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. …
24hrs with a Local: Community School’s Patrick Graham, April
As Outdoor Program Co-Director at the Sun Valley Community School, Patrick Graham spends roughly 75–80 days out in the field each school year, leading outdoor trips for students of each grade (in addition to other, less fun duties that fall under his purview). Before joining Community School in 2015, Patrick worked as a ski guide for Sun Valley Trekking and later as a licensed backcountry ski guide and an AMGA-certified climbing and skiing guide. He’s now been in the Valley for 17 years—specifically Hailey, where he lives with his wife and three kids. Read on as we dig into Patrick’s ideal 24hrs in Sun Valley for April. What’s your perfect morning start with? Patrick: Typically, it starts with coffee. I like to just have some quiet time in the morning to get myself centered, some sort of hot beverage. When putting my best foot forward, I often times write in a journal for half an hour or so and then prepare to go skiing. Skiing on Baldy? Backcountry? Patrick: To make the most of spring skiing, my day would start before the sun came up, and I would probably transition from coffee into looking at maps and determining the route …
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 …
24hrs with a Local: Gather Yoga’s Danielle Fuller, January
Going into the new year, Danielle Fuller has her intentions set around being mindful and grateful, especially for this beautiful town we live in. The mom of three (and three step kids!) is often busy running errands, doing the pick-up/drop-off for her kids, as well as running her business, Gather Yoga & Studio. After completing her yoga teacher training in 2009 and moving from Portland to Ketchum the same year, Danielle opened her studio in 2013 and since then has been teaching yoga alongside her studio’s other teachers. See how this busy woman does it all while still having fun and staying healthy in this editions of 24hrs in Sun Valley, January edition. How does your morning start? Danielle: Just coming off the holidays, I’m trying to stay true to my New Year’s intentions around health and well-being. I start the day early, around 6:30, with a morning dog walk in the sunshine and snow out East Fork, where I live, while listening to my favorite podcast. I walk my favorite loop and get in the mindset for the day before heading up to town to catch a yoga class with Cathie Caccia at Gather to get my body, mind, …
24hrs with a Local: Susan Nieves, December
Originally visitors to Sun Valley from Seattle, Susan and Mark Nieves, the owners of retail shop Independent Goods, were so enthralled with the area that in 2013 they packed up and came to Ketchum to live, raise their family, and open their own store. Ever-present in their store is the importance of connection: to customers, to craft makers, to each other. And that same priority of connection is apparent in Susan’s perfect 24 hours in Sun Valley where much of the day is spent forming and strengthening bonds to others in this town. How does your perfect day start? Susan: We start by playing vinyl—anything from Mary Popins to Blondie—having coffee, and possibly a special treat of pastries from Hank & Sylvies or Konditorie or a Bigwood Bread Ham & Cheese croissant. That gets us and our 4-year-old going. After that, I head into the shop to help customers find gifts for themselves, loved ones, or clients. What’s a day in the shop like? Susan: People hang out here for a really long time and we get to know our customers or tourists really well. Mark and I write the story cards on display with each product; writing them connects …
24hrs with a Local: Wild Rye’s Cassie Abel, October
Cassie Abel is the CEO and co-founder of Wild Rye, a company dedicated to creating mountain apparel for women of all sizes, ages, and skill levels—an area she saw was decidedly lacking after spending years working in the outdoor apparel industry. Though Abel didn’t found the Ketchum-based company until 2015, she has been living here fulltime for about 10 years and spent much of her life in and out of the Valley; she’s held down jobs at local favorites like Java, the Cellar Pub, and Smith. As the kind of woman her brand targets—mountain biker, skier, busy mom—Cassie is the perfect mountain lady to tell us how to spend an ideal day in Ketchum, Idaho. How do you start your ideal day? Can I give you two ideal days? Cause one’s going to involve my toddler, and one will not! So if I don’t have my toddler, I wake up and drink some coffee on my porch. If I’m heading out for coffee, go to Lizzie’s or Maude’s and get a really delicious latte. Then I’d go for a big bike ride like Osberg’s, Alden, or Greenhorn/Imperial. How do you refuel after a long bike ride like that? Probably grab …
24hrs with a Local: Sawtooth Brewery’s Kevin Jones, September
In this monthly series, we check in with one of our adventurous locals to find out how they would spend a perfect 24 hours in Sun Valley. Back-to-school vibes are in the air, and just last week, the peaks around Sun Valley had their first dusting of early snow. Fall comes a bit early here in the mountains, but you won’t find us complaining—it’s a magical season. With perfectly warm days and deliciously cool nights, fall is the perfect time to experience Sun Valley’s natural beauty and cultural events, including Wagon Days, the Gallery Walk, the Ernest Hemingway Seminar, the Baldy Hill Climb, and Oktoberfest. To hear more about this year’s Oktoberfest, we reached out to Kevin Jones, co-founder and Business Director of Sawtooth Brewery. Sawtooth Brewery, which celebrates its tenth anniversary in November, began as a small taproom in a hotel in Ketchum. “We started the brewery when we were young and single,” says Kevin. “We had a vision of a place where people could drink local beer after a day of skiing or biking.” Now, Kevin and his business partner, head brewer and CEO Paul Holle, have two restaurants, the Public House in Ketchum and the Tap Room …
24hrs with a Local:Sun Valley Culinary Institute’s Karl Uri, July
In this monthly series, we check in with one of our adventurous locals to find out how they would spend a perfect 24hrs in Sun Valley for July. (photo above: Idaho Mt. Express) Hold onto your horses—summer is here! This is the season for hiking, riding, strolling, listening, gathering, and soaking in all the beauty and fun of a mountain town in its warmest months. After a summer of few events in 2020, organizers and organizations are pulling out all the stops to create an action-packed schedule of music, exhibits, speakers, and activities. So clear your calendar, slather on the sunscreen, and let’s do this. For this month’s edition of 24Hrs in Sun Valley, we caught up with Karl Uri, Director of the Sun Valley Culinary Institute. The Sun Valley Culinary Institute, or SVCI as its known, is a culinary hub for the Wood River Valley, providing culinary education and experiences for residents and visitors. Their popular cooking classes present seasonal and relevant culinary experiences in the form of chef demonstrations, skills development, wine tasting, and hands-on time in their professional kitchen. SVCI’s other offerings include a one-year professional program for culinary arts and beautiful event space in their iconic brick building on Main Street in Ketchum, built …