Sun Valley Ski Resort/Lodging and Fine Dining is a Special Place to go (3/06)

If spectacular skiing, great food, a relaxed

atmosphere and convenience when traveling is important

to you, then book your next skiing vacation to the Sun 

Valley Lodge in Sun Valley, Idaho. It can't get much 

easier or stress free than this place.  You fly intoHailey airport and there is a bus waiting for you.  

Twenty minutes later you’ll be checking into your room. 
 
The next morning when it’s time to ski, justwalk out to the front of the lodge and catch another 
very reliable bus to spectacular Baldy Mountain.  You
can be riding your first chair lift of the day 15

minutes later.  You absolutely do not have to rent a

car when arriving to this resort.  They have such

impressive “door to door” service that you barely need

to walk let alone drive.  The lack of walking will

really come in handy after your first few days of 
skiing because the runs on Baldy Mountain can make
your legs burn!  The runs seem to last forever!  
For beginning skiers there is the gentle treeless 
slopes of Dollar Mountain.  It's perfect if you are
just learning to ski or snowboard and it has the best

teaching professionals in the world there. If you are a

beginning skier on Baldy the mountain can be a bit

intimidating. The “green runs” are well groomed, but

way steeper than most.  The mountain just can’t help

itself.  It’s over 3,400 vertical feet from the top to

the bottom and after a full day of skiing it’s not out

of the question to log 50,000 vertical feet or more! 

This is an intermediate to advanced skiers paradise. 

There is such a selection of runs and terrain that you

can ski the entire day and not get to everything. 

With this said, though, the mountain doesn’t have a

massive feel to it like you’re not sure where you are.

 Everything is well mapped out and even though it’s a

large mountain it still has a way of feeling very

intimate.

 
Mid week in early March with some of the best snow in

a decade on Baldy, the crowds were non existent.  How

great is it to ski down a mountain and hop on the

first chair that’s available?! Not once, at any chair

lift, was the wait over one minute.  This is a type of

place where you can come for a half day and still get

a ton of skiing in.

 
If you need to rest and refuel their are some great

spots on top of the mountain with spectacular views. 

The Lookout Restaurant and the Seattle Ridge Day Lodge

are both sitting pretty at about 9000 feet with sun

filled decks that look out in all directions.  What

great places to recharge your battery before taking on

these long, exhilarating runs again.

 
After a great day of skiing powder filled bowls or

beautifully long groomed runs there will be a bus 
waiting for you to take you back to the Sun Valley
Lodge.  The Lodge has everything you need without

needing to go anywhere else.  Nothing feels better

after a great day of skiing than soaking in the big,

round, outdoor pool that is kept around 104 degrees. 

Without fail, every day around sunset, two snow owls

would begin to speak to each other from different

trees.  Their gentle “wooing” just added to the

splendor of the surroundings. 

 
    At this point you should be ready for a great meal. 

The good news is you don’t have to go further than the

lodge itself.  The Lodge Dining Room is a beautifully

decorated romantic atmosphere with big booths and

plenty of space.  A three piece band plays lightly in

the corner to make your dinning experience that much

more enjoyable.  If you like a real Caesars Salad made

right at your table, this is the place to get it.  The

dressing is all prepared freshly in front of you so

you can add or subtract ingredients such as anchovies

if you don’t desire the taste.  We had it with the

works and it was simply amazing.  Great entree choices

include fare which you don’t get  a chance to try at

many places like the famous baked Idaho Trout or fresh

Elk.  The Elk was tender and cooked to perfection with

a dark berry sauce.  If there is any room left for

dessert, the Bananas Foster is a fiery delight.  It’s

rich, delicious and will probably fuel your next half

day of skiing.

 
There is plenty of ways to work off a meal at the Sun

Valley Lodge.  There is an outdoor skating rink that

is maintained and operational all year round. It’s

quite an experience to be skating while a light and

gentle snow falls from the sky. There is a gym, sauna

and even a bowling alley right on the premises.

 
 
    Another great restaurant within a very short walk of

the main lodge is The Ram.  The Ram has a wooden

interior like a cozy meat and potatoes type lodge, but

it is actually a French Bistro.  Most of the staff is

French along with the gourmet chefs. Starters include

a big pot of heated cheese fondue in which you dip

bread with long metal dipping spears.  Just when you

think you are not going to dip another piece of bread,

you dip about ten more because it is so good.  Entrees

include a roasted Seabass over green lentil ragout and

truffle essence.  It’s rich, buttery and melts in your

mouth.  Other fish include the famous Idaho Ruby Trout

or the Noisette de Thon which is roasted Ahi tuna with

sweet potato puree and an amazing sauce made with

chives, tiny chopped tomatoes, and calamata olives. 
The nearby quaint little town of Ketchum is worth some
exploring and is easily accessible by bus and by foot.

    There are plenty of great restaurants and pubs to

quench your thirst.  You officially have not been to

Ketchum if you haven’t eaten at the Pioneer Saloon. 

It’s a down home saloon where everyone knows everyone.

 Even if you don’t know anyone it will feel like you

do.  This place brings new meaning to the term “meat

and potatoes”.  You really haven’t experienced “meat

and potatoes” until you’ve experienced the Pioneer

Saloon.  The Pioneer Cut of prime rib is a massive

slab of meat that is roasted and then quickly grilled

on both sides to give it a smokey taste.  It’s unique

to any prime rib you’ve had in the past and highly recommended.  
The world famous baked Idaho potato
is the size of a football and unless you are
running in two marathons the next day it is
recommended to get a half order.  Kudos to you if you

can finish a half of potato.  I’m curious if anyone

knows what’s served for dessert in this fine

establishment.  I don’t know if anyone has got that

far.  I’m sure the mud pie is delicious. 
I found the Sun Valley area to be very down to earth
and friendly.  It seemed like there was always someone

starting up a conversation around the pool, restaurant

or going up a chair lift.  It’s a place to relax and

have a good time skiing with your best friends.  There

is a half pipe at Baldy for the snow boarders and it’s

a great place to snowboard. but you don’t see teems of

young snow boarders tearing down the mountain. It felt

very safe and respectful on the mountain.  It’s

definitely a skier’s mountain.  People are proud about

their skiing here and rightly so.  The first chair

lift in the world was installed right there on Dollar

Mountain in 1936, chosen over many different places

because of it’s perfect environment for skiing.  

    The Sun Valley area has a long tradition of attractingcelebrities and people from all over the world. 
People that I had talked to had been coming back to

the Lodge and the mountains year after year.  It was

not unusual to talk to someone that had been coming

back every year for the last 30 years.  After spending

some time at this resort and these mountains it was

easy to see why.  It’s relaxing, people are friendly,

it’s some of the best skiing in the entire world and

there are great restaurants.  It’s a very special place.
More information at their great website at www.sunvalley.com