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. Happy February! We hope you are out enjoying the spoils of this epic snowstorm that dumped 51” of powder on Bald Mountain and coated the entire Valley, from Bellevue to Galena Lodge, in a deep blanket of snow. We are sure that one person taking advantage of this winter wonderland is Rick Kapala, the Program Director for the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation’s (SVSEF) Cross Country Ski Team. Rick has worked with SVSEF since 1987, coaching youth athletes to some of the highest levels of competitive snowsport. SVSEF’s vision is to create the best junior snowsports development program in the nation. They offer coaching and skills development in cross country skiing (including their elite “XC Gold” team), alpine skiing, big mountain, Freeski, freestyle, and snowboarding. “We offer programming for close to 800 kids across different winter sports disciplines,” says Rick. “From little kids putting on skis for the first time to ski racers at the highest level, we help our teams develop skills and capacities for ski sports and for life.” As for us, …
24hrs with a Local: Sun Valley Resort’s Peter Stearns, January
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. Happy New Year! While some may be saying “good riddance” to 2020, we’re looking ahead with hope and mindfulness for the coming year. We’re so lucky to have incredible outdoor winter recreation in Sun Valley, and that’s due in no small part to the opportunities at Bald Mountain and Dollar Mountain, Sun Valley Resort’s two ski areas. For this month’s 24 Hours Sun Valley, we tracked down Peter Stearns, Director of Mountain Operations at Sun Valley, to hear about his typical day in January and learn more about this unique winter season. Welcome, Peter! Can you tell us a bit more about your role at Sun Valley Resort? As the Director of Mountain Operations, my ultimate responsibility is the management of Bald Mountain and Dollar Mountain. I work with a fantastic team, most of whom have been doing this kind of work for quite a long time. You’ve been working at Sun Valley for quite a few years, is that right? I’ve been with Sun Valley for 40 years this past June. Wow, that’s impressive! …
24hrs with a Local: Sawtooth Avalanche Center’s Scott Savage, December
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. Ready or not…winter is here! From the first snowflakes in early November to opening day on Bald Mountain, we have been enjoying every second of this early season. Scott Savage, the Director of the Sawtooth Avalanche Center, is someone who loves winter more than most. A lifelong skier and a snow geek, Scott and the team of Avalanche Specialists provide avalanche safety information for people recreating, working, or traveling in the Sawtooth National Forest. “The Sawtooth Avalanche Center exists to help people make good decisions, have fun, and stay safe in the mountains,” says Scott. Don’t think that your winter recreation takes you into avalanche territory? It might. Though the Sun Valley area has plenty of room to explore, some of the most popular recreation areas are exposed to avalanche danger. But before you hole up and miss the chance to enjoy winter fun under a summer sun, take heart: Scott says making safe decisions is simply a matter of understanding the risks and knowing how to handle them. First, he says, check the …
24hrs with a Local: Photographer Dev Khalsa, November
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. A chill is in the air, and the snow guns blasting on Bald Mountain in preparation for opening day prove that it’s properly almost-winter in Sun Valley. Though we’re only weeks away from pulling out skis and boards, there is still plenty of fall left to enjoy this November. Don’t take it from me, though. Dev Khalsa, owner and photographer at Dev Khalsa Photography, has a secret love of this in-between month. “Summer is super crazy with work, and then suddenly there’s Daylight Savings, which means less light each day, which means that I get more time to relax,” she says. “It’s a time to be cozy with my family and enjoy the leaves that are still around. I love that transition and wouldn’t have it any other way.” Locals and visitors alike seek out Dev for her natural, candid, documentary style of wedding and portrait photography. How has this year differed from years in the past? “This year’s weddings totally changed,” Dev says. “Some of them moved to next year, but others became these really small, …
24hrs with a Local: Silver Creek Outfitters’ Terry Ring, October
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. The aspens are turning, snow is dusting the high peaks, and it’s time to slow down into the delicious, golden-soaked atmosphere of October in Sun Valley. Fall is a season that long-time local Terry Ring, owner of Silver Creek Outfitters, enjoys to the fullest. Silver Creek Outfitters is a fly fishing shop, destination retailer, and a guide service. “We focus on the ‘Sun Valley lifestyle,’” says Terry. “It’s energetic, it’s outdoors, and it’s around town. We’re so lucky to have rich cultural activities, like the Writers Conference, the Symphony, and the Trailing of the Sheep, and so much public land to enjoy.” “We cater to people who are out of doors hunting and fishing, as well as people around town,” Terry explains. “We are fire and ice—hooks and bullets, but we also have cashmere.” After the rush of a busy summer season, Terry takes advantage of the slower days of fall to truly soak in all that Sun Valley has to offer. Here’s how Terry would spend his perfect 24hrs Sun Valley this October. What would you …
