Sun Valley Info anyone?

dparz

dparz

New member
Due to the miserable eastern conditions, great airfares and scheduling luck we are packing up the teens and heading to Sun Valley Jan 17-23

Would appreciate any insider tips and overall opinions of the area. Things to avoid, resteraunts, car tips driving from Boise to SV, etc.

BTW - for some odd airline reason flying from Raleigh- Boise was cheaper than flying to SLC - although the plane stops in SLC?
i.e. $200/rt to Boise --- $330/RT to SLC

Clincher for SV was the Kids 15 and under skiing free w/adult in JAN - that quickly saved 2x5x70=$700.

TAOS was actually cheap to get to/stay - but lack of terrain park was deal killer for the kids even though they are skiers. Steamboat was expensive. Also prefer the Road less traveled, less crowded - decided to stay away from Aspen/Vail/Beaver Creek/Alta/PC/Snowbird
 
EXCELLENT choice! Especially the airfare (what airline)? And the free skiing for kids under 15, unheard of!

Basically anywhere you eat will be good, definitely go to a famous steakhouse on Main Street, can't recall name.

The runs on the eastern side are incredibly long.

Grooming is impeccable, unless it's snowing.... :lol:

Ordered what turned out to be one of the best pizzas ever!

We drive from SLC, 4 hrs., why don't you take 1 day to Jackson Hole, 4 hrs.

Enjoy!
 
Delta had the great airfare - booked about 3.5weeks ahead of travel dates (although only the RDU-SLC outbound is on a delta plane - SLC to Boise is on a regional carrier and the return trip on Northwest thru MN...

The Jackson Hole trip sounds interested - is Grand Targhee the same distance?- wouldn't mind trying the snowcat day if the conditions were right...
 
admin is on the money, I'd never heard of Brundage.

GT is closer, but bragging rights go to JH. Whatever.

What site did you use to find that fare?

Gracias.
 
SLC, Jackson, Sun Valley form a driving triangle, roughly 5 hours each side. Sun Valley is 3+ NE from Boise, and I'm not sure whether you can "triangle" to Tamarack/Brundage (NW from Boise). On a one-week trip with a family, you have to assess everyone's tolerance for marathon drives. Coming from North Carolina, you may be quite happy with Sun Valley for a week.

January is too early for Taos. Season snowfall is about average but it's only 60% open with its rocky topography. Sun Valley is the opposite type of mountain. It's 90+% skiable on a 3 foot base.
 
Sun Valley is probably the best fall line grooming resort on the planet.

The only problem: it has some nice bowls, but they face south/east and do not get a lot of snow (200" or so). Coverage is always an issue. But it seems OK now.

One thing: Sun Valley is not a new-school resort now. It is very old school. Frankly, I saw a lot good grey-haired skiers linking turns nicely and lunching in beautiful lodges. Other demographics be damned -- or excluded -- or self-selected.

They barely have a terrain park. There are no cliffs. Few snowboarders. Not many chutes. No gay ski weeks.

But it is good stuff.

Perhaps the anti-thesis of Sun Valley is Whistler. Whistler is international, new, huge, trendy, progressive - in every way, chutey, big snows, massive parks, long season -- and not, not sunny.

Anyways, living in Seattle I loved the duel marketing campaigns for Whistler and Seattle. Sun Valley it was "Got Sun?" - like the iconic milk ads and Whistler it was the mountains.

I would not screw around with Jackson -- just take Sun Valley for a week.
 
Once again a great summary by Chris. Sun Valley is a very distinctive mountain. Among the best anywhere for long fall line cruising (take note Gpaul!)and for moguls. Off trail skiing is hit or miss due to the snowfall and exposure issues. I was there in 1983 before high speed lifts and never saw lift lines. Now you could set some insane vertical foot records on that mountain. Some locals routinely average 30K/day and I heard that a patroller was let on starting at 7:30AM one day so he could get 100K.

Sun Valley is one of the few resorts where it's better to stay in the town (either Sun Valley or Ketchum) rather than on the mountain. The bus shuttles run continuously during the day to the hill, but it's better after skiing to be within easy walking distance to restaurants and other apres ski activities.
 
Air is upto $260. Still a good price.

Sr. Crocker, I skied there 3 days on 2 separate occasions, 1 day blistering, other 2 blue, blue, blue skies. And those runs, Mamamía!!!!!!!!

Chris is right about uppercrust, I kinda liked it.
 
I skied there about 15years ago.. Big cruisers mountain.. It's kinda like a eastern mtn on steroids with packed powder.. I do remember eating at the summit cafeteria with Clint and Arnold :) .. That was pretty cool
 
Thanks for all the responses...

I have heard eating lunch at the summit Seattle Ridge Lodge is a must do, great scenery and celebs do like to hang out there....

We booked into the Sun Valley Lodge but have a car, eating/drinking downtown sounds/should be interesting.

Have noted they have a detachable quad that rises 3000' vertical in ten minutes, that should provide plenty-o-vertical for out of shape thighs...
(there is an interesting web site which details the lifts at each resort (skilifts.org)

Yahoo Travel had the best Airfares (farecast.com is interesting), also rented vehicle thru them, if you call AA or Delta directly they know nothing about skiing, feel like your talking to a machine, better to search yourself and create your own deals.

Having spent time in Seattle/Portland, that "Got Sun" campaign sounds like a winner....
 
Sun Valley will be fun, the groomers are so fast. Just don't pull an Arnold :) As for restaurants, one I really like is Rico's Pizza and Pasta in Ketchum. Be sure to check out the tube park on Dollar and the ice rink in front of the SV Lodge.
 
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