skating star Sonja Henie wasn’t to come to Sun Valley until her next Hollywood movie in 1941.
1940 The Mortal Storm Margaret Sullivan, James Stewart, Robert Yong Dir: Frank Borzage Sun Valley’s mountains stood in for those of Austria in this WWII film.
This clip featuring the signature song of the movie, “It Happened in Sun Valley,” and showcases Sun Valley Lodge in all its 1940s glory. (Video not displaying? Click here.) While the principle sets for the movie were filmed in Hollywood, the skiing and scenery was all Sun Valley, earning this crowd-pleasing flick almost daily showings at the Sun Valley Opera House, straight through to today.
1941 A Woman’s Face Joan Crawford, Melvyn Douglas Dir: George Cukor Sun Valley just provided the snow for this melodrama.
1942 Hedda Hopper’s Hollywood No. 3 Hedda Hopper, Anna Boettiger, Ronald Colman, Gary Cooper, Martha Gelhorn, Ernest Hemingway Dir: Herbert Moulton
“Newsreel-style accounts of the Hollywood Dog Training School where Carl Spitz trains stars’ pets and dogs for films; a hunting party in Idaho with Ernest Hemingway hosting Gary Cooper, Anna Boettiger, poet Christopher LaFarge, and others.”
1942 Northern Pursuit Errol Flynn, Julie Bishop, Helmut Dantine Dir: Raoul Walsh
“A Canadian Mountie of German descent feigns disaffection with his homeland in hopes of infiltrating and thwarting a Nazi sabotage plot.” The landscape around Sun Valley stands in for the Arctic. Watch the trailer here.
This trailer for Duchess showcases Sun Valley Lodge and a snippet of Connie Haines singing the praises of Idaho. (Video not playing? Click here.)
1949 Mrs. Mike Dick Powell, Evelyn Keyes, J.M. Kerrigan Dir: Louis King A Canadian Mountie marries a Boston-bred heiress, uniquely unprepared for the hardships of life in the Great White North. Mrs. Mike nonetheless perseveres through minor inconveniences and major tragedies. Based on a true story and a bestselling book. Sun Valley pretends to be the “Great White North” in this biopic.
1948 That Wonderful Urge Tyrone Power, Gene Tierney, Reginald Gardiner Dir: Robert B. Sinclair
“When an heiress finds out that the friendly young man she’s met at Sun Valley is really an investigative reporter, she ruins his career by falsely claiming they’re married.” Another Darryl F. Zanuck movie, shot in his favorite ski locale.
1952 The Wild North Stewart Granger, Wendell Corey, Cyd Charisse Dir: Andrew Marton Filmed in the Boulder Mountains, along Trail Creek and on Galena Summit.
1952 The Big Sky Kirk Douglas, Dewey Martin, Elizabeth Threatt Dir: Howard Hawks
Rock Hudson, Marcia Henderson, Steve Cochran Dir: Joseph Pevney
“In a small village in the icy wilderness of Alaska Captain Peter Keith has to defend himself against two especially mean villains, who are after his wife Dolores and a boatload of precious hides.” Background shooting took place in the mountains around Sun Valley.
Sun Valley stands in for Maine in minute 2 of this trailer. (Video not playing? Click here.)
1954 Seven Brides for Seven Brothers Howard Keel, Jane Powell, Jeff Richards Dir: Stanley Donen An avalanche scene in the movie was shot at Corral Creek Canyon near Sun Valley.
1955 The Tall Men Clark Gable, Jane Russell, Robert Ryan Dir: Raoul Walsh Once again, Sun Valley provided the scenic snow shots for this flick.
1955 Storm Fear Jean Wallace, Cornel Wilde, Dan Duryea Dir: Cornel Wilde The movie was shot on location in Sun Valley.
1956 The Miracle of Todd-AO “A short film demonstrating the new 70mm widescreen Todd-AO system. After a prologue that shows all that the eye can see through the Todd-AO wide angle lens, we take a ride in a roller-coaster, fly over the canyons of the Grand Teton Mountains, ski in Sun Valley, and follow a motorcycle chase through the San Francisco.” Catch scenic shots of the Sawtooths and the Wood River Valley in this clip.
1956 Bus Stop Marilyn Monroe, Don Murray, Arthur O’Connell Dir: Joshua Logan “A naive but stubborn cowboy falls in love with a saloon singer and tries to take her away against her will to get married and live on his ranch in Montana.” The scenes of the couple stranded at a bus stop in a blizzard were shot at the North Fork store, north of Sun Valley, which still stands. Watch the trailer here.
