Happy 4th from Les Saisons!

Nothing marks the arrival of summer more than the 4th of July, especially in Ketchum. The sleepy streets of slack suddenly explode with shoppers, bikers, walkers and campers for one of the busiest weekends town sees all year. Careful not to hit them! Or maybe avoid Main Street altogether, as you make your way from one festivity to another. Don’t know what your big plans will entail? Besides people watching at Ketchum’s one and only grocery store, Atkinson’s, here are some suggestions for a memorable holiday weekend:

Hailey Days of the Old West Rodeo – July 2 – 4, 2009
A true tribute to the valley’s historical past, the rodeo will feature everything from bull riding to barrel racing and rodeo queens! Tickets can be purchased in advance at Atkinson’s or at the entrance to the rodeo grounds on event day for $10 general admission and $15 reserved seating. The rodeo begins at 7:30pm.

Antique Shows Galore! July 3 – 5, 2009
Both Hailey and Ketchum will host two antique shows this weekend. The Hailey Antique Market, featuring “items from the ordinary to the extraordinary” will be at Roberta McKercher Park and the Hailey Armory. Hours are 9am-6pm on Friday and Saturday, and 9am-4pm on Sunday. Hailey’s Main Street Antique Show, on Main Street in Hailey, will be open 9am-7pm on Friday and Saturday, and 9am-5pm on Sunday.

In Ketchum, you’ll find the Ketchum Antiques Show at NexStage Theatre on Main Street open daily from 9am-5pm as well as the Ketchum Art and Antique Show at the Forest Service Park, west of NexStage Theatre, running from 10am-6pm Friday and Saturday, and 10am-5pm on Sunday.

Gallery Walk in Ketchum – July 3, 2009
Sponsored by the Sun Valley Gallery Association, Ketchum and Sun Valley art galleries will extend their business hours from 5pm – 8pm on July 3rd. Sip on a glass of wine, walk around town and take in some wonderful art collections.

American Tribute with Maureen McGovern – July 3, 2009
Grammy winning artist Maureen McGovern will be performing with the American Chorus & Orchestra on July 3rd at the Sun Valley Pavilion. Show starts at 7pm. Call the Sun Valley Recreation Office at 208.622.2135 for tickets.

Tony Furtado Live in Concert – July 3, 2009
Join Folk/Acoustic artist Tony Furtado at the Boiler Room in the Sun Valley Mall. Doors open at 8pm and the show starts at 9pm. Cover charge at the door is $7.

Hailey Fourth of July Parade – July 4, 2009
The theme, “Live, Work and Play in the Wood River Valley,” will be shaping this year’s annual parade. A Shoot-out Gang kicks things off at 11:30am in the Bullion Square parking lot, with the parade following shortly thereafter at noon on Main Street.

Sun Valley Ice Show – July 4, 2009
Reserve a table under Sun Valley’s veranda, sample your heart’s desire at the dessert buffet and enjoy a Sun Valley Ice Show featuring 2009 US Champions Meryl Davis & Charlie White. Post ice show watch a display of fireworks erupt over Dollar Mountain right from your seat. It doesn’t get more Sun Valley than this! More information and tickets are available at the Sun Valley Recreation Office at 208.622.2135.

Rain Keeps Coming, and Coming, and Coming...

It looks like our excitement over the arrival of summer was a bit pre-mature. While the end of May saw sunny skies and soaring temps, the entire month of June has been quite the opposite. I believe we’re going on our third or fourth week of thunder showers and let’s just say we’re all a bit soggy. With mudslides sweeping through the burned areas of Warm Springs and power outages throughout the valley, only the bravest golfers can perfectly time a round of 18 holes without getting soaked or struck by lightning.

Rain or shine, Ketchum and Sun Valley are as beautiful as ever. The hills are swathed in some of the greenest grass the valley has seen in years, and as soon as the sun decides to come out, the flowers won’t be far behind. You should expect a brilliant show of wildflowers this summer.

