In 1936, deep in south-central Idaho’s jagged Sawtooth Mountains, Sun Valley Resort spun the world’s very first chairlift. For 81 years, the resort has been offering up some of the best skiing in the western United States on Bald and Dollar mountains, the two peaks that make up the resort.

Obviously, the sunny, snowy resort town is steeped in history. Ernest Hemingway completed his famous novel, For Whom the Bell Tolls, while staying at the Sun Valley Lodge in 1939. Pale Rider (1985) starring Clint Eastwood was filmed in Sun Valley. Warren Miller began his illustrious ski film career while camping in the Bald Mountain parking lot. Ski movie-maker Dick Barrymore called Sun Valley home for many years. Smith Optics, which invented the first dual lens, anti-fogging goggle, was founded there. Gretchen Fraser, the first woman to win a gold medal in the Winter Olympics, grew up in town. In fact, 39 living Olympians reside in Sun Valley. Freeskiing icons Reggie and Zach Crist, Lynsey Dyer, Lexi Dupont, Karl Fostvedt, Banks Gilberti and Collin Collins all hail from the area.

For the 2017-18 ski season, Sun Valley will give a nod to its wonderful history while making key updates and renovations. The Sun Valley Inn has welcomed weary skiers into its beds since 1937 and its rooms will receive a remodel, while maintaining the same traditional European Alps-inspired décor it’s always had. The Ram, one of the resort’s original dining establishments, will also receive a facelift in the form of a new kitchen, updated furniture and new floors, but that original look and feel will remain the same.

On the mountain, the Cold Springs lift, the resort’s oldest operating chairlift, will be replaced with a detachable quad that will rise 1,525 vertical feet in six minutes.

Sun Valley will also be expanding its terrain offerings with a new zone off of Seattle Ridge, on the far skier’s right of the mountain. Eager skiers will be able to drop into Turkey Bowl and access a whole new world of steep tree skiing, bumping the resort’s skiable acreage up to 2,434 acres. While the terrain won’t be open to the public until 2018-19, Sun Valley is offering guided tours for expert skiers in the new Cold Springs area beginning in January.

The results of our reader-ranked survey ranking the top 15 resorts in Western North America. SKI Magazine Editors September 22, 2017

“Tradition, ambiance, great customer service, efficient lifts, beautiful location, amazing grooming… there is, quite simply, no place like it.” -SKI Magazine

Other rankings included in the 2017-2018 SKI Magazine Readers Poll include:
Lifts: #1
Grooming: #2
Service: #2
Character: #2
Lodging: #3
Après-Ski & Nightlife: #4

Catch the full article in the print issue of SKI Magazine. Online articles can be found here: https://www.skimag.com/ski-resort-life/sun-valley

Photo Courtesy of Jay Dash / Sun Valley Resort.

The following analysis of select counties of the Idaho real estate market is provided by Windermere Real Estate Chief Economist Matthew Gardner. We hope that this information may assist you with making better-informed real estate decisions. For further information about the housing market in your area, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

ECONOMIC OVERVIEW Idaho added 15,000 new jobs over the past 12 months, a growth of 2.1%. We have noticed a drop in the annual growth rate compared to 2016 but this is nothing to be concerned about. The state is at full employment and it is natural to see a slowdown in growth at this point in the economic cycle. In September, the state unemployment rate was 2.8%—a figure not seen since records started being kept in 1976. The labor force continues to expand thanks to the robust economy. I anticipate that Idaho will continue to outperform the U.S. in growth for the balance of the year as well as into 2018. HOME SALES ACTIVITY Third quarter home sales rose by 6.2% compared to the same period last year, with a total of 6,822 homes changing hands. Sales rose the fastest in Blaine County, which had a 42.6% increase over the third quarter of 2016. In the north, sales grew the most in Bonner County, which saw a 21.5% increase. Year-over-year sales dropped in two of three Northern Idaho counties in this report, but rose in all counties in the Southern Idaho market areas. Listing inventory rose modestly in Shoshone County but fell in the two other Northern Idaho markets. Southern Idaho saw a mixed bag, with listings higher in Valley County and marginally up in Payette County while the other three counties saw listing activity decline.   HOME PRICES The average home price in the region rose 11% year-over-year to $300,265. Blaine County led the market with the strongest annual price growth. Homes there sold for 25.4% more than a year ago. All but two counties in this report saw home prices increase compared to the third quarter of 2016, with two showing double-digit gains. Home prices in Shoshone and Payette Counties decreased modestly last quarter, but I do not believe this will be an ongoing trend. DAYS ON MARKET The average number of days it took to sell a home in the region dropped 16 days when compared to the third quarter of 2016. It took an average of 105 days to sell a home in Northern Idaho and 75 days in the southern part of the state. Homes in all three Northern Idaho counties took less time to sell than they did in the same quarter of 2016, and all the southern counties—other than Valley—saw a drop in the time it took a home to sell.  Homes sold the fastest in Ada and Canyon Counties, where it took an average of 32 days for a home to sell. CONCLUSIONS