1957 Ten North Frederick Gary Cooper, Diane Varsi, Suzy Parker Dir: Philip Dunne Location shots only for Sun Valley in this Cooper vehicle.
1965 Ski Party Frankie Avalon, Dwayne Hickman, Deborah Walley Dir: Alan Rafkin
Great shots of Baldy and Dollar mountains to be found in the trailer for this raucous ski flick. (Click here for the video.)
1977 The Deadly Triangle (TV movie) Dale Robinette, Taylor Lacher, Geoffrey Lewis Dir: Charles S. Dubin
“A former Olympic ski champion, now the sheriff of a ski-resort town, investigates the murder of the member of a skiing team that came to the resort to train.” Filmed entirely in Sun Valley.
1978 Crisis in Sun Valley (TV movie) Dale Robinette, Taylor Lacher, Bo Hopkins Dir: Paul Stanley
“Semi-follow up to “The Deadly Triangle” dealing with a sheriff and his deputy in a sleepy ski town involved with a group of urbanites planning a dangerous mountain climb as well as investigating sabotage in a condominium development.” Filmed entirely in Sun Valley
1980 Swan Song (TV movie) David Soul, Bo Brundin, Jill Eikenberry Dir: Jerry London
“A champion skier who pulled out of the Olympic games because of a mysterious illness decides to make a comeback.”
1980 Powder Heads David Ferry, Catherine Mary Stewart, William Samples Dir: John Anderson, Michael French
Filmed in Sun Valley, Edmonton and Jasper.
1985 Pale Rider Clint Eastwood, Michael Moriarty, Carrie Snodgress Dir: Clint Eastwood
Pale Rider revived the both classic Western and Hollywood’s romance with the majestic mountains surrounding Sun Valley. The film crew constructed an entire mining village in the Boulder Mountains, and the opening credits capture the drama of the Sawtooth Mountains. (Video not displaying? Click here)
2001 Hemingway, The Hunter of Death Albert Finney, Paul Guilfoyle, Fele Martinez Dir: Sergio Dow
“During the Kenyan struggle for independence from the British in the late 1950′s, a scientific safari led by Ernest Hemingway undertakes the ascent of Mount Kenya.” Filmed on location in Sun Valley and Kenya.
2001 Town & Country Warren Beatty, Diane Keaton, Nastassja Kinski Dir: Peter Chelsom The last big budget movie to be made in Sun Valley provides plenty of glimpses of town and slopes. Unfortunately, when the crews arrived there was no snow on the ground and several scenes were filmed with manmade snow. As luck would have it, a foot of the real white stuff arrived the next day, so some of the scenes were re-shot using the “natural” background. But the movie was cursed with bad luck from the get-go and went on to be one of the biggest box office disasters of all time.
2003 Shredder Scott Weinger, Lindsey McKeon, Juleach Weikel Dir: Greg Hudson The Tamarack Lodge on Sun Valley Road in Ketchum provides some interior scenes in this ski horror flick set in Kellog, Idaho.
Read the first post in the Sun Valley Movie History series “The Hollywood Connection” here. Coming next, a look at Sun Valley’s Hollywood Godfather, David O. Selznick.
This week the second annual Sun Valley Film Festival comes to town. In honor of the event and the enduring bond between Hollywood and Sun Valley it represents, The Valley Sun blog is running a series of movie history posts by guest blogger Jennifer Tuohy. For more on the festival, which runs March 14 through March 17, visit sunvalleyfilmfestival.org.
Gary Cooper and Claudette Colbert chat on the slopes of Sun Valley in the early '50s. The two were among the celebrities to visit Sun Valley in its opening season and, like many of their contemporaries, returned year after year to their favorite ski resort.
At 11 o’clock on a chilly Wednesday morning, a slender figure clad in a long camel hair coat dashed across the platform of Los Angeles’s Central Station and slipped onto the waiting train. Hidden beneath a ski cap, the irresistible eyes of Hollywood’s most famous leading lady, Greta Garbo, smiled mockingly back at the waiting photographers and newsmen, whom she had manage to evade.
