Sun Valley, Idaho: History, celebrities and skiing
January 11, 2010 ·
It has also been host to many famous names in the skiing world — such as Chuck Ferries, who helped develop the fiberglass ski, and Dick Durrance of the 1936 Olympics.
“It has a special place in the hearts of veteran skiers in the United States because it had some of the first classic alpine races in the United States,” said Seth Masia, a former SKI Magazine editor who writes about history for Skiing Heritage Magazine and is a veteran skier himself. “It’s one of the important cultural centers of American skiing.”
Sun Valley and its neighboring communities also have a long history of gathering wealthy visitors and local characters. Legend has it that Hemingway, a longtime on-and-off resident of Ketchum, wrote at least part of “For Whom the Bell Tolls” in a room in the Sun Valley Lodge. Hemingway is memorialized by a statue on a trail a mile from the lodge and he is buried in Ketchum, where he spent the last two years of his life.
Hiking and mountain biking abound in the uncrowded Sawtooth Mountains. “Every little canyon has its trails,” said Smith.
Ketchum has high-end dining, shopping and art. Hailey markets itself as a more down-to-earth destination, the kind of place where you can find more affordable lodging at the brand-new AmericInn or just camp out in the summer to attend the Northern Rockies Folk Festival downtown.
Bruce Willis can often be found playing in his band at The Mint, a bar he owns in Hailey. In warmer months, many visitors stay in Hailey and spend the day at the Silver Creek Preserve, a high-desert Nature Conservancy area with an abundance of wildlife. Silver Creek is a clear, spring-fed stream.
“It’s challenging, with big fish, and a chance to catch brown trout and rainbow trout in the same river,” said Chris Walser, a biology professor at the College of Idaho who also fishes the nearby Big Wood River. “And it’s world-famous. You say you went to Silver Creek, and most fly fishermen are going to know where that is.”
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If You Go…
SUN VALLEY: Ketchum, Idaho; http://www.sunvalley.com or 208-622-4111. Dollar Mountain one-day adult lift tickets, $40; Bald Mountain one-day adult lift tickets, $82. Check Web site for package deals and discounts. Expected to remain open until late spring.
SOLDIER MOUNTAIN: Fairfield, Idaho; http://www.soldiermountain.com or 208-764-2526. One-day adult lift ticket $33. Expected to open end of January.
GETTING THERE: Most visitors fly into Boise and drive the two and a-half hours or so to Ketchum. The roads are straight and traffic is sparse. Or fly into the Friedman Memorial Airport in Hailey on SkyWest Airlines, Horizon Air or your own plane. In summer, 700-800 planes take off or land every day, about three-quarters of them private jets, said Pete Kramer, the chief of emergency services and airfield operations at Friedman. Winter traffic: 400-500 takeoffs or landings per day. Airport: http://www.flyfma.com/
DINING: There are many great restaurants in Hailey and Ketchum. Here’s a sampling:
_Zou 75, 416 N. Main St., Hailey, 208-788-3310. Sushi and seafood. Yes, seafood in Idaho. Fish is flown fresh, never frozen, from Hawaii. Full bar, separate dining area for families. Zou 75′s sushi wins raves from all corners of the globe — including Japan.
_Gretchen’s, at the Sun Valley Lodge. Corny, yes, but the cozy Gretchen’s is the all-time favorite of my kids and a wonderful place to retire after skating at the lodge. The food is consistently excellent and the setting is comfortable but informal; dine in your ski boots if you wish. Gretchen’s is named after U.S. skier Gretchen Fraser, who in 1948 won an Olympic gold in the special slalom. Fraser, then 28, had trained at Sun Valley.
_Perry’s, 131 W. Fourth St., Ketchum, 208-726-7703. Casual and reasonably priced; squeeze as many ravenous kids as you like into a booth. Everything is baked on site. The cinnamon rolls are a delightful start to the day; http://www.perryssunvalley.com
_Ketchum Grill, 520 East Ave., Ketchum, 208-726-4660. Bar and separate dining room. A might pricey, but worth it. See menus at: http://www.ketchumgrill.com/menus.html
