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New York Times By JOE CUTTS
Easy to imagine Ernest Hemingway at work on the balcony of the Sun Valley Lodge's Room 206, tapping out the final pages of ''For Whom the Bell Tolls'' with the sun beaming in from above the jagged Smoky Mountains. His suite might still have been littered with the detritus of the previous night's party. Hemingway was famous for entertaining celebrity guests of the lodge until all hours during his stay in 1939.
Like the others, Hemingway was lured to Ketchum by the Union Pacific Railway chairman, W. Averell Harriman, who founded the Sun Valley Resort as a way of drumming up winter business for his company.
Today the resort has grown into a minivillage on the western edge of the town of Ketchum. There are 505 lodging units of various sorts, two skating rinks (one indoors, one outdoors) and even a post office.
But Sun Valley is more than a great ski area and resort. Ketchum itself is a charming town, thanks to its isolation.The isolation spares Ketchum from crowds and day-trippers, which is fine with most local residents. A bigger airport is planned. But for now, getting to Sun Valley can be challenging.
Events
Fly Fishing Film Festival - Silver Creek Outfitters presents the annual Fly Fishing Film Festival June 26 at the NexStage Theatre featuring the finest fly fishing films from around the country. All proceeds are donated to the Nature Conservancy´s Silver Creek Preserve. Please contact Silver Creek Outfitters 726-5282 for more information.
Company of Fools Summer Fools Festival - It´s year two of the Summer Fools Festival - a rotating repertory of three distinctly different works, Violet, Collected Stories & Noises Off, spanning five weeks. Exhilarating theatre housed in the beautiful Liberty Theatre - a charming 1930´s movie house transformed into a jewel of a performing arts space. We´re thrilled this year to bring you the heartwarming musical Violet, the intimate drama Collected Stories and the the riotous comedy Noises Off. Join us this summerfor each of these amazing stories. Company of Fools´ Summer Fools Festival - it´s Broadway in the Rockies.
September:
Wagon Days - The Valley's largest event, celebrates the mining heritage of Ketchum. The event takes place over Labor Day Weekend and is filled activities including a shoot-out on Main Street, and old fashion fiddlers contest, kiddie carnival, and center piece to the event the Big Hitch Parade. The parade is the largest non-motorized parade in the Pacific Northwest and features museum quality wagons, buggies, and stagecoaches from around the countries. The Big Hitch is the grande finale to the parade. It is a massive historic Ore Wagon once used to haul ore for refinement to Ketchum.
- The Sun Valley Sustainability Conference has three themes of Green Building, Renewable Energy and Smart Growth. Our target audience included elected officials and planners, architects, realtors and developers, builders, attorneys, landscape architects, educators, homeowners and other interested citizens. The event included a two and a half professional conference, a half day free public fair, exhibitors and tours of sustainable homes, gardens and businesses. Our objective is to have positive impact on the environment and our quality of life, both locally and beyond, through education by bringing together experts to share their experiences.
Ernest Hemingway Festival - The Sun Valley Ketchum Chamber & Visitors Bureau has teamed together with many area enthusiasts and organizations to celebrate the life of world-renowned writer Ernest Hemingway by creating an annual Sun Valley area Hemingway event. Not only does the festival honor the heritage of Hemingway´s strong bond to the Wood River Valley and Idaho but included notable speakers and the short story contest, Prose for Papa. The Fourth Annual Ernest Hemingway Festival theme is "Hemingway In Cuba". This year's festival dates are September 25th-28th, 2008.
October:
The Trailing of the Sheep Festival - Come mid-October, the mountain towns of Ketchum and Hailey, Idaho is the setting for The Trailing of the Sheep Festival. In keeping with the century - old tradition, sheepherders move their flocks from summer pastures in the mountains north of the resort towns of Ketchum and Sun Valley, south through the Wood River Valley to winter desert grazing areas. The Festival celebrates this tradition with a weekend of activities devoted to celebrating the rich heritage of sheep ranching here in Southern Idaho.
Ketchum's lovely landscape inspires a lively arts scene. Upward of 30 galleries dot the town, with a heavy concentration on First Avenue. Visitors can tour them on their own or during monthly Gallery Walks, from 6 to 9 p.m. on select Fridays (Feb. 13 and March 12). Information: (208) 726-5512.
Sightseeing
Bald Mountain won't disappoint
seasoned skiers. ''Baldy'' is known for consistent steeps, prodigious snowmaking and impeccable grooming, which combine for boulevards of perfect corduroy on which speed-loving experts carve long, fast arcs. (Ketchum has produced several skiing Olympians, including medalists Christin Cooper and Picabo Street.) Among the first-rate facilities are three handsome new lodges: one at each base area (River Run at the north end of town and Warm Springs, at the south) and one at the summit of the Seattle Ridge area, with wind-sheltered decks and 360-degree views of the jagged Pioneer and Boulder Ranges. Beginners may find Baldy, with its vertical drop of 3,400 feet, a bit challenging. But the trails at Dollar Mountain, a separate area near the resort, are far gentler. Lift tickets are $66 a day at Bald Mountain, $26 at Dollar. Information: (208) 622-6136; sunvalley.com; snow conditions, (800) 635-4150.