It was December 30th, 1936, and the train was filled to overflowing with Hollywood’s elite on their way to ring in the New Year at a glamorous new winter wonderland nestled in the heart of Central Idaho. Once inside the special Union Pacific train, Ms. Garbo took her seat alongside the assembly of glittering stars and powerful men, including film noir femme fatale Joan Bennett, swashbuckler Errol Flynn, America’s sweetheart Claudette Colbert, Hitchcock heroine Madeleine Carroll, Gone with the Wind producer David O. Selznick and celebrated director George Cukor. As the “Sun Valley Special” pulled out of LA, beginning its 20-plus hour trek to the tiny town of Shoshone, Idaho, the passengers’ eventual destination was placed firmly on the map, and the special relationship between Hollywood and Sun Valley, America’s first destination ski resort, was born.
Of course, it was not by happy accident that this galaxy of stars had aligned itself to travel in style for a taste of America’s newest passion, skiing. It was the result of months of schmoozing and networking by three men, Averell Harriman, chairman of the Union Pacific Railroad company and founder of Sun Valley; Steve Hannagan, the larger-than-life publicity guru who sweetened the deal by promising stars they could write off their snowy vacation on their taxes if they posed for his photographers; and Count Felix Schaffgotsch, the charming Austrian nobleman who had found for Harriman a “St. Moritz in the Rockies.”
Although Sun Valley was originally envisioned by Harriman as a modest ski lodge for him and his wealthy East Coast buddies, the savvy Hannagan already had a handle on the power of celebrity. Having introduced the idea of the bathing beauty to the world with his enormously successful promotion of Miami Beach, America’s other destination vacation spot, Hannagan knew how important pretty pictures of celebrities cavorting on the slopes would be to the success of Sun Valley. So he convinced Harriman to tap his somewhat limited Hollywood connections to drum up interest in Sun Valley along the glamour-filled West Coast. Harriman sent his golden boy, Count Felix, off to California with specific instructions to gather as many celebrity bookings as possible.
“I am hopeful that we can get a big crowd from Hollywood,” Harriman said to Schaffgotsch on October 29, “and the kind that we want, if you are able to contact them and tell them the story in the vivid and enthusiastic way that you do.” Just a few days earlier he had dispatched letters to his connections, including Selznick, actor Gary Cooper and Hollywood heavy-hitters Samuel Goldwyn, Merian Cooper (King Kong producer), and Lewis Milestone (Oscar-winning director of All Quiet on the Western Front), in which he introduced the “Austrian boy who discovered Sun Valley,” and asked if they would “put him in touch with a few people who might be interested in hearing about [SunValley].”
Count Felix Schaffgotsch escorts actress Madeleine Carroll into the lodge in January 1937. At Harriman's request, the Count spent a week in Hollywood before the resort's opening charming stars and directors into booking rooms at Sun Valley.
Arriving in Los Angeles on a Friday night in November, the handsome Count proceeded to charm the pants off Hollywood society, securing large reservations from Selznick, Goldwyn and Cooper, as well as Paramount star Paulette Goddard and Charlie Chaplin, among others. However, it was a chance conversation that planted the seeds for another, now deep-rooted connection between Sun Valley and the world of filmmaking.
On November 20th, 1936, after a long week of schmoozing starlets and chatting-up producers, Schaffgotsch sat down at the desk of his Beverly Wilshire hotel room to relay his successes to Harriman. Alongside the list of celebrity bookings, he described a conversation from that day with some Paramount executives. “They want to shoot a picture under the name of St. Moritz,” he wrote. “It was supposed to be taken in Lake Placid. But as it stands now, I have the feeling they will do it in Ketchum … It certainly would be excellent publicity if the first American snow picture will be done there, the title of St. Moritz is not definite yet, and it would be a good breack[sic], if they would change it to Sun Valley.”
While a name change was in the picture’s future it was not in Sun Valley’s favor and Idaho’s mountains merely stood in for their Swiss counterparts. Indeed, the movie’s eventual name, I Met Him in Paris, so detracted from its shooting locale that many erroneously believe Sun Valley Serenade to be the area’s first claim to movie-making fame. While Serenade, shot in 1941, certainly put the resort on the map, its star, Norwegian figure skater Sonja Heine, never actually shot a scene there, due to something familiar to many Sun Valliants – un-cooperative skies.
I Met Him in Paris was a moderately successful, lighthearted romantic comedy directed by Wesley Ruggles; today its biggest claim to fame is ironically its shooting location. As soon as the Paramount scouts arrived in Ketchum one a sunny December day, they fell in love with the place. “Paramount location men I talked to in Hollywood have arrived with others yesterday,” Schaffgotsch reported to Harriman on December 8, 1936. “They are crazy about the place. Producer Ruggles coming today; it is very likely picture will be turned here during January.”
