The Valley Sun

On Sunday, the Sun Valley Nordic Festival wrapped up with a great Demo Day at the Resort's beautiful cross-country trails

The Sun Valley Nordic Festival drew to a festive close Sunday following a hugely successful week of races, demos, parties, concerts and events. The 38^th annual Boulder Mountain Tour drew more than 900 people to a beautiful course north of Ketchum on Saturday where the competition was fierce for the serious racers and pretty mellow for recreational skiers. For everyone, the 32-kilometer course ran fast under a bright blue Idaho sky.

The Laesch family (minus 7-year-old Conrad who opted for a ski lesson on Dollar) at the Boulder Mountain Tour

The Laesch family of Seattle returned to Sun Valley this weekend for the fifth time, drawn by the terrific Nordic skiing and friendly atmosphere. “This year, the girls (ages 10 and 12) and I did the Half Boulder and [my husband] Brad once again did the full Boulder,” explained mom, Lexie. “It was a spectacular day and we all got a lot out of the race. It’s a great experience — from the people from all over the country you meet on the shuttle bus to the race, to the cheers you get crossing the finish line.” Brad, a competitive racer, concurred. “It’s the one race of the year I try not to miss. The people are terrific and the skiing is as nice as it gets. We always look forward to it.”

But for many racers, the Laesch family included, Sunday, was a relative day of rest after the big race, an opportunity to recover, to compare notes and to simply celebrate another beautiful day in NordicTown USA. Approximately 400 avid cross-country enthusiasts spent much of their ‘recovery’ day skiing the perfectly groomed trails at the Sun Valley Nordic & Snowshoe Center. There, beside the Sun Valley Club, local retailers set up shop for a very well attended Demo Day. I overheard one merchant relay that before 8 a.m., he had 20 people lined up waiting to try the latest and greatest gear.

The gear was out in all its colorful glory – the best in boots, skis and poles were all available to try throughout the day — all the was required was a $10 trail pass. Many skiers took advantage of the opportunity to demo next year’s models and to talk with the experts about technique, conditions and ways to improve. Others just brought the family and enjoyed a spectacular day of browsing equipment and taking a few laps around the 40-kilometers of trails Sun Valley offers.

Gear, glorious gear

All the best equipment was available to try at Demo Day

Although license plates in the parking lot showed guests were visiting from Missouri, Michigan, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, everyone at Demo Day seemed to know each other. Congratulations on finish times rang out among the crowd and everyone shared their tales from the week’s events.

A very unscientific poll outside the Sun Valley Club echoed those of the Laesch family. Everyone gathered agreed that the Boulder Mountain Tour is one of the must-attend races of the year. A combination of the conditions, the crowd and the truly jaw-dropping scenery make it a day marked in permanent ink on the calendar. Equal praise was given to Ketchum and Sun Valley for the vast array of events surrounding and preceding the BMT. High on everyone’s list of the week’s highlights were the very affordable skiing valley-wide, the Marley in the Mountains concert Saturday night and friendly atmosphere.

Congratulations to NordicTown USA for putting on a wonderful week and welcoming so many guests to our towns and our trails. Congratulations to all the athletes who participated in the races and events.  We hope you all come back next year and bring your friends. It’s one of our favorite weeks of the year, too.

–RES

The last day of the Sun Valley Nordic Festival was full of fun and relaxation, mountain style

Paradise found at the Sun Valley Nordic & Snowshoe Center

Beginning Saturday, January 26, Sun Valley is throwing a party that reaches from Hailey to Galena Lodge and over the pass. The Sun Valley Nordic Festival brings thousands of recreational and competitive cross-country skiers to the valley to enjoy legendary trails, seminars, demos, dining, shopping and entertainment. The week-long Festival kicks into full gear with a big party, a locals’ favorite, the Galena and the Trails Benefit on Saturday night, and builds to the jewel in the Festival’s crown, the Boulder Mountain Tour.

The Boulder Mountain Tour (BMT) is a big deal. Covering 32 kilometers of trail through the sublime Boulder Mountains, the race draws skiers from across the nation. It is one of the country’s longest running and most respected cross-country contests. Best of all, it is appropriate to all abilities. Both highly competitive and recreational skiers will be comfortable in the race. They also offer a Half Boulder, an untimed event for which no age class awards will be given. It’s just a lot of fun. Race day includes souvenirs and a clothing bag for participants, as well as raffle prize drawings. See?  It’s a party, albeit one that requires cardiovascular exertion.