24hrs with a Local: Rebecca’s Private Idaho’s Rebecca Rusch, 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. Is that a chill in the air? Fall is fast approaching in Sun Valley, and after twelve years of living in this mountain town, I can confidently say it’s my favorite season. Warm days, cool nights, uncrowded trails, and perfect starry evenings make September hard to beat. September is also when seven-time world champion cyclist and local resident Rebecca Rusch hosts over a thousand riders for Rebecca’s Private Idaho, a multi-day gravel biking festival and stage race. Since 2013, this event has welcomed athletes ranging from professional to amateur to compete and race along the trails in Ketchum. This year, in light of the pandemic, Rebecca transitioned this iconic event into a global race, with a flexible, interactive membership training plan that leads to cyclists riding their own “Private Idaho” courses at home over Labor Day weekend. Rebecca is one of the most generous humans you can hope to meet and an incredibly tenacious athlete. She’s known as “The Queen of Pain” for her remarkable ability to tackle the world’s most grueling endurance cycling events. Her …
24hrs with a Local: Wellness Festival’s Heather LaMonica Deckard, August
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. The dog days of summer have arrived, and with them, our favorite combination of warm days, cool nights, and long evenings that beg to be enjoyed with close friends and a favorite beverage in hand. For this August edition of 24hrs Sun Valley, we caught up with Heather LaMonica Deckard, the Executive Director of the Sun Valley Wellness Festival & Conference. This year’s conference, Sun Valley Wellness Virtual, takes place online from August 22-23. Speakers include Dr. Matthew Walker, author of Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams; Seth Cohen, MD, MS, Director of Infectious Disease Medicine at the University of Washington Medical Center and lead of their COVID-19 clinical program; and Nora McInerny, award-winning host of the podcast Terrible, Thanks for Asking. In addition to the incredible speaker lineup, the Festival also includes guided meditations, movement classes, and sessions on finding happiness and nurturing creativity. Though hosting a virtual event wasn’t what Heather anticipated, she’s excited about the possibilities. “Because it’s virtual, participants can interact with the Festival in ways they haven’t been …
24hrs with a Local: Mike McKenna, July
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. And just like that, summer is here! From north to south throughout the Valley, visitors and locals are getting out to enjoy the area’s uncrowded trails, tasty dining, and cultural activities. It seems that everyone is determined to make the most of our socially distanced summer, and we invite you to join us in experiencing everything the season has to offer. For this July edition of 24Hrs Sun Valley, we caught up with Mike McKenna, the Executive Director of The Chamber of Hailey & the Wood River Valley. Mike is an award-winning journalist and author, passionate fly fisherman, and youth sports coach. He explores the Wood River Valley with his wife Brooke and his two sons, Jack and Sam. What does Mike’s perfect July day look like? Hint: it involves more than one round of fly fishing! Read on to learn more about Mike’s favorite spots in the Valley. What’s for breakfast on your perfect July day? I’d order a Bowl of Soul and “The Usual” (a toasted bagel with cream cheese, tomato, and …
24hrs with a Local: Chris Leman, May
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 during the month of May. Happy May, friends! Chris Leman, the Wood River Valley Trail Coordinator for the Blaine County Recreation District (BCRD), knows a thing or two about how to enjoy a spring day in Sun Valley. In addition to maintaining a site that every local trail-lover visits daily—the BCRD Summer TraiLink—Chris does trail maintenance and public outreach, works closely with the BLM on trail design, and writes the BCRD Summer Trails blog. If there is something to know about the dirt trails in and around Sun Valley, Chris knows it. So, what does that ideal May day look like for Chris? It’s full of great food, epic trails, and maintaining that sense of community that we all love about Sun Valley. What’s first on your perfect May day? I’d let the cat in, make coffee, and water the vegetable garden. I love hanging out in our backyard, so an ideal breakfast would find me there, eating homemade pancakes made with fresh, stone-ground Hillside Grain flour. How would you spend your morning? Since it’s May, and …
24hrs with a Local: Hunger Coalition’s Kristin McMahon, April
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 – April edition. This April isn’t quite what we expected. Far from skiing the corn on the Baldy Bowls and drinking Bloody Mary’s at River Run, here in Sun Valley, we are sheltered-in-place and trying to make the most of our new reality. For this special edition of 24hrs in Sun Valley – April, I caught up with Kristin McMahon, the Communications and Development Supervisor at The Hunger Coalition. The Hunger Coalition “builds a healthy community through access to good food and addresses the root causes of food insecurity in collaboration with key partners.” Over the past few weeks, The Hunger Coalition has served twice as many people as usual at their curbside Food Pantry, which is open three times a week. Kristin and I chatted about what her typical day sheltered-in-place looks like, and how The Hunger Coalition is supporting the community during this uncertain time. With the shelter-in-place order in effect, what do you do first thing in the morning? I made sure to stock up on coffee, so I start out …