The picture’s star, Claudette Colbert, was duly dispatched to the grand opening of Sun Valley Lodge on December 21, and, when she returned a few weeks later to “turn” the film, the friends she subsequently made cemented a long-lasting relationship between the actress and Sun Valley. I Met Him In Paris was actually filmed seven miles up the road from the lodge on land owned by a local silver prospector, 28 year-old Gus Anderson (Anderson appears in the movie as a skating waiter who serves Colbert a drink). The production crew built an entire Tyrolean village set on his Baker Creek property, complete with a Swiss-style lodge with overhanging eaves and carved balustrades, a little church and a skating rink with an ice-bar. After filming was complete the Andersons moved into the lodge, which today stands on the west side of the southern end of Ketchum’s Main Street.
A postcard of The Challenger Inn, modeled on the sets built for the first movie to be shot in Sun Valley, Caludette Colbert's I Met Him In Paris.
The other legacy the movie left behind however, is far grander. During the filming Harriman was contemplating the building of a second hotel at Sun Valley. He instructed Gilbert Stanley Underwood, the architects of Sun Valley Lodge, to draw up some sketches but was disappointed with the results (it looked exactly like the hotel he already had). As soon as he saw the elaborate Swiss village at Baker Creek he knew he’d found his new hotel. He asked the movie’s art director, Ernst Fegte, to come up with a design for a hotel. He complied, producing a series of sketches depicting an idyllic Tyrolean village perfectly evoking the Austrian ski towns Sun Valley was modeled on. Harriman was delighted and demanded the sketches come to life. This proved to be slightly tricky however, as Fegte was far from a trained architect. But with some tweaking the Challenger Inn was born. Now called the Sun Valley Inn, the hotel boasts a variety of different facades, giving the illusion of a classic Austrian village street when inside it is all one building – lending a touch of Hollywood magic to the heart of Sun Valley.
Coming Wednesday in the Sun Valley Movie History series: “The Perfect Location” A look at all the motion pictures shot in the Sun Valley area from 1937 through to today.
It was a big show of big air at Dollar Thursday night
Thursday night, you could smell the party on Dollar way before you could see it. Burgers sizzling by the dozen on outdoor grills enveloped Carol’s Dollar Lodge, right down to the parking lot, in a mouth-watering haze. But it was also hard to miss the sights and sounds of the “Big Air” contest going on beneath the lights on a cold, clear late winter’s night.
Two mammoth klieg lights flooded the awesome jumps beside the Half Dollar lift, spotlighting a “Big Air” contest featuring athletes from this week’s 35th Annual US Collegiate Ski & Snowboard National (USCSA) Championship. Midway through the five-day event, competitors turned up the adrenalin and embraced the opportunity to spend an evening with their fellow athletes.
USCSA athletes worked up appetites as big as the jumps during the week's events
The Big Air contest showcased freestyle skiers and snowboarders who qualified for the event by submitting a video to USCSA. Eight daredevils took to the jumps, wowing the crowd with eye-popping tricks and some seriously big air. Many athletes and their families hiked up the hill to catch the action from an in-your-face vantage point. The crowd was three deep from the crest of Half Dollar to the base of the Lodge.
Those not halfway up the hill, enjoyed the action from the outdoor barbecue outside the Lodge’s back doors. Having competed hard for three days, this gathering was the opportunity to gather and relax at a casual athlete reception. The more than 500 competitors from 65 teams visiting Sun Valley were all invited to the event and mixed and mingled with friends new and old. Food, from those succulent burgers to Sun Valley’s famous chocolate chip cookies, was plentiful and conversations were animated. Laughter rebounded from the slopes in every direction.
The athlete reception was a great chance to relax, mix and mingle
The USCSA Nationals wraps up on Saturday with a full schedule. The Dual Slalom Alpine race kicks into gear at 10:15 a.m. on Baldy’s Greyhawk run. For the many cross-country skiers racing for glory, the final 3 x 5 relays take place at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Snowboarders finish the competition on Greyhawk with a Giant Slalom race at 9:30 a.m. All disciplines will celebrate podiums and great results at the final awards ceremony at 4 p.m. on the Sun Valley Lodge Terrace.