One example of the spectacular trails that won Sun Valley/Ketchum the title of Nordic Town USA

Between the Galena benefit and the BMT, there are dozens of events to appeal to every interest. To name a few: skiing at Alturas Lake, wine tastings, reggae concerts, an induction ceremony at the Sun Valley Alpine & Nordic Ski Hall of Fame, gatherings at Galena Lodge and Smiley Creek Lodge … the list goes on and on. A full list of events and happenings can be found here.

Sun Valley Resort is in on the action, too. The 40 beautiful kilometers of perfectly groomed tracks at the Sun Valley Nordic & Snowshoe Center will set the stage for two events during the Nordic Festival. On Wednesday, January 30, at 10 a.m., competitors will ski in a 3.3km AXCS National Masters Prologue. On Thursday morning, racers will run the same course, but three times in a row, battling it out on the official scored classic event for the 2013 AXCS National Master Championships. As many as 100 racers are expected to line up for Thursday’s start according to Nordic Director Ivana Radlova.

But there’s more. “Skin It 2 Win It,” a team ski and snowboard race on Dollar Mountain changes things up a bit during Nordic week. Here, instead of gliding across the snow, racers climb 563-feet with the help of skins and then ski or snowboard down Otto’s Run on Dollar, trying to complete as many laps as possible in three hours. The madcap and cardio-pumping race benefits the Sawtooth National Forest Avalanche Center and begins at 10 a.m. with awards to follow.

All signs point to fun

On Sunday, after the winners of the BMT have distinguished themselves and received their awards, everyone is invited back to the Nordic & Snowshoe Center for Demo Day. Industry professionals will show off the latest and greatest in hard goods from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. All Sun Valley trail passes that day are a mere $10. Ivana calls this “quite a great deal and a super way to try out some new skis, boots or poles.”

In general, the Nordic Festival offers amazing opportunities to ski at a very friendly price. $49 will buy a pass valid from January 26 through February 3 on any of the valley’s cross-country trails, including all Blaine County Recreation District (BCRD) and Sun Valley Nordic Trails. Passes are available from the BCRD, Sturtevant’s in Hailey, Backwoods Mountain Sports, the Elephants Perch, Galena Lodge, the SNRA and Sun Valley Nordic & Snowshoe Center.

Enjoy a pre-snowshoe meal on January 26 at the lovely Sun Valley Club

And if you’d just like to enjoy a snowshoe under a full moon, the Nordic Festival happens to fall at the perfect time. On January 26, Katherine Pleasants of the Nordic & Snowshoe Center will lead a memorable snowshoe tour, lit by moonlight, at around 8 p.m. That evening, the elegant and cozy restaurant at the Sun Valley Club will serve a special dinner from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Menu items will be a la carte and include flavorful appetizers, healthy salads, a selection of entrees, including the catch of the day and dessert. Go ahead and indulge — you are about to get some exercise! Please make reservations for this meal by calling 208.622.2919. For more information on the guided snowshoe tour, phone  208.622.2250.

Great deals are still available if you are on the fence about coming to town. I highly recommend you do. They don’t call us Nordic Town USA for nothing.

– RES

The Sun Valley Nordic Festival is a week filled with nordic skiing, demonstrations, races, seminars, and activies all culminating with the Boulder Mountain Tour.

The schedule, thus far:

1/26
Ski the Rails..Ketchum to Hailey-  BCRD

1/27
Skin it to Win It A.T. Race-  Dollar Mtn
Local Stoker Ski Tour-  Alturas Lake

1/28
Guest Speaker-  Ketchum Community Libray
Local Stoker BC Ski Tour-  TBD

1/29
Twilight Ski/Dinner-  Galena Lodge
Local Stoker Ski Tour-  TBD

1/30
Masters Nationals Prologue-  Sun Valley Nordic
Nordic Hall of Fame-  Ski Hall of Fame

1/31
Masters Nationals 10K Classic-  Sun Valley Nordic
Downtown Races/Jam-  SVCA Field, Ketchum

2/1
Boulder Mt. Tour Expo-  YMCA
Banff Mountain Film Festival
Local Stoker Tour-  TBD

2/2
Boulder Mountain Tour Race-  North Valley Trails
½ BMT Race-  North Valley Trails
Banff Mountain Film Festival

2/3
Swix BMT Demo Day-  Sun Valley Nordic Center

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.”

