Sun Valley Telemark Series

Dollar Mountain Family Cross Course

Sun Valley Tele Boarder/Tele-Cross

Course closed for racing 12–4pm

Sol Fest 2012!

March 23, 24 & 25

Blitzen Trapper Headlines Sun Valley Spring Break Weekend

 For Immediate Release (Sun Valley, ID)  The Sun Valley, Idaho region is pleased to announce SolFest 2012, an event embodying the energy of spring with a weekend of snow, sun and rock and roll March 23-25th 2012.  Rockers Blitzen Trapper will headline the weekend events playing a free show March 24th on Main Street in downtown Ketchum, ID.

SolFest 2012 Schedule of Events:

Friday March 23

• 5:00 pm SolFest kick-off party at Grumpy’s Bar and Grill with musical request specialists Bermuda Cowboys
• 10:00 pm Southern rockers, Fox Street All Stars, play Whiskey Jacques

Saturday March 24

• 9:00 am – 2:00 pm Baldy Poker Run, register at Apple’s Bar and Grill
• 5:00 pm Main Street Party. Blitzen Trapper headlines multi-act, free concert
• 8:00 pm 511 Rail Jam at 511 Building, downtown Ketchum
• 10:00 pm Local troubadours, Old Death Whisper, play Whiskey Jacques

Sunday March 25

• 11:00 am Slide, Glide, Ride Relay at Dollar Mountain, a fun event for families and friends of all ages and sizes.

At a time when the skiing and snowboarding is at its finest, the days are long and warm, and the spring vibe fills the air, SolFest is bringing back the heart and soul of mountain town culture.

With Northwest and Rockies colleges on spring break, Sun Valley Resort is rolling out the red carpet offering college students with a valid student I.D. up to 50% off lift tickets and aggressive lodging specials.  Never has there been a better time for those looking for a memorable spring break to make the trip to Sun Valley.

“There is something special about Sun Valley in the spring and we are serving up SolFest to bring people to town for a great time.  Few things are better than tearing up the ski hill with your friends dressed in some wild outfit with the bars and streets filled with great music and good times,” said Visit Sun Valley’s Greg Randolph.

“We are starting a spring tradition and using our creativity and resources to show younger generations just how much fun Sun Valley is.  We are lining up a great event, the skiing is always awesome this time of year, and having talent like the Fox Street All Stars and Blitzen Trapper on board is going to put the party over the top,” said Whiskey Jacques booking agent, Thatcher Marstadt.

For more information visit:  www.visitsunvalley.com/events/solfest

Higher Ground Winter Sport Camp, a program of the Sun Valley Adaptive Sports

March 4–9

Taking on the Baldy Challenge.

Top to Bottom in One Month

by Alec Barfield

Every mountain has its secrets. The backsides and their stashes, the lonely two-seaters, the wayward tree lines and everything in between. Local pride comes in knowing where to find the good snow and how to avoid the crowds, both of which require a semi-polished understanding of all of the above.

For some, this February’s first ever Baldy Challenge, a PK’s Ski & Sports sponsored contest to ski the entire mountain, began as a test of that knowledge. I can assure you more than a few people thought, “Ski for a month and I’m entered to win my choice of K2 skis? Done. Let’s go to Averell’s or Apple’s and celebrate.”

And if you’ve grew up chasing gates on Cozy and Hemingway, and optimistically dropped $25 to enter the contest, the first few days were likely straightforward. Seattle Ridge and the Bowls: check. Warm Springs: double check. But then you may have encountered those unnamed cat tracks, such as Kenny’s, and realized that the real “challenge” was shredding the hidden, the snowless and the hardly skiable on Baldy, upon which you may have begun to question your resolve. Since in reality, this competition has been more about commitment than anything else. Crustiness will beat cockiness, as it should.

No advantages have gone to the fastest skiers; everybody had before this year’s grand ol’ Leap Day to date and initial the list’s 93 boxes. No advantages have gone to the best skiers; an hour struggling down Inhibition looks the same on paper as getting to Cold Springs in five minutes. Even that local knowledge, as valuable as it is, only made the slightest difference. Need directions finding Stylehung? Call the “Baldy Challenge Hot Line” (PK’s land-line) and stay in the game. The playing field was leveled at the start, Hot Doggers!

Baldy is full of a lot more runs than most people realize.

What’s great about the Baldy Challenge is that the grand prize, to be awarded between 6-8pm at Whiskey’s on March 1st, is wide open. The participants I’ve talked to couldn’t have less in common—other than they mildly enjoy winter. And their approaches have varied, ranging from the slow and steady to two-day marathoners (because skiing all of Baldy is one day is plain ludicrous). Some have carried the checklist to the lifts. Others are making mental notes. Being that this is the competition’s maiden season, there are no proven strategies.