According to Sun Valley Technical/Program Director and Race Department Manager Nick Maricich, the event is ending on a high note (no pun intended). “The Snowboard Giant Slalom will be a rare chance to see this Olympic event live,” he said. “On the Alpine side, the Dual Slalom should prove to be the most exciting Alpine event of the competition.”
A thoroughly unscientific survey of athletes, their families, Sun Valley Resort ambassadors and visitors Thursday night gave the entire week a huge thumbs up. Students said they enjoyed the large field of competitors and felt challenged, in a good way, by Sun Valley’s fast runs and big terrain features. Many also commented that the free-skiing and boarding was “epic.” The schedule permitted time for kids to just be kids and to play in the snow.
All eyes were on the big jumps and the big air
Nick said, “the athletes on the Alpine side said that the pre-race training was the best they have had all year and that the race venues were world class. The overall feeling was that the surface and pitch were amazing and they can’t wait to come back. I also heard great feedback on the 22-foot Halfpipe, the Terrain Park and the cross-country course. Sun Valley did it right!”
Go out on Saturday and support these athletes from as far away as Massachusetts, South Carolina, Illinois, California and British Columbia. The energy the college students, their coaches, families and friends brought to town and the slopes this week was palpable. We invite all USCSA competitors and their families to come back and see us again soon!
As Nick said, “Sun Valley is ecstatic to have top college athletes here and we feel that events such as these are important to our future. Any time we can introduce Sun Valley to some of the brightest young athletes in the country, we know we have invested in what comes next.”
Athletes relax at Carol's Dollar Mountain Lodge, a brief respite in a week of strong competition
Next up? The Rev Tour. Stay tuned for more information about this amazing event that is coming to town. There’s no way around it — things are happening in Sun Valley!
On Tuesday, it was off the races for USCSA competitors
If it seems like there is a lot of youthful energy and exuberance on Dollar and Baldy, at the Nordic Center and in town right now, there is. More than 500 competitors from 65 colleges and universities across the nation are in town competing in the 35th Annual US Collegiate Ski & Snowboard National (USCSA) Championship. Returning for the second year to the slopes of Sun Valley, this five-day competition is kicking it into high gear from Greyhawk, to the Terrain Park, to Sun Valley’s mammoth 22-foot halfpipe.
The big jump contest will happen under the lights on Dollar on Thursday night
Athletes across all four disciplines of Alpine Skiing, Cross-Country Skiing, Freestyle Skiing and Snowboarding are here to lay claim to the title of the top collegiate team in the country. Competition is fierce. Today, the USCSA is hosting events in Alpine racing, Cross-Country, Snowboarding and Ski Cross. This morning’s fresh cover of snow provided a few new inches of powder, and an inspiring wintry feel.
Yesterday, two skiers from Sierra Nevada College took first and second in the women’s alpine giant slalom on opening day. By all accounts, the lightning fast snow was big fun for the racers on Baldy’s Greyhawk run.
And according to Laura Sullivan, Executive Director for the USCSA national organization, in general, the kids are “ecstatic.” She said, “many would not have come to Sun Valley without this event and they didn’t know what to expect. When they got here and saw the Terrain Park, the halfpipe, the great runs, they were beyond excited. The kids who came last year were very positive about their experience and got the word out – Sun Valley is awesome!” We may have a few soon-to-be-locals in the group as Laura said a mem, inviting students to learn about summer job opportunities at Sun Valley has been met with a great response.
Thursday, everyone is invited to Dollar Mountain for a “big air” contest under the lights. Athletes will be showing off their most impressive Slopestyle tricks, all under huge klieg lights. The event starts at 7:30 p.m. and everyone is invited to come to Carol’s Dollar Mountain Lodge to check it out.
On Saturday, the USCSA is bringing back team Dual Slalom, something Laura said they are very excited about. “The event starts at 9 a.m. and it’s a team event with qualifying races to finals. It should be terrific.”
College Cross-country racers are loving the Nordic Center and Sun Valley's amazing grooming
Off the snow, the visiting athletes are having nearly as much fun as on the slopes. “Many of the kids are impressed with the tradition of the Sun Valley Lodge,” Laura said. “They like downtown Ketchum and appreciate that it’s a walking town. Many of the cross-country athletes have never seen a Nordic Center as nice as this one.”
Laura said USCSA is also appreciative of the 180 local volunteers that have come out to help the 45 people who came to Sun Valley to help with events.
To check out the action for yourself, and to cheer on the athletes, look no further than the base of the runs off the Greyhawk chair, the jumps and halfpipe on Dollar, or the Ski Cross course wending down skier’s right of that mountain. You can also catch a live video feed of the events HERE.
