Idaho- Snowy Sun Valley

​Sun Valley, in the heart of the State of Idaho, in the heart of the American West, is truly a gem.   The mountain gods threw down a bolt of lightning that struck this high desert oasis, between the World Wars.   The iconic Averell Herriman, bold American entrepreneur, hired the best Austrian mountain guides he could find to board his Union Pacific Railroad car and set up an Alp style Ski Resort mountain destination.  In 1936 Sun Valley Idaho was founded.  I spent the 2017-’18 winter season here teaching skiing. 

​Sun Valley – Ketchum, Mount Baldy, Wood River Valley, and nearby Sawtooth Wilderness, have attracted much interest since its founding.  The high desert air is fresh and spectacularly sunny, blessed with just enough moisture off the Pacific Ocean.  The Sun Valley Lodge attracted the likes of Ernest Hemmingway, Count Felix Schaffgosch, Richard Zanuck, Peggy Fleming, Clint Eastwood and Jamie Lee Curtis, who all spent time here.
 
From a purely ski perspective, Sun Valley – Mount Baldy, 1940 – is a great intermediate destination.  It is a moderate 3500 vertical feet tall, and, as those early Europeans guides, knew, it has a near perfect pitch from top to bottom.   Today it regularly ranks as best grooming, best ski town culture -nearby Ketchum, ski lifts, and best ski runs.   The drawback to Sun Valley’s stature, and its protective shield, is its remote location.  This, as travellers know, can be where the world’s best gems are hidden.  This part of the American West is worth the effort.  Sun Valley is the “Grand Dame” of local towns, but it sits in the heart of the Rocky Mountains.
 
I have found the best way to explore the region is by van or RV, and plenty of time.   After a summer exploration, think about a winter road trip.  The “Powder Highway” extends north from the Idaho Rockies into the future of skiing, if the planet continues to warm, in British Columbia.

Author,

Images and written work by Eric Moulton. 
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