Learn to ski on skinny skis, improve your skating and classic skiing skills and/or train for the Boulder Mountain Tour at the Sun Valley Nordic & Snowshoe Center. The Nordic Center is located at the Sun Valley Club and Golf Course. We offer nearly 42km (25 miles) of groomed trails with a variety of terrain and clinics for beginners to experts.
For more information and trail rates, please call the Nordic Center at (208) 622-2250.

Specialty Nordic Clinics include:
Ski with the Masters

Sun Valley Masters Clinics (coordinated by 3-Time Olympian Jon Engen) http://www.sunvalleymasters.com/
Fast Skating: 8-week course begins January 4 at noon. $320 per person.
Classic Technique: 8-week course begins January 5 at noon. $320 per person.
Skate Technique: 8-week course begins January 6 at noon. $320 per person.

Skate Ski University with Kris Thoreson- Graduate to better skiing with this 6-week work-out. $240 per person

The Sun Valley Nordic Festival begins January 29, culminating with the big race, the Boulder Mountain Tour, on February 5.

The Nordic Center offers Learn to Ski and Intermediate Group Lessons for both skate and classic style Nordic skiing daily. Please call (208)622-2250 for lesson times.
Learn to Ski packages are $40 per person and include equipment rentals.
Intermediate Groups Lessons are only $25 per person (equipment not included).
Private instruction is also available.

Just want to hike? Try snowshoeing. This is a great way to see all the beautiful Sun Valley sites and get a great workout! Rentals available daily.
Every Saturday and Sunday from 1-3pm, sign up for the Historic Snowshoe Group Tour lead by Katherine Pleasants telling her own narration of Sun Valley’s colorful history.

The Sun Valley Nordic & Snowshoe Center can also outfit you with top of the line Nordic apparel and equipment. We have a full service tuning, repair and rental center. And we also have locker rooms and showers. For more information please call us at: (208) 622-2250.

Lunch is served at the Sun Valley Club Restaurant daily from 11am-3pm and the Club bar is open from 11am-5pm daily. (208) 622-2919.

*Don’t forget that the Sun Valley Club offers year-round indoor virtual golf and the Sun Valley Golf Pro-Shop is also open all winter. For virtual golf tee-times call (208) 622-2251.

One of America’s longest running and most respected cross country ski races, the Boulder Mountain Tour is the Wood River Valley’s winter treasure. Drawing a field from across the country, and across the spectrum of abilities, the BMT welcomes all. The race traverses the spectacular Boulder Mountains for 32 kilometers of breath-taking beauty and world class competition. Some of the finest skiing to be found anywhere on the planet combined with warm hospitality and first rate race organization.

For 2011 the BMT will once again host the "Half Boulder", a non-competitive tour for those skiers new to the sport or just a little less than ready for the full distance race. The 15 kilometer event will begin at Baker Creek and finish with the rest of the field at the SNRA Headquarters.

For more information visit: www.bouldermountaintour.com

Welcome to Nordic Town USA!
The Sun Valley Nordic Festival is a week filled with Nordic Skiing, demonstrations, races, seminars and activities all culminating with the Boulder Mountain Tour on February 5.
Events will take place at different locations around the Wood River Valley including the Sun Valley Nordic Center and Galena.

For a calendar of Nordic Festival events please visit: www.SVNordicFestival.com

Free skiing this Sunday at Sun Valley Nordic

Don’t forget about the Nordic Demo Days this Sunday, the day after the Boulder Mountain Tour, at the Sun Valley Nordic Center. Marking the official end of the highly successful Sun Valley Nordic Festival, the Demo Days give skiers a chance to try the latest and greatest from Fischer, Rossignol and Salomon. Wax technicians, local shop representatives and BMT racers will be on hand to offer advice and pointers. Hours are from 10-2, and there will be an outside BBQ during the Demo! Oh yea, and the Super Bowl will be streaming inside the Clubhouse later in the day. Best of all, the skiing is FREE all day, as are the Demos. Don’t miss this chance to ski some of the best trails in the world, on the best Nordic gear available today. What a great way to recover from the Boulder.