–RES
Greyhawk was running fast on Tuesday
A full list of participating schools follows:
Appalachian State University, Babson College, Boston College, Brown University, Cal State Fresno, Cal State Long Beach, Cal State Sacramento, Castleton State College, Clarkson University, Colorado Mesa University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Duke University, Hobart College, James Madison University, Lafayette College, Liberty University, Loyola Marymount University, Marquette University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Michigan State University, North Carolina State University, Northern Michigan University, Northwestern University, Oregon State University – Cascades, Pennsylvania State University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Rocky Mountain College, Rutgers University, Saint Anselm College, Sierra Nevada College, Skidmore College, Smith College, St. Olaf College, Stanford University, Stevens Institute of Technology, Syracuse University, The College of Idaho, The Ohio State University, United States Air Force Academy, United States Naval Academy, University of British Columbia, UCLA, UC Berkley, UC Davis, UC Santa Barbara, University of Colorado – Boulder, University of Idaho, University of Massachusetts – Amherst, University of Michigan, University of Minnesota – Duluth, University of Nevada, University of Pennsylvania, University of Virginia, University of Washington, University of Wyoming, Virginia Tech, Viterbo University and Western Michigan University.
If you have been on Baldy in the past few weeks, chances are you have noticed pods of skiers, often sporting matching parkas and matching smiles, plotting their next run, enjoying a hearty lunch on Seattle Ridge, mincing the moguls or cruising the groomers. In the past two weeks alone, 16 ski clubs have traveled to Sun Valley to enjoy a week’s worth of terrific skiing and boarding, socializing, specials at the Resort, and soaking up that Sun Valley sun and atmosphere in every possible way.
One of our terrific volunteers, welcomes Ski Club guests to Sun Valley
Almost every Saturday during the season, enthusiasts arrive in Sun Valley from Pennsylvania, Georgia, Oregon, California, South Carolina, Virginia, even Hawaii (maybe that’s where all the chic ski fashion this season featuring Mauna Kea comes from..) to enjoy a seamless, made-to-order ski vacation.
According to the Resort’s Bert Witsil, Sun Valley welcomes numerous different clubs each year, many of which are repeat visitors. “We have our wonderful Ancient Skiers and Mount Hood Gang that came every winter without fail,” he explained, “then we host up to as many as 50 to 60 other clubs, from all over the nation that know about our great snow, fantastic grooming, and friendly, casual atmosphere and want to experience it for themselves.”
For visitors in Sun Valley, a fun-filled week lies ahead
Ski Clubs have a rich tradition in America. They exist is almost every big city and many smaller communities, providing members with numerous opportunities throughout the season to experience fantastic hassle-free vacations where they can leave the planning to someone else and concentrate on what matters most: the skiing and enjoying!
From the moment the charter bus arrives at the Sun Valley Lodge and ski club members check in, receiving their keys, schedules and lift tickets, enjoyment and recreation await. A typical week in Sun Valley includes a kick off party at the Inn Lobby Lounge, a free tour of Bald Mountain to make sure everyone knows their way around the hill, a Taste of Sun Valley Welcome Party, a free Nastar Race, and much, much more.
“This is a great way to get a great experience in Sun Valley,” Bert said. “There is a lot of skiing, a lot of socializing and a lot of great deals.”
For instance, at the Sunday night Taste of Sun Valley party, guests mix and mingle, enjoying entertainment, drinks and delicious food. Here, participants receive a commemorative Ski Week pin, sign up for their free Thursday Nastar Race, and enjoy a great raffle. This is also where guests get a secret password for a private sale in the Village shops. Never has there been a better excuse to replace those tired ski pants or stock up on some necessities.
Bert is the host with the most at Sunday's Taste of Idaho event. Let the fun begin!
On Tuesday, Sun Valley organizes a Pub Crawl in Ketchum that begins at the Inn and finishes up at downtown’s storied Whiskey Jacques. On Wednesday, the Wood River YMCA offers free day passes to ski club members to recover from a lot of vertical, or maybe even just the pub crawl. Reinvigorated, Thursday offers the Nastar Race and awards party where swag and beer celebrate great results and even make those that were less than epic seem somehow unimportant! Friday it’s all about free skiing and then unfortunately, like all good things, this, too, must come to an end Saturday morning.
