No matter how much you might love your home mountain, there are always other resorts to try out. And if you’re a powder hound, you might just spend your winters hopping from ski hill to ski hill, going where the meteorologist says the next dump will hit. This kind of winter adventuring is a heck of a lot easier with the IKON Pass, a multi-resort ski and snowboard season pass that gives you access to a whopping 50 resort destinations across five continents, 10 countries, 15 states, and four Canadian provinces. The 2023–2024 season, marks the first year that the Sun Valley Resort is a part of the Ikon Pass, adding itself to the list of iconic mountains one can experience as a pass holder. Sun Valley is also on the Mountain Collective Pass for the 2023-2024 season. Sun Valley is no longer on the EPIC Pass. What Are the IKON Pass Offerings? For the 2023-2024 season the original namesake IKON Pass costs $1,259 (for adults 23+, other options are available for young adults and children) and gets you unlimited access at 17 destinations and up to seven days each at 41 destinations. Included in those 14 with unlimited days …
24hrs with a Local: Sun Valley Wine Company’s Dexter & Crystal McKenzie, September
Covid and quarantine brought many new people to town, who perhaps came just to hunker down for a few weeks or months but then couldn’t imagine living elsewhere. This was the case for Dexter and Crystal McKenzie, new owners of the Wine Co. along with Crystal’s parents Gayle and Jim Phillips. Gayle and Jim have been homeowners in Ketchum for 33 years, hosting the family each Christmas for a little skiing and vacay away from Dexter and Crystal’s home in Olympia, Washington. Like every other year, the couple came to visit the Phillips in Ketchum for Christmas of 2020 to ski, but two weeks turned into four months turned into “let’s put our house on the market and move to Ketchum,” in the words of Dexter. The couple has been running an online women’s boutique and decided to look for a new opportunity in Ketchum; Gayle and Jim were retired, but were also ready for a bit of adventure. After seeing a description of a 27-year-old Ketchum business for sale and realizing it was the Wine Co., the foursome put in an offer right after another had fallen through, and in a moment of kismet, they suddenly found themselves the …
24hrs with a Local: Sun Valley Wine Auction’s Peter Burke, August
Sun Valley Museum of Art’s Peter Burke has dipped a toe into most every part of the arts there is since graduating from NYU Tisch School of the Arts years ago; he has been at SVMoA since 2018, but before that he worked as an experiential and creative producer, producing events for Google, the 65th Annual Grammy Awards, and more. He is one of the co-founders of Ketchum theater The Spot and can often be seen gracing the stage in their productions. When not in his role as Development Director and Wine Auction Director at SVMoA, he continues to teach barre classes at Zenergy, which he has done for the last eight years. As a young 30-something who grew up in and out of this Valley, Peter knows just how to have a perfect summer day, whether that’s getting inner tubes at Les Schwab to float a section of the Big Wood River or getting blocks of ice from Veltex to sled down grassy hills. Peter and his husband, Daniel, live in west Ketchum with their cat, Zelda (who can often be found sneaking into Sushi on Second searching for scraps of fish). When there is a moment of free …
24hrs with a Local: Rescue Trainer & Brewer Paul Holle, July
Paul Holle is a man about town, someone who, even if you don’t know personally, you’ve probably seen at some point, whether it’s at one of the Sawtooth Brewery locations, teaching a Wilderness First Aid class, or shuttling his children around town. After homebrewing his own ales, Holle went pro in 2012 when he helped open craft brewery Sawtooth Brewery in both Ketchum and Hailey. The next year, Holle helped start Idaho Rescue Training, which offers wilderness emergency medical courses to everyone from lay responders to outdoor professionals. He, his wife, Colleen; their two kids, 4-year-old Bryce and 8-month-old Theo; and their dog and cat live in Hailey, spending their free time taking family camping trips in the camper, rafting, hiking, and enjoying life in the Wood River Valley. In the July edition of 24hrs in Sun Valley, we’ve asked Paul to describe his perfect day. How does your perfect morning start? Paul: Sleeping in, cooking waffles with the kids, and drinking coffee. I like to put fresh berries in them and whipped cream on top. Then maybe go for a hike with the kids with the little one napping in the backpack and the four-year-old hiking at toddler speed. We …
24hrs with a Local: Wyatt Caldwell, June
The Caldwell family is well-known in the Wood River Valley; as lifetime locals, their presence can be felt in various aspects of the community, such as patriarch Will Caldwell’s art gallery that was next to the Cellar for many years and his starting of the live music event Ketch’em Alive over 20 years ago (though he’s since passed it on to the city to run). Or mom Julie Caldwell, seen at every Farmer’s Market or daily Zenergy classes. After 20 years spent as a professional snowboarder traveling the globe and taking note of some of the best film and photo practices in the sport, Wyatt Caldwell has made a name for himself both in Ketchum and in media, partnering with his brother Yancy in their company Stellar Adventure Media which creates film content for clients worldwide, often involving outdoor brands and action sports. Wyatt and his wife, Lindsey, live in Northridge where they raise their two daughters, 3-year-old Fynnly and 1-year-old Rozalyn. Growing up in Ketchum with his brother and sister, Scarlet, Wyatt and Lindsey know first-hand how important it is to expose young kids to the beauty of this Valley. They do everything they can to give their daughters …
24hrs with a Local: A Day in the Life of Otis the Dog, May