The Ketchum/Sun Valley Heritage and Ski Museum, 180 First Street East, (208) 726-8118, occupies a complex of former Forest Service buildings. Exhibits cover the area's natural history, Native American culture, early mining and sheep-herding days, Sun Valley's Olympic heritage and general ski history. Free admission.
Huskies do the work at Sun Valley Sled Dog Adventures, (208) 823-4600, www.sunvalleysleddogs.com, about a 20-minute drive southeast of town on East Fork Road. A seven-mile tour through the Pioneer Mountains takes about 90 minutes and costs $100 a person.
Where to Stay
Most visitors to Sun Valley stay at the resort itself,
(800) 786-8259, fax (208) 622-3700, www.sunvalley.com, and there are relatively few lodging options in town. With the Lodge, the recently refurbished Inn and the many condos and apartments in the area, Sun Valley has about 500 rooms in many configurations. The historic Sun Valley Lodge, with 148 rooms, has a grand feel, with a spacious lobby and three dining rooms. The signature outdoor skating rink is on the west side. The 106-room Inn has a boutique feel, and since the renovation, its rooms are more elegant. The Lodge will be renovated in the coming year. Both properties have outdoor heated pools and fitness facilities; the Lodge also has a spa. A room for two at the Inn is $139 to $269 a night and at the Lodge, $199 to $299.
The Kentwood Lodge,
180 South Main Street, (800) 805-1001, fax (208) 726-2417, www.bestwestern.com/kentwoodlodge, is downtown. Rooms start at $139 a night. The hotel is clean and modern, with a Southwestern feel. Standard rooms have a balcony or a fireplace.
Another Best Western hotel, the Tyrolean Lodge,
260 Cottonwood Street, (208) 726-5336, fax (208) 726-2081, or visit www.bestwestern.com/tyrolean, is by the River Run base area parking lot, an easy walk from the lifts. It's humble but reasonably pleasant, with a Bavarian theme. Balconied double rooms start at $124.
Pennay's at River Run,
300 Wood River Drive, (800) 736-7503, fax (208) 726-4541, a short walk from the lifts, offers one- and two-bedroom condos. They're spacious, if dated in décor, and guests have access to a hot tub. Accommodations for two are $215 for two people to $405 for six.
Budget: The Lift Tower Lodge,
703 South Main Street, (800) 462-8646, fax (208) 726-0945, is a couple of blocks from the lifts. The motel-style rooms start at $70 for two people.
Luxury: The Knob Hill Inn,
960 North Main Street, (800) 526-8010, fax (208) 726-2712, www.knobhillinn.com, is a Relais & Chateau hotel, luxuriously appointed, with a pleasing European ambience. The lobby, bar and dining room are warm and intimate, with carved wood, hand-made tiles and Austrian stained glass. Amenities include an indoor lap pool. A room for two is $210 or, with fireplace $265 to $400.
Where to Eat
Michel's Christiania and Olympic Bar,
Sun Valley Road and Walnut Avenue, (208) 726-3388, is classically French. The proprietor, Michel Rudigoz, is an affable Frenchman who coached the American ski team women during the glory days of Christin Cooper and Tamara McKinney in the 80's. The candlelight décor is elegant French-rustic, and specialties include roasted rack of lamb and seared elk with huckleberry sauce. Dinner for two with a modest wine costs about $150. Dinner nightly.
The setting is casual and intimate at Vintage, 231 1/2 Leadville Avenue, (208) 726-9595, in a restored 1927 cabin. Prices are fairly moderate ($125 for two, with modest wine), and the menu changes constantly but might include butterflied Niman Ranch organic leg of lamb done Tuscan hill country style, Mexican Cabo San Lucas shrimp and lobster with green curry and ''beach stand'' tropical fruit salsa. Dinner only, Monday to Saturday.
Families love Rico's Pizza and Pasta,
200 North Main Street, (208) 726-7426, for its pizzas and hearty pasta dishes, of course, and deep-dish chocolate chip cookie with ice cream. The ambience is lively and casual, and prices are moderate ($50 for two, with a couple glasses of wine). Donate a picture of your dog and get 10 percent off. Lunch and dinner; dinner only on Sunday.
The Pioneer Saloon, 308 North Main Street, (208) 726-3139, is a Ketchum landmark, serving steaks, prime rib, ribs and seafood in a rustic, Western setting complete with big-game trophies. Dinner for two with modest wine costs about $85.
The décor is beer-cans-from-around-the-world, with a liberal sprinkling of fishing photos and trophies at Grumpy's, a tiny burger-and-fries joint at 860 Warm Springs Road in Ketchum (no phone). Dinner for two, with a couple of 32-ounce schooners of beer, costs about $25.
Night Life to list a few/most of the night life revolves around local events, both private and public, but if you want to explore:
The Cellar, 400 Sun Valley Road, (208) 622-3832 rocks late into the night in a smoke-free subterranean space.
Whiskey Jacques, 251 North Main Street, (208) 726-5297 BUILDING IS UNDER NEW CONSTRUCTION
The Roosevelt, 280 North Main Street, (208) 726-0051, often have live music (rock, reggae, funk and so on), with cover charges $5 to $10.
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