Skiing, Snow Shoeing, and Sleigh Rides: the Perfect Winter Wonderland

Photo by Getty Images. Design by Lauren DeLuca for Yahoo Travel.

Conjure the image of a winter wonderland I promise it is Sun Valley in Idaho that comes to mind. The twin towns of Sun Valley and Ketchum, nestled into the Wood River Valley in the Idaho mountains have been a winter playground for the rich and famous since the thirties, immortalized by Ernest Hemingway and beloved by Hollywood’s finest like Marilyn Monroe and Gary Cooper.

Sun Valley racks up a lot of firsts. It was the first true destination ski resort in America, the first mountain to have a proper chairlift and even the first place the hokey pokey was pokied.

Welcome to Sun Valley. (Photo: Ray Gadd)

It was Union Pacific Railroad chairman W. Averell Harriman who put this spot on the map in the thirties. He was intent upon opening a European-style destination ski resort in the United States that would remind fancy Americans of skiing in the Alps. So, as one does, he went and found himself an Austrian count, Felix Schaffgotsch, to scour the mountains of the American west to find the perfect location. He had nearly given up when he happened upon Ketchum, a small mining town and sheep shipping center in Idaho. As soon as he arrived Schaffgotsch knew he had found the place.

With views like these you’ll never want to leave. (Photo: Jo Piazza)

The world’s very first chairlifts were installed in 1936, based off a design often used to haul bananas in the tropics.

This place is a home for big dreams, big adventure and a big mountain. Skiing here on Bald Mountain, or “Baldy” as the locals call it, known for its long and luxurious slopes is always fantastic, even when other parts of the country are having a so-so season. This year El Niño has been particularly kind to Sun Valley.

Related: What an Olympian Can Teach You About Zen and the Art of Skiing

The Valley may be a longtime playground of celebrities, but you’d hardly know it by spending a weekend here. It’s not that the place doesn’t feel glamorous, it’s that every damn person you meet is so kind, humble and eager to show you the very best their small town has to offer.

Chief among those local ambassadors is Sun Valley native, professional free skier Lexi duPont, a 25-year-old dynamo who was one of only five women selected for the Red Bull Cold Rush Revelstoke next year.

DuPont, an Eddie Bauer athlete, knows everyone in Sun Valley which makes touring the town with her an enlightening experience.

Related: Get Your Skiing Fix at These Must-Visit Ski Resorts

Lexi duPont, clad in Eddie Bauer’s First Ascent line, grabs air on the mountain. (Photo: Ray Gadd)

Before meeting her I read a description of Lexi in Big Life magazine that described her as “sunshine on legs.” It’s a tough description to live up to, but Lexi manages to make it happen.

After greeting me with a warm smile, a hug and a pair of her goggles to replace the ones I had left at home in San Francisco, Lexi showed me her Sun Valley, a mix of skiing, snow shoeing, yoga and sleigh riding mixed in with some spa-time and delicious food.

Related: Why Women Skiers Need a Woman Ski Instructor

It’s a girls weekend in the mountains. Gear from Eddie Bauer’s First Ascent line. (Photo: Ray Gadd)

We began our first day on Bald Mountain where there is plenty of terrain for every kind of skier with 13 chairlifts and 65 runs. I typically ski Tahoe and Utah and lift lines are an average part of my day. I didn’t wait once my entire trip to Idaho.

Dollar, with its lazy gentle slopes is the perfect place for beginners to get their skis underneath them.

Boarders will enjoy Dollar’s four terrain parks, but more adventurous souls searching out some true powder can venture a bit north to the Smoky Mountain range with a guide from Sun Valley Trekking who will help you get off-piste and knee-deep.

If you stick close to home, make sure to stop for a three-cheese fondue at the Roundhouse right off the gondola on top of Bald Mountain. Indulge in the elk carpaccio and bison stew with a side of duck fat potatoes.