Sun Valley is a dog town. It’s impossible to walk down the street, go on a hike, or even visit someone’s office without getting a friendly greeting from Ketchum’s favorite furry residents. And many businesses and areas strive to be as dog friendly as possible, making it even more fun for our fur babies to live alongside us in this beautiful place. In the May edition of 24hrs in Sun Valley, we’ve asked local dog Otis to describe his perfect day. How does your day start? Otis: Woof! I’m very happy to be sharing my favorite day. Though all my days are my favorite in Ketchum. But after waking my mom up with my cold snout, she feeds me breakfast and takes me to the dog park where I get to run around with all my other dog friends and eat grass and drink from the river. It’s huge! Then I got to go in the car with my mom to Java. She tied me up outside and lots of people gave me pets and she came back with a puppicino for me! We both enjoyed our treats sitting outside on the deck. Many people told me I was cute. …
How to Recreate Responsibly
There’s no wonder that folks such as John Muir have been preaching the benefits of venturing to the wilderness with its fresh mountain air, views for days, free recreation, wildlife abound, and so much more. While many have been drawn to these attributes for a long while now, an influx of others are discovering the incredible offerings out there. Like anything new, there tends to be a learning curve for figuring how to do things the right way. There’s no exception for recreating. To give you a head-start and ensure that everyone heading outdoors here has a good time, it’s important to recreate responsibly which means following trail etiquette, Leave No Trace, and geotagging responsibly principles. Trail Etiquette For the majority in the Wood River Valley, their first and most frequent access to the outdoors is through the area’s vast system of trails for hiking, biking, and horseback riding. With so many users, trail etiquette is of the utmost important to make sure the trails stay pleasant for everyone. Stay in control Know your limits, slow down around blind turns, step to the side to let others pass when appropriate. Maintain awareness of your surroundings by keeping music volume low …
24hrs with a Local: The Flourish Foundation’s Ryan Redman, March
Flourish Foundation’s executive director and co-founder (with his wife, Paige) Ryan Redman leads the kind of calming, wellness-centered lifestyle many in Sun Valley strive for. From dedicating hours of his early mornings to himself before work to just truly cherishing every part of living in this town, Ryan exudes contentment. Ryan’s Flourish Foundation is no different, with its vision to inspiring systemic change through heartmind cultivation, promoting personal well-being, benevolent social action, and environmental stewardship. Since its conception in 2010, the Flourish Foundation has facilitated programs that nurture life skills and transformation through ethics and values like meditation. Ryan has studied meditation and Yoga from an early age and teaches yoga in Sun Valley in addition to his work at the foundation. We asked the passionate leader, yogi, devoted husband and father of two boys what his perfect 24hrs for March in Sun Valley looks like. How does your ideal day in Sun Valley start? Ryan: After an incredible night’s sleep, I open my eyes and feel tremendous gratitude to have a human body, to live in such a beautiful place, and to be healthy and capable of providing service to the world and serving myself. Then, after my thoughts …
24hrs with a Local: 5b Fruit’s Katja Peller, February
Wellness-focused couple Parker Morris and Katja Peller have taken their passions and turned them into two thriving businesses, 5B Fruit and 5B Floatation. After hiking Baldy on a hot summer day, the two were craving a healthy smoothie. Not finding one that satisfied them, the two opened what they thought would be a small smoothie stand and turned it into the popular shop it is today. While their days are busy behind the counter at 5B making delicious smoothies and bowls, they still have time to enjoy raising chickens and their dogs Tilly and Garth on their farm south of Bellevue where they’ll be getting married this summer. Learn how Katja spends the perfect day in Sun Valley! How does your perfect day start? Coffee/breakfast somewhere? Easy morning at home? Katja: Usually, mornings start very early to make sure things are taken care of around the farm. The drive from my house to Ketchum is about 40 minutes so I listen to a podcast to start the day off. Then I stop at Lizzy’s on my way into town. A day can’t start and is not complete without a cup of coffee. My favorite way to start the day is …
McCall Vs Sun Valley
When visiting Idaho, there are plenty of different options for where to go: Boise, Stanley, Pocatello. But when deciding between a small resort town, you might come down to the decision between McCall and Sun Valley. Which to choose? There are many similarities between the two small resorts towns, but a bevy of differences to separate the winter experiences you might have in each. The populations of McCall and Ketchum are roughly the same (just under 3,000) though “Sun Valley” as a whole area encompasses a much higher number. McCall’s terrain focuses on lake life (Payette Lake being a major draw for the area especially in the summer) with more subtle mountain peaks surrounding it and a greater density of Ponderosa Pines. In Sun Valley, the terrain is ALL about the mountains—jagged peaks at high elevation surrounding you in every direction. McCall definitly sees peak traffic during the summer holidays with its large lake and boating activities. On the other hand Sun Valley is a winter Mecca that sees thousands of skiers descend on the town during December. Both towns are about 2.5 hours from the state capitol of Boise. Although the Boise airport is the main access point for …