If you’ve never experienced an Opening Day in Sun Valley—don’t you think it’s about time? Here are 3 reasons to travel to Sun Valley for this double-holiday.
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Sun Valley + IKON Pass
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, marked the first year that the Sun Valley Resort was a part of the Ikon Pass, adding itself to the list of iconic mountains one can experience as a pass holder. Sun Valley also joined the Mountain Collective Pass for the 2023-2024 season. Sun Valley is no longer on the EPIC Pass. For the 2024-2025 season, Sun Valley continues to be on the IKON Pass & Mountain Collective Pass. What Are the IKON Pass Offerings? For the 2024-2025 season, the original namesake IKON Pass gets you unlimited access at 17 destinations and up to seven days each at 42 destinations. Included in those 17 with …
What Not to Miss at the 29th Annual Trailing of the Sheep Festival
Aside from the brilliant transitioning leaves, The Trailing of the Sheep Festival is the highlight of Sun Valley’s fall season. Celebrating sheep and sheep herding traditions, Trailing of the Sheep offers a unique glimpse in to a part of Idaho’s past. Five days of dancing, music, wool classes, lamb dinners, sheep dog trials, and the famous Big Sheep Parade will tantalize the spectrum of senses.
What We’re Made Of: Kika MacFarlane
There’s a good chance you haven’t heard the name Kika MacFarlane, but you’ve likely seen her work in various spots across the Wood River Valley. The art director, designer, illustrator, and animator based out of Hailey has worked with various local companies and businesses, creating such fun works as the mural on the backside of Sturtevant’s in Hailey, a colorful bench that sits outside The Wylde Beet restaurant as well as a T-shirt for them, the art wrap for The Community Library’s bookmobile, posters for the Alpine Ski World Cup, or the new logo and branding for local women’s mountain bike apparel Wild Rye. After studying design and liberal arts, Kika went on to design graphics in-house for Patagonia and Stio, then eventually cofounded her own studio, Two Toes Creative (with cofounder Tala Schlossberg, who lives in New York) where she makes animated videos, designs for purpose-driven brands, and leads creative retreats. Prior to moving to the Wood River Valley three years ago, Kika was based in another mountain town, Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Though Jackson had a similar vibe to Ketchum, her and her then boyfriend (now husband), who grew up in the area, felt ready for a change and …
One Activity Day- Biking
Written By Hayden Seder Summer may be over, but fall is the best time for biking anyway: With the summer crowds gone, roads, paths, and trails are easier to navigate and the cooler, damper air makes the trails that much grippier and easier to rip! Morning: Fuel Up If you’re hoping to make the most of your bike-themed day, a hearty breakfast is the first order of business. Make a quick stop at Wrap City for one of their several breakfast wraps (the most basic of which, the Sunnyside, is eggs, bacon, and cheese, with each wrap adding on to these basic ingredients) that you can take on the go so you can get on the trails! For coffee, stop by Lizzie’s on your way north to the Adam’s Gulch trailhead. Mountain Biking: Adam’s Gulch For your first bike foray of the day, head to the Adam’s Gulch Trailhead, located about one mile north of Ketchum. There are numerous trails within Adam’s Gulch itself, but there’s also the ability to connect to all kinds of other trail systems, making this the perfect spot for all manner of biker to dip a toe into the plethora of mountain bike rides in …
Sun Valley: A Place for Flannel-Loving Hipsters
Within a day’s drive of trend-setting Portland, and with the help of nonstop flights into Hailey’s SUN airport, big-town hipster culture has permeated the west. The influence of well-read, big-rimmed glasses-wearing and flannel-loving thirty-something’s has even infiltrated the small resort town of Sun Valley. Here, microbreweries, handcrafted cocktails, great coffee and beard-trimming locations abound, making the trend-adverse hipster, feel at home. Take a walk in a pair of Birkenstocks, and try out Sun Valley, “hipster-style”.
An Autumnal Weekend in Sun Valley: A Perfect Two-Day Itinerary
Fall is in the air! While we are sad to see the days grow shorter and the nights grow colder, fall is an exceptional time to visit Sun Valley, Idaho – and it means winter is just around the corner. Wood River Valley’s changing seasons are best experienced in September and October. From the brilliant colored Aspen leaves on a morning bike ride and seasonal menus at local eateries, to fishing excursions in the surrounding rivers – experience it all in this perfect two-day itinerary.
What We’re Made Of: Maude’s Coffee & Clothes Owners – Jacob & Tara
The Entrepreneurial Spirit Jacob and Tara Frehling are the newest generation of a host of entrepreneurial Frehlings in the Wood River Valley. Jacob’s mother, Annette, owns the clothing shop Sister in Ketchum, cousins Maeme and Callie Rasberry own the lunch spot Rasberry’s in Ketchum, and father James opened the original Esta’s restaurant on Main Street. Now Jacob and Tara own Maude’s, a combination coffee shop and vintage clothing store in the heart of Ketchum. After owning a food truck before Maude’s and with aspirations for future businesses, these Frehlings plan to leave a long legacy in Ketchum. “Our whole pastime in life as a couple is spit-balling business ideas,” says Jacob. The business-minded couple, who married in 2017, met while attending the same high school in Portland, Oregon. Although Jacob grew up in the Valley, he attended the last few years of high school at Northwest Academy and then attended Portland State University a year behind Tara. “We were living in a house with seven other people, a total teenager house,” explains Tara. The couple began dating during college and graduated with degrees in psychology (her) and sociology (him) before Jacob headed back to his hometown to open the first …
Not to Miss Arts & Culture Events This Summer
When we travel, we all have our tried-and-true activities, but why not spice things up with a one-of-a-kind experience? Get ready for a Sun Valley summer like no other because we’ve got a whole lineup of arts & culture events that you won’t find anywhere else! From our signature summer extravaganzas to offbeat and extraordinary experiences, it’s time to create your ultimate Sun Valley summer bucket list. So, throw caution to the wind, embrace the unexpected, and let the adventure begin. Don’t miss out on the chance to make memories that will last a lifetime – start planning your Sun Valley summer today! Sun Valley Wine Auction The 44th Sun Valley begins Tuesday, June 24th and concludes on Thursday the 26th. This event includes gastronomic adventures, Magnum Pig Roast, Vintner Dinners, River Ranch Wine Walk, and the Gala and Live Auction. Learn more at Sunvalleywineauction.org Ballet Sun Valley Saturday June 28th and Sunday June 29th will have The National Ballet of Canada debut in the valley at the Sun Valley Pavilion. Don’t miss this chance to catch a magical night of world-class dance, visit balletsunvalley.org. Sawtooth Valley Gathering The 10th annual Sawtooth Valley Gathering comes to Stanley June 19–22 for a weekend …
Oktoberfest in Sun Valley: Raising a Stein in Honor of History
The Sawtooth Brewery presents the annual Oktoberfest celebration in the Ketchum Town Square every September.