My hope is that the heaps of glory, the rounds of high fives and the piles of smooches (the true prizes!) go to a tortoise, one of the many who put his or her money down and yet had no pretensions of victory, because ultimately the proceeds of PK’s Baldy Challenge go to the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation. A new pair of K2s is killer, but there’s nothing better than supporting the next generation, who are the future keepers of Baldy and this challenge.

2012 San Francisco Ballet

July 8th, 7:30 pm

Sun Valley Pavilion

Visit www.sfballet.org

The annual “Black Ski Mini-Summit” comes to America’s Original Ski Town

 Over the past 75 years, Sun Valley has played host to countless groups, companies, conferences, summits and special events throughout its storied history. It’s been the locale for family reunions for the likes of the Kennedys and the Hemingways. Allen and Company and their list of some of the world’s most powerful and influential people meet here every summer. Countless weddings, press outlets like Powder Magazine and Transworld Business, film production companies, Wounded Warriors participants, the Special Olympics, international Nordic Olympic teams, alpine ski teams from across the country, world class musicians from Itzhak Perlman to Michael Franti, comedians like Bill Cosby and speakers like the Dalai Lama, artists, crafts festivals and so many more have all enjoyed Sun Valley as playground and backdrop for meetings of the mind.

And this week another distinguished group is joining us for some turns on Baldy. As Sun Valley is pleased to once again host the National Brotherhood of Skiing (NBS) for the first time in over a decade! This biennial event, held in Sun Valley from February 25^th to March 3^rd, brings an estimated 1,000 members to our beloved ski town and will infuse the local economy by spending more than $500,000!

“We are excited to return to Sun Valley after 14 years. Our members have fond memories of the resort’s beautiful scenic surroundings and wide range of ski terrain.  We are excited to see what Sun Valley has to offer,” said Haymon Jahi, NBS President.

The National Brotherhood of Skiing is making its mark on Sun Valley.

Now in celebrating its 39^th anniversary, the National Brotherhood of Skiing is continuing its mission to: Identify, develop and support athletes of color who will WIN Olympic and international winter sports competitions representing the United States and to increase participation in winter sports. Fitting with the mission, the theme for this year’s gathering is “Dare to Dream.”

There are 60 NBS clubs nationwide who represent more than 3,000 members. Support of this biennial Summit enables the NBS to fund its youth athletic programs and their goal of introducing 100,000 youth to winter sports.

As Jahi explained, “Sun Valley’s long and fabled history make it an ideal location to reflect on our past and plan for the future.”

We agree.

The NBS plans a non-stop schedule of events during the Summit.  Beyond the skiing, riding and social events, the organization will host leadership meetings and elect national officers.  Summit week’s most popular events will include:

Opening Ceremonies (Sunday, February 26 – Ketchum Town Square)

Avalanche Awareness Seminar (Tuesday, February 28 – River Run Day Lodge – hosted jointly with the U.S. Forest Service)

Picnic-On-The-Hill/ Club Races, (Wednesday, Feb. 29 – Sun Valley’s Warm Springs Parking Lot)

And numerous après ski gatherings (Sun Valley’s River Run Day Lodge & other venues in town).

The Sun Valley Story: Behind the Scenes with Director

Tuesday, February 28

6pm – 7:30pm

Director David Butterfield will share clips from the documentary and talk about inside information about Sun Valley history and on the making of the film.

About the film:
In the work of Averell Harriman, Bill Janss, and Earl Holding, we find uncommon vision, creative passion, and an enduring commitment to Sun Valley resort. It’s a classic American success story about creating a special place that had a great impact on the winter sports and travel industries, helped our local communities evolve, and promises a bright future. The production team and many contributors are long time locals with an abiding appreciation for our community and lifestyle. As much as The Sun Valley Story is an historical portrait, it is also a celebration of our values, shared experience, and aspirations.

About the Producer/Director:
Local David Butterfield has worked on stage, in film, television and new media. From comedy, to sports, to disability issues, to politics, to history, he’s been entertaining and educating with audio/visual media for over 25 years. He got his start with legendary filmmaker Warren Miller. More recently he produced an independent film and covered cutting edge ski and snowboard competitions and headliner concerts for network television. In between there were Travelogged, corporate films, news shows, commercials and cable TV series– adventures, lessons about life, and lots of fun.

Payette Brewing Beer Dinner at Trail Creek Cabin

Sunday, March 11

6:00pm Reception

6:30pm Dinner

$55/person (plus tax & gratuity)

Reservations:  208-622-2800 (Limited availability)

Chef:  Wendy Little

Head Brewer:  Mike Francis

Looking for something fun to do for the whole family, or for a different take on après skiing? Snow tubing at Dollar Mountain is it! Read all about the growing sport for kids of all ages here. (Photos courtesy of Mike McKenna.)