Lifestyle

Sun Valley, Idaho: what to see, do and eat out of ski season


From the summit of Bald Mountain, at an altitude of 2700m, I can make out the Pioneer Mountain range stretching lazily into the horizon. The peaks glimmer with the remnants of the winter snow, while the base shimmers from the summer heat. 

It is a magnificent scene, but for my brittle bicycle rapidly hurtling down the side of a cliff. My host later had to apologise for dropping me in the steep end for my first mountain biking experience.

Sun Valley, in the US state of Idaho, is a fabled ski and summer resort in North America. Ernest Hemingway famously fell in love with the place. He wrote ‘For Whom the Bell Tolls’ while staying at the Sun Valley Lodge, and would die in the neighbouring town of Ketchum two decades after. 

The area is chic and cosmopolitan. Known as America’s first ski resort, it is a magnet for a West Coast creative and financial élite. Who would expect in deep red Idaho to hear German, French and Romanian on the same day?

It is also ostensibly a holiday destination, Sun Valley only has 1,000 permanent residents, while Ketchum adds another 2,500 locals.

What to do

The place is built for sports. The ski pistes lie open in the summer for hiking and mountain biking. The locals enjoy modern facilities, from well-maintained football and baseball pitches to hard tennis and pickleball courts and an 18-hole championship golf course. There are indoor and outdoor ice rinks, bicycle paths in every direction and regular fishing expeditions to the Silver Creek reserve.

(Shutterstock)

More audacious visitors can find paragliding from the top of ‘Baldy’ (as the locals call it). Or they can brave the rapids of the Salmon River. We rented padded dinghies from the White Otter company in Sunbeam, a town in the wild north. Our guide merrily directed us through the swirling chilled waters that flowed across the former gold mining territory.

There is an abundance of more sedentary activities too. The resort’s opera house offers summertime concerts and ballet performances, and an annual writer’s conference presents global literary stars to a local audience. This year Andrew Roberts, the author of ‘Churchill: Walking with destiny’ (2019), made an appearance alongside American authors.

Where to eat and drink

Perhaps as homage to the Austrian skier who chose the location of Sun Valley for a New World winter resort, there is a growing café culture in Sun Valley and Ketchum. Hailey’s Coffee Co has a homely vibe serving paleo cookies and sharp coffee, perfect for the pretence of catching up on emails. The Konditorei offers Austrian-style sausages and sauerkraut, as well as the traditional Kaffee-Küchen at teatime.

(Sun Valley)

In Ketchum, we sampled two restaurants offering neo-American cuisine. Cookbook gave an American twist to Italian classics, like rigatoni pasta and cream sauce infused with Grey Goose.

The Covey is artistically decorated, with 24 beer taps and a 30-strong wine selection. I found their take on a crême brûlée, made to resemble a s’more (an American favourite) particularly noteworthy.

In terms of nightlife, two bars stood out. The Cellar, for its full-size Shuffleboard, and Lefty’s, for its monkey fries and selection of locally brewed drinks.

Walking back one evening, I marvelled at the stars, untainted by the pollution of a bustling city. In this place, filled with genial people, culture and sports, it almost doesn’t seem fair that they have the most marvellous night’s sky I’ve ever seen.

Where to stay

(Sun Valley)

The Sun Valley Lodge is the classic choice of accommodation for travellers in summer and winter. It has 108 rooms and all the facilities of a modern hotel, as well as easy access to the centre of town and ski lifts. 

The Sun Valley Inn is chic and slightly less dear, while still being at the heart of the resort. In Ketchum, the Limelight Hotel is practical and stylish. 

Sun Valley, Idaho, is served by domestic flights from major western American cities including Los Angeles, Seattle and Denver, as well as New York. sunvalley.com/



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