There's No Place Like Sun Valley to Kickstart Your Season

Featured Image: Ray Gadd

It’s been one of the slowest starts to the ski season across the Mountain West that I can personally recall. Most resorts pushed back their opening days with many unable to operate before the Thanksgiving rush. All of December, I—along with every other snow enthusiast west of the Mississippi—patiently waited for winter’s arrival. Christmas delivered a modest blanket of fresh at some resorts but it honestly wasn’t until after the new year celebration that the ski season really felt like it was turning on in the western United States. Thankfully, at Sun Valley, a slow start looks and skis far better than most anywhere else.

Due in large part to the resort’s massive snowmaking system—one of the largest in the world—Sun Valley is able to offer 3,000 vertical feet of groomed terrain on its opening day. That’s far more vert than any other resort can claim on low natural snow years like the one we’re experiencing, and that’s what makes Sun Valley so desirable in the early season, every season. With top-to-bottom terrain available from the get-go, skiers are able to stack a lot more time and vertical on their legs by the new year, setting themselves up for a strong start to carry into the rest of the season. And because of Sun Valley’s remote location—hours away from any metropolis but just 20 minutes from the local airport in Hailey with nonstop flights from eight major cities—you’re not fighting crowds on the limited terrain space. Colorado’s famous “ribbon of death” is just a topic of lore in Central Idaho as you max out your speed limit on Sun Valley’s steep and sustained trails. Living just two hours southeast of Ketchum, Sun Valley is my early season resort-of-choice for just that reason. It also helps that my friends, professional skiers Lucy Sackbauer and McKenna Peterson, and Sun Valley ski patroller Nicole Jorgenson, all call Ketchum home and love ripping fresh corduroy as much as I do.

Location, Location, Location

Sun Valley is the ski resort, spread across Bald Mountain and Dollar Mountain, which resides in the town of Ketchum. Roughly three square miles in geographical size, everything within the town of Ketchum is a five-minute drive, which means there’s no wrong choice when it comes to accommodations but the Limelight Hotel does offer a spectacular view of Baldy, free shuttle services all around town and a dog-friendly experience if you’re like me and prefer to travel with your fur child(ren).

While Limelight’s breakfast is hard to beat, Lizzy’s Coffee reigns supreme in the Wood River Valley for the best brew. I met the girls for a latte before heading to the resort, made by none other than Lizzy herself. I watched as she welcomed every incoming patron by first name, all of whom knew each other, most of whom dressed in ski gear. It was a Friday morning, just days after a much-needed storm, and yet everyone lingered to chat. Not an ounce of panic, as the skiing is just five minutes away and the chair was still 30 minutes from opening.

Ketchum’s accessibility translates to the pace of life here. No one’s in a hurry because your minute goes a lot further in a place like this. There are no lift lines, which makes it easy to get a full day’s worth of skiing in before lunchtime. The girls led the way to Apple’s Bar and Grill on the Warm Springs side of Bald Mountain where I was introduced to the famous tater tot nachos. A local hot spot, you’ll likely bump into local pros like Wing Tai Barrymore and living legends like Mike Hattrup socializing on the patio.

Dollar is for the Dogs

On the other side of town, Dollar Mountain operates as Sun Valley’s beginner and family-friendly area with 16 trails across 266 skiable acres. Dollar operates daily from 9am-4pm but if you hang around long enough, you’ll likely be invited to the daily dog walk just after closing. Unique to Dollar Mountain, dogs and uphill travel are allowed on the hill from 4:15pm-9am everyday, which makes it a popular spot for humans and their high-energy canines to get 628 vertical feet of exercise without the standard hazards and time constraints that come with backcountry travel. It may not seem like much, but a daily hike on Dollar will do wonders for your cardio. Just be sure to always pick up after your pooch and pack it out. Bonus points if you carry your dog for the ski descent.

The Healthy Way to Après

There are plenty of places around town to enjoy après in the traditional sense—Grumpy’s should absolutely be on your list—but Lucy, McKenna and Nicole introduced me to their favorite after-ski spot: Zenergy. A 50,000 square-foot wellness center, Zenergy is technically a member's only club but there is a work around. When you book a massage, a manicure or any of Zenergy's other services like the red light therapy bed, you receive a free day pass to enjoy the rest of the facility's amenities—the gym, a hot sauna or even a cold plunge. Zenergy is the one-stop-shop to recover after a long ski day but Gather Yoga Studio and Fit Me SV are two other great spaces in town that offer yoga and pilates classes to help keep your body feeling good and strong throughout the season.

Trust the Locals

The best part about Ketchum is that most of the businesses in town are locally owned and operated. And most of those owners are skiers. That means when you head into Ski Tek for a professional bootfitting or PKs for a fresh tune, you can trust that skiers are working on your ski gear. The same can be said for Wild Rye. A women-owned and operated ski and bike apparel brand, founded by Ketchum local Cassie Abel, Wild Rye captures the essence of what it's like to live in a ski town: work hard, play harder, support your community along the way. As a devoted Idaho transplant, I jumped at the opportuntity to sign on as a Wild Rye athlete in 2026 because I knew I'd be working with a team that aligns with all of my values.

When you come to Sun Valley, rest assured every person you encounter is a skier first and foremost. The whole reason you’re here is the same reason they call this place home. Ketchum is a ski town, owned and operated by skiers.