Competitors at the post-Nastar party at Warm Springs Lodge, show off their winnings
Thank you to all the local Ski Clubs who put Sun Valley on their schedule. It is great to have guests on the hill from all over the country and we are all glad you are here! Remember to drink plenty of water, check in with the “Yellow Jackets” on the hill with any questions and to take a moment, or two or three, to appreciate our beautiful views, blue skies and unsurpassed experience. Welcome!
Once Ski Patrol is summoned, it is usually a matter of minutes from the hut to the slope
This week, my Monday morning started off in an ordinary Monday kind of way. A little rushed, a bit overcast. I was off to the mountain at 9 a.m. to join up with the DIVAS, my women’s ski group lesson — always a highlight of my week. The usual. An hour and a half later, though, the day had become extraordinary, in the truest sense of the world.
On a groomed run, concentrating on a technique the instructor has just outlined, my bottom ski got away from me and down I went. Falling goes part and parcel with skiing or snowboarding, especially if you are trying something new, pushing yourself a bit. I fall a few times every year which I actually think is good because it means I am not being complacent. Normally, I take a tumble, get up, laugh at myself and shake it off. This one was different. The moment I lost control of my ski, it hurt, and not in the same way that just hitting the snow and taking a good slide down the hill hurts.
Ski Patrol's Rich Bauer doing what he does best
While I personally know many of the fine people on Sun Valley’s outstanding Ski Patrol, only once before have I had an “official” interaction with them. A few years ago, when one of my daughters fell jumping a ski gun lip on College, she landed face first and left the snow splattered with blood. Ski Patrol was called, she got the ok, and off we went.
My wonderful teacher called up to Ski Patrol (208.622.6262) as I sat on the slope, dumbfounded at my dumb luck, surrounded by a great, supportive group of women. Within minutes, my knights in shining white-crossed uniforms, Rich Bauer and Barry Irwin, arrived on “the scene.”
Rich, a Paramedic and member of Wood River Fire & Rescue (one of 15 firefighters on Patrol) is married to a DIVAS member, so we chatted about that as he assessed the damage. He, Barry (a ten year Ski Patrol vet), and I determined that skiing down was not an option, so I enjoyed (yes, a euphemism, but it really wasn’t scary) my first sled ride off the hill. The boys bundled me into the toboggan, gave me a warm blanket, and wrapped the waterproof outer layer. Barry even shared his gloves with me as my mittens had gotten soaked in the snow, and pulled the sleigh with bare hands. Throughout the process, from our initial contact, to the determination that a ride was necessary, to the release interview at the base of Warm Springs, Rich and Barry were kind, compassionate, consummate professionals. I expected no less given Ski Patrol’s stellar reputation, but now I can attest to it first-hand.
Warm, cared for, and calm ... off we go
Accidents happen, and if you do happen to need assistance on Baldy or Dollar, there is no better team to have behind you than Sun Valley Ski Patrol, our first responders and the medical staff at St. Luke’s Wood River Hospital. From the moment you need help, to the arrival of Ski Patrol, to delivery (if needed) to our amazing EMS and Paramedics, and the hand-off to a world-class group of doctors and nurses, you will be treated with care, respect, and kindness, all while receiving the best medical attention possible.
Thank you to Rich and to Barry, to my fellow DIVAS and coaches, to Annie and Dr. Keith at St. Luke’s for making what could have been a worrisome experience very manageable and as painless as possible – literally and figuratively.
Every day, the first email I open is the Sun Valley Ski Report. I scan the information, noting groomed runs, the temperature on top (any inversion?) and any new snow. For the past few weeks, I have also noticed an invitation at the top of each report, an invitation to “Claim My Run.”
I finally focused on this over the weekend. Claim My Run? I re-read the latest email.
“Win a brand new GoPro HERO 3 Black Edition. Just “claim” your run on Baldy or Dollar by posting original, creative POV video on our video mountain map. http://www.sunvalley.com/mountain/maps/
We’ll judge the entries based on number of views and awesomeness of the video. You only have until the end of February – may the best video win!”
Going ...
Compelling! There was a prize! For doing what I love! How had I missed this? So on Sunday, I met my eight-year-old son and enthusiastically asked him to come claim a run with me. We actually “have” a run: Sunnyside. Two years ago, when he was only six, we were skiing from the bottom of College over to Olympic when he spied Sunnyside, falling steeply under the old lift off of the cat track. “Do you want to do this?” I asked a little skeptically. Sunnyside was full of big, big bumps covered with some new powder and he was a little, little guy. “Yes!” he responded. “It will be my first black diamond!”