The speedometer reflects the state of the region’s housing market using housing inventory, price gains, home sales, interest rates, and larger economic factors. Consumer confidence in the housing market seems to have returned, causing the markets in this report to perform well overall and for home prices to continue trending upward. The market remains out of balance with more buyers than sellers. But because of the mixed data, I have chosen to leave the needle at the same position as last quarter. The Idaho economy, specifically in Ada and Canyon Counties, remains robust and this will allow the housing market to expand further for the foreseeable future. ABOUT MATTHEW GARDNER Matthew Gardner is the Chief Economist for Windermere Real Estate, specializing in residential market analysis, commercial/industrial market analysis, financial analysis, and land use and regional economics. He is the former Principal of Gardner Economics, and has more than 30 years of professional experience both in the U.S. and U.K.

Download: Gardner Report Q3, 2017_Idaho

Wednesday, Oct 18, 2017 to Sunday, Oct 22, 2017

Sun Valley Jazz and Music Festival
Five days. Forty Bands. One Million Smiles

Attendees from all fifty states, every Canadian province, and several foreign countries gather each October to celebrate live performances of America’s music. The Sun Valley Jazz & Music Festival was birthed out of a love and appreciation for jazz music by Tom & Barbara Hazzard and is held mid-October each year in Sun Valley, ID.

Become One of the Thousands of Jazz Fans Who Have Been Delighted Since 1990!

This experience of telling the story of “American” music is our passion. Amazing isn’t it? We all get to be part of this history while it’s still in the making. The names that ring through eternity—Armstrong, Ellington, Fitzgerald, Beiderbecke, Goodman, Holliday, Basie, Shaw, Miller, and so many more—have created a legacy of delight that lives on through those of us who participate in this jazz festival. The history of this music echoes the history of twentieth century America.

This jazz event is held this year because of your continued support and encouragement. You tell people how much fun it is and that they need to come to Sun Valley. It continues because people have a heart to support the event and because we have incredible volunteers. It will continue as long as we all do our part to provide a place for these dedicated artists to express themselves and expose us to the art form called Jazz.

Photo credit: Nic Roggeman

Wednesday, October 4^th through Sunday, October 8^th 2017

The Trailing of the Sheep Festival was started in 1996 in response to the rapid loss of farms and ranches and the rapid growth in the Wood River Valley. The Festival preserves the stories and colorful history of sheep ranchers and herders, celebrates the rich cultures of the past and present and entertains and educates children, adults and families about the production of local food and fiber that sustain local economies and generations of hard-working families.

Our mission is: To gather, present and preserve the history and culture of the families and individual men and women involved in Idaho sheep ranching and to honor their contributions to the development of Idaho and the West.

Trailing of the Sheep has been named in the Top Ten Fall Festivals in the World, Top 200 Best U.S. Festivals and the Top 100 Festivals in N. America. In 2013, USA Today named it One of the Top Ten Fall Festivals in America.  It is also the recipient of the Governor’s Award for Cultural Heritage.

Join us for Wagon Days‘ 60th Anniversary, August 31-September 4, 2017

Welcome to yesteryear. Please join us Labor Day weekend as Ketchum celebrates the days before railroads or automobiles reached the town with its 60th year celebration of Wagon Days.

Come to Main Street and watch the largest parade in the country without motorized vehicles (on Saturday). Basque dancers, marching bands and western cowboys travel by horse, mule or foot – anything goes as long as there is no motor. Children’s activities take place all day on Saturday and a free, family-friendly concert (Lukas Nelson!) follows the parade.

Enjoy a pancake breakfast in Town Square, a bareback riding demonstration, an arts and crafts festival and antique fair, and listen to cowboy poets and meandering musicians wandering our streets. Go for a walk or a bike ride in the Idaho fall.

Whatever you do, you’ll have a chance to experience Idaho history and a wonderful weekend. Please join us.

• See the full schedule here!
• Reserve seats here!
• Wagon Days posters available at Ketchum City Hall
• The Ore Wagon Museum will be open starting August 18th
• Click herefor the Parade Entry Form

On August 21, 2017, Ketchum and Sun Valley, Idaho residents and visitors will experience a Total Solar Eclipse as the moon moves fully in front of the sun. This extraordinary moment marks the first total eclipse of the sun visible from all 48 contiguous United States since 1979 and the first visible from coast to coast in the US since 1918.