There are plenty of places to après ski in town but Apples Bar and Grille, at the base of Baldy, is the only place you want to be. If you haven’t made a stop into Apples and met owner Hank Minor, you haven’t really experienced the Valley. The walls of the bar are lined with photographs of local legends including Lexi’s mom, Holly, the first woman aerialist to land a backflip on skis. The food is great at Apple’s but the company is better.

The Ram is the place to go for delicious steaks and seafood. (Photo: The Ram)

Head home for a couple of hours to soak in your hot tub and get ready for a great dinner at The Ram, a gourmet steakhouse where the surf is equally as good as the turf, even though you’re hundreds of miles from coastline.

If you’re game for a nightcap head to the Cellar Pub for the traditional shot ski, which is exactly what it sounds like—four shot glasses filled with local rye lined up on a ski and taken by a row of four bar patrons.

Still awake? Hit up Hobey’s Casino where the local athletes always order a Ham-tini (the cheapest beer you can order chilled in a martini glass) before starting a never-ending game of pool.

There is no better way to start your day than with yoga at Gather Yoga where founder Danielle Fuller has built an incredible community of yogis. She’ll stretch that hangover right out of you.

You can always hit the mountain for a second day or get in some cardio by snowshoeing the 10k White Cloud trail for spectacular views of the valley. If you didn’t bring your own you can rent snow shoes in the Sun Valley Lodge club house.

This is me attempting to snow shoe for the very first time. I like it a little. Polar Bear ski pants from Perfect Moment. (Photo: Sophie Forbes)

Snow shoeing will work up an appetite for some carbs and the best place to get them in Cristina’s on Second Street. You can smell Cristina’s before you walk in, a mix of doughy sweetness and fresh herbs.

With its worn hard wood floors this Tuscan-style bakery and bistro serves up some of the best lunch this side of the Mississippi. The staff greets strangers with a warm smile as though they’d been coming around forever.

Try the San Francisco airport salad, a mix of saifun noodles, cilantro, green onions turkey nuggets and spinach. Top it off with their melty burrata and smoked trout.

You might just catch a glimpse of Bruce Willis or Arnold Schwarzenegger settling in for lunch at Cristina’s. (Photo: Jo Piazza)

There are few winter experiences more spectacular than a nighttime ride in a horse drawn sleigh. Load onto your sleigh, pulled by two giant Clydesdales, at the Sun Valley Lodge before heading into the forest for a 45-minute-ride to one of Ernest Hemingway’s favorite bars, the Trail Creek Cabin, a remote outpost reachable only by sleigh, skis or snow cat.

Luxuriate in the ride through the darkened wilderness. If you’re lucky a light snow storm may break and snowflakes will land on your nose and eyelashes.

Dress warm and grab a hot toddy for the ride. (Photo: Ray Gadd)

Enjoy a gratin over an open flame in front of a fireplace with picture-perfect taxidermy dating back to the thirties. You’ll be hard-pressed not to try to smuggle some of their homemade huckleberry butter out in your purse (editor’s note: mine didn’t make it past airport security).

It simply doesn’t get more cozy than this. (Photo: Jo Piazza)

Want to just relax? Spend an entire day just wandering around the Sun Valley village. The lodge boasts four restaurants which means you can try something new for each meal, plus a bonus. I promise that you’ll want to visit Gretchen’s, named for Olympic Ski racer Gretchen Fraser, for breakfast. The menu will delight you with Crab Cake Benedict and Huevos Rancheros with New Mexican Red Chile sauce.

Take the kids ice skating at the year-round rink here, book a massage at the Sun Valley spa or plunge into the giant circular hot tub.

Here’s the thing about Sun Valley—you might not make it home. The Friedman Memorial Airport in Hailey is a tricky place to land and a good percentage of flights get cancelled. When that happens you can get stuck in the Valley for an extra day or take a two-hour bus ride out to the airport at Twin Falls where the weather is less unpredictable.

But at the end of the day. It’s really just part of the adventure.

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