Off we went, over the steep lip and into the run. I am not exaggerating when I say it took about 20 minutes to ski Sunnyside that first time. There was a lot of time out for laughter, and even more for picking up equipment, ejected over the slope during some epic falls (his and mine). On Sunnyside, Matthew learned the term, “yard sale!” Thus, this old-school expert run on Baldy became ours.
This weekend, though, after 4 ½ hours of training with the Development Team of the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation, Matthew was not all that enthusiastic about skiing Sunnyside with his mother. He was tired. But he is a sweet guy so he agreed to come keep me company. Armed with a helmet cam that he received as a gift a few years ago, I was ready to Claim Our Run. We rode the lift to the top with Matthew filling me in on all the big fun he had on ski team. It snowed about six inches on Saturday, so the kids found every pocket of powder on the mountain.
Going ...
We skied down College, Matthew first. I followed. He was skiing like a local kid – nice finished turns, totally relaxed. (for the record, I want a re-do and I want to grow up in Sun Valley). At the top of Sunnyside, I barely had the chance to push the record button on the camera, before Matthew tipped over the edge into the bumps. Down he went, completely nonplussed. This time, he was down the run in a matter of minutes with me chasing him down – badly.
Imagine my disappointment when I got home to upload the video just to find the camera either hadn’t been on, or had a dead battery, or … ? Technically speaking, I had blown it!
But even without the video, it was great to be reminded to Claim My Run. Everyone on the mountain has a favorite run — one that holds great memories, or that they always seem to ski really, really well. While Sunnyside may not be the run I feel the best on, it is definitely one of my favorites because it was Matthew’s first black diamond. Another favorite is Cozy, because my daughters ski it straight down, without turning. Watching their control, speed and freedom will forever be one way that I think of them.
You still have a few more days to Claim Your Run. Get out there, make sure your camera works, and share what makes you happy with the world. Who knows, you might even win a new helmet cam, just for doing what you love to do anyway.
This Saturday, February 23, cross-country ski racers will queue up at the Sun Valley’s Nordic & Snowshoe Center, ready to take on the Diamondback Revenge, widely considered the Valley’s toughest Nordic race.
The course leads up to the White Clouds and runs along the golf cart path of that spectacular course. “It kicks off with a long 2km climb,” according to the Nordic Center’s Steve Haims “It is an interesting and beautiful race that rolls along the top of the mountains and then comes screaming down.” The race motto is “Come for the grind, enjoy the views!”
Cross-country skiing in Sun Valley is simply stunning
Steve calls it a technical course, but everyone is welcome to participate. There will be two classic or ski skate races: a 7km (one lap) race and a 12km (two lap) option. For children, Nordic Director Ivana Radlova has set a noon start for a race that will involve both a 1.5km course and a 3km option.
Come enjoy a delectable lunch or a Full Moon dinner at the beautiful Sun Valley Club -- skiing is not a prerequisite to eating!
Registration is currently open at the Nordic & Snowshoe Center located half a mile east of the Sun Valley Lodge. You may also register until 9:30 a.m. on Saturday. Entry is $15. Please call 208.622.2250 for more information.
After the race, be sure to enjoy a wonderful lunch at the Sun Valley Club. Hearty soups, a delicious salad or sandwich, and their famous chocolate chip cookies would taste great after all that work. You earned it!
If you are not a cross-country racer, per se, this would still be a great weekend to get your skinny skis on. There is a full-service rental shop at the Nordic Center, as well as an extensive menu of instruction options. Cross-country skiing is great fun, great exercise, and a great way to enjoy the area’s stunning beauty.
Also this weekend at the Sun Valley Nordic & Snowshoe Center, come out for the monthly Full-Moon Snowshoe. Ivana will lead a group on a serene and peaceful snowshoe hike by the light of the moon, beginning at 8 p.m. The activity is appropriate for most ages and abilities and costs $15. Please register at 208.622.2250. Self-guided snowshoe or ski tours are also available.
The Sun Valley Nordic & Snowshoe Center is a full service Mecca for Nordic enthusiasts
The wonderful restaurant at the club will be open for dinner that night serving selections that include Lava Lake lamb chops, prawns, short ribs, rainbow trout, and a variety of salads including the popular roasted beet salad. Yum! Reserve your spot by calling 208.622.2800 and enjoy a relaxing and completely different kind of night out.