Sun Valley, Idaho is the place to be for the 2017 Solar Eclipse!
The most beautiful place on the line of totality!

The Cities of Ketchum and Sun Valley are working together to have the ultimate viewing party on Festival Meadows.
There will be vendors, activities for the kids, a astronomer/speaker and more! Details here!

The Sun Valley Resort also has a lot of eclipse-related activity, including a viewing party on the Pavilion lawn–details here!

Scope our blog for the full low-down on the Solar Eclipse: 

Everything You Need to Know for the Eclipse in Sun Valley & Ketchum, Idaho

More useful links:

• eclipse2017.org
• 2017 Total Eclipse in Idaho: What You Should Know
• Be Prepared! Here’s a great resource for being prepared for the eclipse: http://www.blaineemergency.org/eclipse/
• Seven Things You Must Anticipate For The 2017 Solar Eclipse

By Sunseeker

Every summer adventure conquerers are drawn out of the wood work to Sun Valley, Idaho in search of something special. For some, the lure is the 400+ miles of singletrack mountain biking trails, the endless hiking opportunities or even the rod-torquing trout lurking in the various waters are the sacred quests. For others, Sun Valley’s hybridization of adventure and culture are what truly satiate their cravings. The myriad of events that go down each summer are plentiful enough to please audiences far and wide. This year is no different. Have a look and see what the 2017 summer line-up has in-store.

Summer Events & Festivals

• Sun Valley Brewfest | June 17
• Ride Sun Valley | June 29 – July 2
• Writers’ Conference | June 30 – July 3
• Hailey Days of the Old West Celebration | July 1 – 4
• Ketchum Arts Festival | July 7 – 9
• Sun Valley Center – Wine Auction | July 20 – 23
• Sun Valley Summer Symphony | July 23 – August 17
• Sun Valley Center – Arts & Crafts Festival | August 11 – 13
• Wood River Valley Studio Tour | August 15 – 20
• Total Solar Eclipse | August 19 – 22
• Wagon Days | August 31 – September 4
• Rebecca’s Private Idaho | September 2 – 3
• Ernest Hemingway Festival | September 7 – 9
• Oktoberfest | September 15 – 16
• Wood River Valley Harvestfest | September 16
• Trailing of the Sheep Festival | October 4 – 8
• Sun Valley Jazz & Music Festival | October 18 – 22

Mountain Biking

• Ride Sun Valley | June 29 – July 2
• Galena Grinder | July 29
• Ride Idaho | August 5 – 12
• Rebecca’s Private Idaho | September 2 – 3
• Baldy Hill Climb | September 23

Running

• Backcountry Run | July 29
• Standhope Ultra Challenge | August 5
• Baldy Hill Climb | September 23

Arts

• Company of Fool Theatre | June – October
• Sun Valley Gallery Association – Gallery Walks | July – September
• Ketchum Arts Festival | July 7 – 9
• Sun Valley Writers’ Conference | June 30 – July 3
• Ballet Sun Valley | August 22
• Sun Valley Summer on Ice | July – September
• Sun Valley Center Center – Arts & Crafts Festival | August 11 – 13
• Wood River Valley Studio Tour | August 15 – 20
• Ernest Hemingway Festival | September 7 – 9

Music

• Ketch’em Alive | June – August
• Sun Valley Resort Concert Series
  • Galactic | July 8
  • Eddie Money | August 31
  • Jamestown Revival and Lukas Nelson & the Promise of the Real | September 3
• Sun Valley Opera – Summer Festival | July 5 – 8
• Sun Valley Center – Summer Concert Series
  • Lord Huron | July 17
  • Pink Martini | August 1
• Sun Valley Summer Symphony | July 23 – August 17
• Killebrew-Thompson Benefit Concert – Huey Lewis & the News | August 19
• Sun Valley Jazz & Music Festival | October 18 – 22

Whether you’re celebrity chasing or couch crashing, here’s the run down on where to stay, eat, and ski.

April 13, 2017 By Julie Brown

There are two ways to experience Sun Valley. The Hollywood way, with diamond-crusted facials and celebrity hobnobbing. Or the couch-surfing way, with a DIY flair that capitalizes on the local secrets of your hosts. Both are excellent approaches to the original American ski destination.

Where to stay

For a bit of Old Hollywood Nostalgia: Pull up to the Sun Valley Lodge, where furs and dark sunglasses are the norm. In the same realm of historic grand hotels as Yosemite’s Ahwahnee and Mount Hood’s Timberline Lodge, the Sun Valley Lodge has had a regular rotation of celebrities stroll through its hallways since it opened in 1936. Today those faces are preserved in the archival black-and-white photos adorning the walls. A renovation in 2015 kept that heritage and grandeur while updating the Lodge with amenities like larger guest rooms and windows, a limestone deck and heated pool. A visit here is not complete until you’ve bowled in one of the six regulation-length lanes on the ground floor.

