1859 Jan | Feb 2018

northwest destination
Ketchum & Sun Valley
Hitting up the best slopes in Idaho
written by Kevin Max
The Limelight Hotel
opened in January 2016.
THE PROBLEM WITH Ketchum and Sun Valley is there are too
many things to get after if you’re on the outdoorsy-to-athletic arc.
Let’s deal with the obvious first—Sun Valley Ski Resort is the
stuff of dreams, reveries that go back to the roots of alpine skiing
in this country and figures as broad as history itself. As mining
was fading in the 1930s and the valley was losing population,
Averell Harriman, of the Union Pacific Railroad and Secretary of
Commerce under President Truman, had an interest in the success
of the Wood River Valley. Harriman recruited Austrian nobility
in the form of Count Felix Schaffgotsch to site a world-class ski
resort in Ketchum. Schaffgotsch declared the surrounding slopes
perfectly suitable for skiing, developed them, built the Sun Valley
Lodge and invited glamorous Hollywood stars out for winter fun.
The dirty little secret is that Count Schaffgotsch counted himself a
Hitler supporter. He soon decamped to fight on the wrong side of
the war and was killed in the Battle of Stalingrad in 1942, as Soviets
crushed the Nazi attack. Permit me this one insensitivity—we got
a nice ski resort out this and one that is Hollywood’s winter home.
Today, the resort is an iconic destination with 3,400 vertical
feet, ten lifts and more than 100 trails. The ski lodges are built for
ages past and future—big wood beams, brass fixtures, massive
chandeliers, stone fireplaces in a collision of comfort and opulence,
Lodge and Jazz eras.
Let’s not forget Wood River Valley’s best skiing. Up the Sawtooth
Scenic Byway heading north from town is the Nordic mecca at
Galena Lodge. North Valley and Galena trails (adult one-day pass
$17; kids 17 and under are free) and Wood River trails are free
and open to the public. The mountains that tilt off the highway
are known as the Boulder Mountains, despite their smooth and
boulderless appearance. One runs out of names, I suppose. A
fairly serious competition of cross-country skiing happens in this
valley each February. In flattering spandex, competitors in the
Boulder Mountain Tour glide 34 kilometers down the Harriman
Trail from Galena Lodge. It’s not for everyone, but a spectacle for
onlookers nonetheless.
Try the full-moon dinners at Galena Lodge December through
March. For $45, you get a four-course dinner served at communal
tables in a remote lodge in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area.
For a surprising bit of culture in this mountain town, check out the
Sun Valley Opera. This is an intimate way to see top musical acts
for a high-browed thrill. The opera takes place at the Community
School Theatre and, now, at the new Limelight Hotel downtown.
Strolling downtown Ketchum is a simple pleasure of its own. On
Main Street, too many places demand the attention of a drink or
two—Pioneer Saloon, Sawtooth Club, Whiskey Jacques, Despo’s
for Mexican and margaritas. My favorites include the Ketchum
Grill, a classic and good for noisy conversation; Il Naso for lively
Italian cuisine in an intimate den; and the newcomer
Town Square for upscale Middle Eastern dishes and
well-traveled wines. Thrifting at the Gold Mine is always
112 1859 OREGON’S MAGAZINE JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2018