Under blue skies and with three feet of new snow in the last two weeks, January is coming to a close in Sun Valley. With the 2009/2010 season only halfway done, don’t even bother thinking about spring yet! Head up on the mountain and shred, enjoy a beer on the decks of Roundhouse or Warm Springs and work on your goggle tan, get your heart rate pumping and head uphill on your Nordic skis, and make sure to enjoy any of the happenings around town.

The first annual Sun Valley Nordic Festival kicks off tomorrow with a week full of events, workshops, clinics, and parties all leading up to the main event, the Boulder Mountain Tour next Saturday. (www.svnordicfestival.com)

Tomorrow, Saturday, January 30th, is also the first ever January Rail Jam at the 511 Building. The event will take place at the 511 Building parking lot on Leadville Avenue between 5th and 6th streets. Boarders and skiers will ride the rails, including the steep stairway down to the parking lot while DJ Spicetrain spins the soundtrack, with a $500 prize going to the rider with the best tricks. There will be food, drinks, and music, with all proceeds benefiting the SVSEF and Mountain Town Events. Check it out from 7-10pm tomorrow night and don’t miss the afterparty at the Roosevelt following the competition. Organized by Sun Valley Snowboard Team coach, Andy Gilbert and the city of Ketchum, the January Rail Jam is the first of its kind around town and promises to be a good time.

With two local athletes heading to the Olympics next month, as well as a third SVSEF athlete being named to the Olympic team yesterday, our community definitely has something to celebrate. Simi Hamilton, an SVSEF Olympic Development athlete and Nordic skier from Aspen, CO, was named yesterday to the 2010 Olympic Team. After a standout season that has included a US National Championships and a trip to the World Championships, he will now join Graham Wantanabe and Morgan Arritola in representing Sun Valley and the US at the Vancouver Olympics. Come celebrate and show support for our local athletes as the SVSEF and Sun Valley Company throw them a send-off party Sunday, January 31st at the Sun Valley Nordic Clubhouse from 4pm-6pm. A part of the Sun Valley Nordic Festival, the Olympic Send-Off Party will honor our newest Olympic heroes as well as local Para-Olympians Elitsa Storey, Andy Soule, and Mark Bathum.

Now head out and enjoy that epic Sun Valley sun and we’ll see you around town.

This Saturday marks the kickoff of the first annual Sun Valley Nordic Festival. Lasting from January 30th to February 7th, the festival which is promoting Nordic Skiing from one of the country’s premiere Nordic skiing areas, will include demonstrations, parties, celebrations, races, seminars, and more. The week’s events will culminate in the 35th annual Boulder Mountain Tour.

Starting Saturday, January 30th, with the Blaine County Recreation District Ski the Rails/ Downtown Hailey Celebration and continuing throughout the week with events like Boulder Mountain Tour Preps and Clinics, Alturas Lake Skis, an aprs-ski party at historic Smiley Creek Lodge, an evening with ski-writer Dick Dorworth, Avalanche Awareness Programs with the Sawtooth National Avalanche Center, guided snowshoe adventures, the first Sun Valley 5K Snowshoe Challenge, and Sun Valley Nordic Sprint Races. There will also be a Downtown Ketchum Nordic night on Thursday, February 4th, with friendly competition, music from Reno-based World Pop group Sol’Jibe, and a bonfire. The party will take place at the future site of the Sun Valley Center for the Arts, across from the Ketchum Post Office. Check out the Sun Valley Nordic Festival’s website for a complete list of the week’s activities (www.svnordicfestival.com).

The highlight event of the week will be the Boulder Mountain Tour. The 32-km world famous race starts at Senate Meadows and snakes along the immaculately groomed trails along the beautiful Big Wood River. Don’t miss your chance to race alongside some of the country’s best Nordic skiers and enjoy some spectacular views. New to the tour this year, the Half Boulder Mountain Tour. Beginning at the Tour’s halfway point, Baker Creek, the 15K course is an excellent opportunity for young and novice skiers to check out what the Boulder Mountain Tour is all about. For more information or to sign up for the race, go to www.bouldermountaintour.com.

A special thanks goes out to the Nordic Festival’s organizers including the Sun Valley/Ketchum Chamber and Visitor’s Bureau, the Blaine County Recreation District (BCRD), the Boulder Mountain Tour, the Hailey Chamber of Commerce, the Sun Valley Nordic Center (nordic.sunvalley.com), the Elephant’s Perch, the Sawtooth National Avalanche Center and many more who made this awesome week of Nordic skiing happen. Welcome to Nordic Town, USA!