Photo courtesy: RolandBP

Elkhorn Jams This Summer with Concert Series

Remember the days of Jazz on the Green, Summer Dance and Steve Miller Band concerts? Elkhorn Village used to be somewhat of a hub for summer venues long before River Run and the Sun Valley Pavilion took to paper. At least that’s what this year’s Elkhorn event organizers were thinking when they decided to bring back the good ol’ days with an Elkhorn Summer Concert Series beginning this July. Its green may be long gone, but picnic-goers will have every reason to break out their low-back chairs and rock out to a great line up of bands, albeit from the parking lot located next to the Elkhorn Market and Golf Club.

The three-concert series kicks off with Philly’s blues/hip hop trio G. Love and Special Sauce on July 16th, followed by Georgia’s alternative country band Drive By Truckers on August 13th and Colorado’s Big Head Todd and the Monsters wrapping things up on September 3rd.

All shows begin at 6pm with gates opening at 5pm. Tickets can be purchased online at www.elkhornconcerts.com or at Atkinson’s for two bucks off. Individual ticket prices are $37.50, or you can purchase tickets for the entire series for $100.

Photo courtesy: www.elkhornconcerts.com

Trail Creek Road Open

Trail Creek Road, the rather jaw-dropping one lane paved and gravel road that winds mercilessly over Trail Creek Summit into the Big Lost Valley, is now open for the summer! The route, a welcome alternative to Highway 75, takes you to the base of Borah Peak (Idaho's highest peak at 12,662 feet) and intersects with Highway 93, which connects to the small towns of Mackay and Challis.

With the drive up to Trail Creek Summit a mere 15 minutes from the center of Ketchum, this road makes for a great little daytime car ride excursion into a beautiful wilderness area with a number of trailheads, creeks and stunning scenery.

Photo of Borah Peak courtesy Russell Marino

Sun Valley Pavilion Lineup

Start thinking about your upcoming summer visit to Sun Valley! The Sun Valley Pavilion recently released the dates for its summer concert schedule, so get ready to pack up your picnic basket, take in the breathtaking views of Baldy, Dollar and Trail Creek and enjoy some wonderful music venues making their way to town this summer. Tickets are available to purchase at seats.sunvalley.com.



Sunday, May 24
Sun Valley Wellness Festival concert with Toni Childs

Saturday, May 30
Kenny Loggins

Friday, June 5 and Saturday, June 6
Acoustic weekend with six national acoustic acts

Friday, June 19
Sara Evans benefit for the Governors Cup Golf Tournament

Sunday, June 28
Sun Valley Opera Three Tenors and Strings Extravaganza

Friday, July 3
American Festival Chorus and Orchestra with special guest Maureen McGovern

Friday, July 17
Barrage in Concert

Friday, July 24 through Tuesday, August 18
Chamber series and Sun Valley Summer Symphony

Wednesday, August 19
Don Felder benefit concert for the Danny Thompson Memorial Golf Tournament

Thursday August, 20 through Monday, August 24
Sun Valley Writers’ Conference

Friday, August 28 and Saturday, August 29
Trey McIntyre Project

Friday, September 25 and Saturday September 26
Sun Valley Music Festival

Photo courtesy: www.sunvalley.com

Sun Valley Nordic Season Over

That’s it folks! Sun Valley Nordic Center as well as Galena Lodge are closed for the season. With Galena’s Ride, Stride and Glide over and done with (the annual closing-time triathlon in which costumed competitors ski, snowshoe then actually ride their mountains bikes in the snow), the lodge will be closed until June 13th, at which time Kids Camp, Wagon Ride BBQ's, Weekend Brunches and Sundays on the deck with Bruce Innes will kick off the summer festivities.

Galena will, however, continue to groom their Nordic trails on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays for at least the next week, but the bike path from Hulen Meadows all the way down to Bellevue has been entirely cleared of snow. Our owners are already dusting off their bikes and taking advantage of the warmer temps throughout the valley.

