Riding the Rockies: Skiing in Sun Valley

BY RANDALL WEISSMAN | Tribune Staff Writer

November 25, 2007

Pause at the top of Bald Mountain in Sun Valley, Idaho, on a brilliant day, and it's clear how the Sawtooth Range got its name - its silver peaks glistening in the sunlight high above the Ketchum Valley that spreads out below.

It's just as easy to see why Averell Harriman chose this area for Sun Valley, America's first destination ski resort. In 1935, the Union Pacific chairman (and, later, New York governor, presidential candidate and U.S. ambassador, among other things) had commissioned a young Austrian, Felix Schaffgotsch, to find a suitable location for a winter resort to draw rail passengers to the West. After months of searching and rejecting such spots as Aspen and Mt. Rainier, he stopped in what would become Sun Valley.

The resort's Web site quotes Schaffgotsch as saying: "This combines more delightful features than any place I have ever seen in Switzerland, Austria or the U.S. for a winter resort." At a time when alpine skiing was a sport for an elite few, Harriman purchased 4,300 acres of ranch land outside the mining town of Ketchum. He envisioned a resort with every possible amenity to complement the stunning setting. After seven months' work, the resort opened in 1936, and the rich and famous have flocked to Sun Valley ever since, making the resort legendary.

Errol Flynn and Clark Gable were guests at the opening gala. Gary Cooper visited often. Paul Newman and Clint Eastwood helped celebrate the resort's 50th birthday. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis are among today's luminaries.

Several of the resort's runs are named for the famous who have skied there: Gretchen's Gold (for Olympic gold medalist Gretchen Fraser), Christin's Silver (for silver medalist Christin Cooper), the black-diamond Picabo's Street (for the eponymous multimedal winner) and Arnold's Run (for the California governor).

Reminders of this longtime celebrity connection are not confined to the mountain. Black-and-white photos of the stars line the halls of Sun Valley Lodge. The Duchin Lounge in the Lodge evokes memories of the legendary pianist Eddie Duchin, who played there.

The history of Sun Valley adds texture to any visit. In addition to the famous names, the world's first chairlifts were installed in 1936 on Dollar Mountain and Proctor Mountain. (Bald Mountain didn't get its first lift and runs until 1939.) Dollar remains one of the great "learners' mountains" in the country, but Proctor is no longer used for skiing. The lift is still there - but now it's between the 14th green and the 15th tee of the Sun Valley Golf Course.

While nostalgia and scenery may feed the artist in each of us, a skier's soul is nurtured by the quality of the mountain and its runs, and Sun Valley delivers.

Bald Mountain - nicknamed Baldy - is the centerpiece of the resort today. It has long cruising runs, knee-wearying mogul fields and bowls spectacular enough to satisfy the most demanding skier. It is a mountain that rewards strong, confident skiers; cautious skiers may be intimidated.

It is set at a relatively low altitude for a ski resort - 9,150 feet at the peak, 5,750 at the base. The peak is the same altitude as the base at Taos, N.M. That means less of a problem getting used to the altitude, but it also means less reliable snow. The snow often turns a bit slushy by afternoon. And the lower altitude means less chance of finding the light, fluffy powder of Utah's and Colorado's higher peaks.

The mountain's 3,400-foot vertical drop is the third-largest in the country (after Jackson Hole, Wyo., and Steamboat Springs, Colo.), but it has just 2,054 acres of skiable terrain (roughly two-thirds that of Steamboat). And it's almost all relatively steep.

The resort rates 22 percent of Baldy's 65 runs as most difficult (advanced), 42 percent as more difficult (intermediate) and 36 percent as easiest, but few of Baldy's runs designated as easiest would carry those round, green trail markers at a number of other resorts in the Rockies. Christin's Silver and the middle portion of Warm Springs, for example, would be intermediate runs, especially on days when they haven't been groomed.

Starting out easy

Last January, I spent four days at Sun Valley, and since this was my first ski day of the season, I started on the most forgiving part of Baldy. After a quick warm-up on Lower River Run, I headed for Seattle Ridge, which I knew from previous visits was mostly easy cruising. Three lift rides, a slow run across an access trail and 25 minutes later I was at the top, looking down Christin's Silver.

Seattle Ridge proved to be a fine starting point, and cruising on runs groomed table-top smooth whetted my appetite for more challenge. After a break for lunch, I took the Mayday lift to a ridge above the resort's bowls. While not as famed or as huge as Vail's back bowls, they can be as much fun to ski.

Unfortunately, the snow conditions didn't cooperate. Bare patches dotted most of the bowls, especially the expert ones. Easter Bowl was closed, and Lookout Bowl probably should have been. Two intermediate bowls - Farout and Sigi's - were skiable, but without fresh snow they were just nice, intermediate runs.

By the time I had tried those bowls, it was mid-afternoon, and the sun had started to make the snow a bit mushy. I decided five hours was enough time to spend on the mountain on Day 1. Apres ski in Sun Valley tends toward the quiet side, especially if you stay at the resort village, as I did. The resort makes it easy to get into Ketchum: Just let the Sun Valley Lodge front desk know, and the lodge's shuttle will take you to town - and pick you up.

Ketchum has evolved into a rather typical ski town with lots of restaurants and ski shops, and a smattering of older establishments that pay homage to its past. Condos are springing up all around the town. For a gourmet dining experience, I tried Felix's Restaurant, in an old house on First Street. The upscale dining with Mediterranean accents is complemented by a superb wine list.

Day 2 dawned cold and brilliant. On the lift ride to the top of Baldy, I could hear the scrape of skis over the snow that had frozen overnight, but I knew it would soften in the sun. This was my day to spend in the Warm Springs area, my favorite portion of the mountain. The longest run on Baldy, Warm Springs is a fabulous cruise from Lookout Peak for about 2 miles all the way to the day lodge at the bottom. The top is an intermediate pitch, but the bottom levels off and widens into an easier run.

The Challenger high-speed lift whisks skiers 3,000 vertical feet back to the top in just 10 minutes. Intermediate skiers don't have a lot of choice at the top, but the options appear halfway down Warm Springs. A turn to the left brings them to Cozy, Hemingway and Greyhawk. The upper portion of each is rated advanced.