Sun Valley and Brundage Video

It was a fine 2009 Xmas and New Year ski trip, so we made a video.

First visit to Brundage, Idaho

It’s only a 4 hour drive to McCall, ID, but after a week at the Sun Valley Lodge, it may as well be on another planet. By 9pm when we arrived, all the restaurants were closed and 2 bars were emptying out. Thankfully the supermarket and hotel microwave saved the day.

The ski area and terrain at Brundage, a 20 minute drive from town, was an equally cosmic-scale gulf from the high-brow clientele, snow making and immaculate grooming of Sun Valley. This was without doubt a local’s hill, with small lodge bulging with bags, shoes and coolers containing various lunchtime delights. And they were all here to experience the ample, fluffy snowfall, great tree skiing and respectably priced lift tickets. No gun pow needed here.

Our first day was one of exploration and navigation, on a solid base that, like a chin shaved with blunt razor, exposed some shrubbery in places. And then it snowed 5+ inches, making day 2 an indulgent powder day with a surprisingly small crowds of powder worshippers. Sprinkles of snow kept the conditions creamy and soft for our 3rd day. We left at 2pm as the edge of a massive storm arrived – this is becoming a bit of an alarming habit this season.

It’s taken a long time for us to get to Brundage. I can’t imagine it taking so long to return. The ‘Best Snow in Idaho’ is likely to draw us back in the not too distant future, I’m sure. Perhaps in spring, when the base is deep, and the stunningly beautiful environments of McCall start to rise from their long winter slumber.

3 days: 7600m, 8300m, 6100m

Season totals:

16 days:119,200m vert

1 powder day

Xmas at Sun Valley, Idaho

Here’s some of things I love at Sun Valley, in a somewhat random order (and pics from this trip are here):

• the longest, most consistent fall-line skiing in North America on Bald Mountain
• staying at the Sun Valley Lodge when there are deals that basically give you free accommodation for the price of a lift ticket. Incredible value for an historic, elegant lodge full of an interesting mix of the wealthy, the wannabees, and, well, us 😉
• the food at the lodges on Badly, with French Onion soup and the Salad Bar at River Run (including smoked salmon, roast beef, wonderful marinated mushrooms) my favourites
• the snow-making – when rest of the west coast was dry and cold for a week, we had fresh (snow) gun pow every day
• the bumps runs – Limelight, when they don’t groom it gives about 2000 vertical feet of steep, beautifully skier-formed bumps. Upper River run is a close second.
• the free, Swiss-like efficient bus system from the Lodge to the ski hill
• Idaho Ruby trout, available at most of the restaurants (my favorite – the Roosevelt Grill). Ruby trout is like normal trout on steriods – deeper color, tastier, bigger. Quite superb. And the range of restaurants is excellent.
• the hot pool, with waitress served killer margaritas at the Lodge. Followed by Sun Valley chocolates left on your bed.
• the people watching – it’s epic! We had Buzz Aldrin staying this time, decked out in his Apollo mission leather jacket most of the time. No idea if he skied? Who cared? The ‘Botox Brides’ and outfits are second only to Aspen.
• the rebuilt Whiskey Jacques’ and the Pioneer Tavern, for western, raucous cowboy bars that are hard to beat.

I could go on.

I’ve never seen it snow at Sun Valley in 5 visits. I’ve only been twice when the bowls had skiable cover, and there’s nothing gnarly and nasty to ski. But for high-speed cruising on superb groomers (the green runs would be rated blue anywhere, a few would be black in some places!), and bump skiing, it’s nigh unbeatable. Add Ketchum, the Lodge, the après ski, the facilities, and it’s a package that is hard to beat.

One day, maybe, I’ll hit it on a powder day. It would be very sweet indeed.

5 days: 8100m, 8200m, 10,500m, 11300m, 8300m

Season totals:

13 days:97,200m vert