And while most of our die hard anglers have been wading the icy rivers all winter long, the springtime temps have brought a few more fishermen out of hiding, according to local guide shop Silver Creek Outfitters who, amongst others, is gearing up for the summer season.

For more information about what to do in and around Sun Valley, the Sun Valley Ketchum Chamber of Commerce and the Mt. Express both have extensive online lists of activities. Or feel free to contact the Les Saisons Concierge.

Photo courtesy: nerdegutt

Spring Skiing is Here, Sun Valley Sees Big Changes

With the last day on Baldy expected to be Easter Sunday, and the Round House already closed up for the ‘08/’09 season, the rest of the mountain is slowly retiring its lifts for the remainder of the year. Beginning on Sunday, March 29th, Exhibition and Sunnyside lifts will close and on Sunday, April 5th, Greyhawk, Mayday and Cold Springs, as well as all of Seattle Ridge will shut down.

As always, this is subject to change depending on weather and snow conditions but at least Late Season Rates go into effect on March 30, with the $30 College ticket available to college students and faculty with valid college I.D.

Skiing may be winding down, but with warmer days on the horizon, a little après ski action at the base of Warm Springs’ sun deck mixed with some live tunes certainly keeps the alpine spirit alive. And don't forget about the Holding Cup Race March 27 & 28. No race experience is needed for this one. Recruit a team of four skiers from your alma mater, and win great prizes!

In other Sun Valley Company news, long time General Manager Wally Huffman will be trading in his hat to become the company’s new Director of Resort Development in late April or early May.

Huffman has seen the company through a number of resort developments including the new Sun Valley Golf/Nordic Club House, the White Clouds Golf Course and the Sun Valley Pavilion. Next on his agenda is a 160 acre development at the base of River Run. The new village may include a hotel and residential units.

Stepping into Huffman’s place is former Sun Valley Lifts Operations Manager Tim Silva, who for the past 17 years has been General Manager at Northstar Resort in Tahoe.

Sun Valley Gets a Bit O' Green

Happy St. Patty’s Day from all of us at Les Saisons! Don’t worry if you didn’t have your Irish Blood Sausage for breakfast this morning; a number of restaurants around town have their pots simmering with an assortment of traditional cuisine that any Irishman would raise a glass to…

Celebrating its 11th annual St. Patty’s Day feast, The Roosevelt Grille will be cooking up some Corned Beef and Cabbage (while supplies last) and the bar will be flowing with specials on Guinness Stout, Kells Irish Lager and other Irish concoctions.

The Sun Valley Brewery in Hailey is also whipping up an Irish lover's feast, with Guinness-inspired stew, brownies and stout, while down the street at The Mint, the Damphools, a favorite local bluegrass band, will be playing starting at 6:30pm.

If you haven’t had a chance to dine at the Elkhorn Supper Club, tonight is as good a night as any! Specialties from the club's St. Patrick’s Day inspired menu include Scottish Smoked Salmon Cakes, Guinness and Onion Soup, Shepherd’s Pie and Bread Pudding, to name a few.

Ketchum’s buzzing with spring break goers and now that the rain has finally stopped, it’ll be a great night to walk around town and see what's going on. Just be sure to wear green!

Photo courtesy: cygnus921

Locals Debate Ketchum, Sun Valley Merger

What do you think about having one main town? A ‘Svetchum’ or a ‘Sunny Ketchum Valley’ as some locals have suggested? Well, it turns out ‘Ketchsun’ may soon become a reality. With the city of Ketchum making cuts to meet its budget and Sun Valley sitting comfortably on reserves, city officials are urging locals to consider the benefits of consolidating both communities under one roof.

According to elected officials, the merger would help offset the costs of duplicate services like fire stations and police departments and would save close to $2 million a year. It would also provide Ketchum with a sort of kick back for all the services its downtown core businesses provide for the entire valley.