The Sun Valley Inn, just across the courtyard, is a bit more of a throwback (as in, it hasn’t been renovated like it’s sister hotel). But with royal red printed carpet and a black grand piano in the lobby, it has a certain charm. Or go modern in downtown Ketchum at the Limelight Hotel.

If you’re on a tighter budget: Do what I did and crash at a friend’s. Hopefully they have a guest bedroom, or at least a couch. Or check out the new locally-owned hostel, the Hot Water Inn. A “boutique mountain lodge” in the price range of a single dollar sign, the Hot Water Inn offers 10 bedrooms—shared and private—at the base of the Warm Springs lift. Jam sessions encouraged.

Where to Ski

For courduroy cruising with the blue-hairs: Sun-starved Northwesterners flock to the sun-soaked and aptly named Seattle Ridge where blue-square groomers are a plenty. Of course, a few rounds of Warm Springs laps is a must. For more beta on where to ski, read it from a local.

If you don’t own a Mountain Collective pass and/or don’t want to throw down on a lift ticket: Sun Valley’s secret is its backcountry access. There are five mountain ranges within an easy drive of Ketchum. Mountains as far as the eye can see. Drive to Galena Pass and skin from the road. Or hike into a yurt in the Sawtooths for a weekend of couloir hunting.

Full Article Here

BY KUTV MONDAY, JANUARY 16TH 2017

This week on Road Trippin’, Casey Scott visits the Sun Valley Resort in Sun Valley Idaho, to discover the fun things to do, places to eat, places to stay and more!

STAY – Sun Valley Lodge – Relax in style and comfort in the iconic Sun Valley Lodge. Completely renovated and reopened in June 2015, the Lodge offers the finest hospitality with 108 rooms – 65 with fireplaces – and five celebrity guest suites. Adjacent to the Lodge is the 20,000 sq. ft. Spa, with a year-round outdoor heated pool, hot tub and state-of-the-art fitness center. The Lodge is located in the Sun Valley Village, with dining, shopping, a movie house, outdoor ice skating rink, bowling alley and free shuttle service to town and all the base areas – all within walking distance from your room. Spend: Starting at $350/night – Website | Directions

RELAX – The Spa at Sun Valley – Relax and enjoy the 20,000 sq. ft. Spa with 15 treatment rooms, a year-round outdoor heated pool and hot tub and fitness center, after a day on the mountain. Massage, acupuncture, experience packages and a full-service salon are among many of the choices to help you unwind. An added bonus – guests receive a day pass to all Spa amenities on the day they receive their service. Spend: Varies on service. – Website | Directions

EATS – Gretchen’s – Gretchen’s restaurant, named after Olympian and Sun Valley native, Gretchen Fraser, is the perfect place to enjoy breakfast, lunch or dinner. Conveniently located in the Sun Valley Lodge, Gretchen’s offers a wide range of fresh and innovative selections for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Chef Derek Gallegos brings his culinary skills to each menu item, with such popular choices as the Huevos Rancheros de Inez at breakfast, Baby Golden Beet and Tuscan Kale Salad during lunch and 44 Farms Angus Flatiron Steak with a side of whipped Idaho potatoes for dinner. Healthy choices highlight the menu, such as the Lodge “Power Bowl” – an egg white scramble with quinoa, baby kale, edamame, roasted butternut squash and tomatillo salsa. A perfect protein boost after working out in the Spa fitness center or skiing at the Sun Valley Nordic Center. Whatever you’re craving, Gretchen’s is sure to have something from traditional dishes with a new twist to fresh classics with a little bit of extra flair. Spend: $12-$35 per entree – Website | Directions

DEALS – Ski & Stay Packages – Discover your unbeaten path in Sun Valley. Save over 25% on lodging, lift tickets and kids 12 & under ski for free**based on 3 night minimum stay. One free kid’s lift ticket per one paid adult lift ticket.Package available / now through Feb. 15 and Feb. 20-April 3, 2017.To reserve your spot on the Sun Valley trail, please call / 800.786.8259 – Spend: Varies based on availability, dates & room type – Website | Directions

MOUNTAIN COLLECTIVE – Mountain Collective – Sun Valley Resort is a part of the Mountain Collective! Hit Sun Valley for two days of skiing/boarding with your Mountain Collective pass, then 50% off each additional day of skiing/boarding! No blackout dates. That’s a deal! Spend: Varies based on when pass purchased. Current price / $499 per adult Site – Website | Directions