Skiing & Snowboarding, Winter

Dreams of Yurts and Heli-Drops

Sun Valley is a little dot in the middle of a vast wilderness in the least populated and most under appreciated back country state in the US.  We are surrounded by hundreds of thousands of uninhabited mountain acres on three sides with the largest wilderness area in the lower 48 to the north.  Described about four mountain ranges locally: Pioneers, Boulders, Smokies and Sawtooths, people truly have no idea how big this opportunity is.

Backcountry Stoked on Sun Valley backcountry

 

Guy like Erik Leidecker from Sun Valley Heli-Ski have been skiing and guiding the local mountains and will tell you, it’s impossible to ski it all in a lifetime.  Erik grew up here and is  a IFMGA (International Mountain Guide’s Association certified guide) of which there are only a handful in the United States.   He guides year round, but his winter gig is heli-guiding which might be the dream job you always wanted.

Erik Leidecker Erik Leidecker

 

Sun Valley offers something pretty unique. It’s one of the very few resorts where you can ski the resort and heli-ski all in the same day. Sun Valley Heli-Ski is right in Sun Valley Resort’s backyard with bumps off the summit available most of the year.

Heli views Heli views

 

Skiing the fresh untouched powder in the Sawtooth National Forest with gorgeous Idaho views is what its all about.

Heli drop Heli drop

 

The goods The goods

 

Erik is not only a phenomenal local skier, he also owns and runs Sawtooth National Mountain Guides. If he’s not heli-guiding, he’s running tours in the backcountry year round.

Yurts SMG Williams Yurt, Sawtooth Wilderness Boundary

 

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