The issue has been met with mixed reviews and heated debate, especially on the Mt. Express forum boards. Some residents think the plan smells too much like a bail-out. Others like the idea of One City, One Town (which also happens to be the slogan for the organization developed to bring the merger to city residents).

Regardless of the ever evolving debate, officials are putting the decision to a vote! One City, One Town is in the process of collecting signatures from residents of each city for a petition. At least 20 percent of registered voters’ signatures are needed to get the proposal on the ballot in the next election.

So stay tuned! We’ll keep you posted on the status of our mailing address and let you know if we plan on simplifying it in the near future…

PHOTO COURTESY: GLOBAL JET

Skiing the Sun Valley High Country

You may have heard that it rained here in Ketchum a couple days ago. While most driveways turned to mush and the warm temps had people shedding their down parkas like it was May, Baldy and the surrounding high country got their fair share of the fluffy white stuff. In fact, our very own Jon Gilmour, scored a coveted seat on Sun Valley Heli Ski’s chopper and caught a glimpse of how truly amazing backcountry skiing is this time of year.



First off, if you haven’t tried it already, let’s get something out of the way… YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE AN EXPERT! One of the most common misconceptions about heli skiing is that you have to be a pro to do it. We’re not talking about first descents in Alaska. There are a number of destinations in Sun Valley Heli Ski’s 750,000 acres of terrain that offer slopes of varying degree. And the short, fat skis that most people are skiing on today, really make powder skiing effortless.



Sun Valley Heli Ski offers a number of different ski and lodging packages. For more information, please talk to the Concierge at Les Saisons.

Local Knowledge: Do You Know the History of Sun Valley?

Ask any local around town for a bit of advice (i.e. best après ski bar, restaurant or rental shop) and they’ll be more than happy to share everything they know and then some about whatever it is you’re looking for. But when it comes to something dating back to before they first started ski bumming here, only the weathered few may be able to help you.



Sun Valley has always been touted as the Alps of North America, the playground for the rich and famous. But what about before they installed one of the world’s first chairlifts on Proctor Mountain in 1936?

Before Sun Valley became a winter destination, an Austrian count named Felix Schaffgotsch, was hired by Averell Harriman to scout the US for a good place to build a winter resort. After a long search throughout the west, the town of Ketchum appealed to him because of the proximity of Baldy and the surrounding mountains to Ketchum, the adequate snow fall and generally sunny weather.

Harriman visited Ketchum several weeks later. Pleased with the location, he purchased a 3,888 parcel of land, then known as the Brass Ranch, for $4 per acre. Sun Valley Lodge was built in the next seven months and Steve Hannigan, a successful publicist from Miami Beach, was hired to name the new resort “Sun Valley.” The resort opened in December of 1936!

Severe Weather Alert Brings 10 Inches to Baldy

For the last couple of weeks our weather report has warned of a hazardous storm settling in the valley. While we haven’t been pounded like the Sierras (who wants to shovel all that snow anyway?), ten inches of fresh snow on the top of Baldy never hurts.

The skiing is great and with President’s weekend winding down, lift lines should be zipping along. Better yet, flights are still coming in and out of the Hailey Airport so no need to worry about a last minute bus ride for now.

Relax, Unwind and Recover at Les Saisons' Spa

Come enjoy the beautiful atmosphere of the Les Saisons Spa! Located conveniently on the second floor of the Les Saisons building, we offer wonderful services including facials, hot stone massage, full body wraps, scrubs, and hair removal.

Here's what we suggest... Relax in our steam room and sauna first, then indulge in one of our many treatments. You'll really warm up this winter with our 90 minute Healing Body Treatment. This service not only exfoliates your skin, it detoxifies, hydrates, relaxes and pampers all in one decadent session!

And you can't leave without trying our amazing Face-lift Facial. This facial gives you noticeable results in just one session!

To schedule an appointment, please call Amber Morgan at 208.720.6093 or Les Saisons' Concierge at 208.727.1616 and feel free to stop by our lobby for a brochure.