Ketchum Idaho has been coined, Nordic Town USA. Thanks to over 200 kilometers of groomed trails throughout the area. It truly has become a nordic destination for cross country skiers and all winter enthusiasts. Every year, the Sun Valley Nordic Festival attracts hundreds of skiers to participate in a myriad of events leading up to the Boulder Mountain Tour. If cross country skiing is not your thing, the alpine scene is top notch. Mt Baldy offers 3400 vertical feet over 2054 skiable acres. Dollar mountain has a multitude of terrain parks and features for the free style skier. You will NOT be bored.
Just down the street from the condo is a public ice rink that is free to all that will come. They even have all the gear you will need to enjoy some time on the ice. This includes skates (hockey and figure), hockey sticks, helmets and pucks. Most days, you can join in a pick-up game to test your hockey skills.
Throughout the spring and summer, there are out door venues throughout the valley to enjoy. There is often music at the local amphitheater which attracts several big name artists throughout the season. There are endless hiking trails for all skill sets and fitness levels. Our family is always finding a new lake to hike into along one of the many mountain ranges that surround this beautiful valley.
If fishing is your passion, then you already are likely aware of the many opportunities that lie in this part of the Northwest. If not, there are several fly fishing and tackle stores in town to help guide you to the fishing destinations that you are looking for in this area.
Sun Valley has been the location of several national championship mountain bike venues in the last couple of years. This is a tribute to the incredible quality of trails that exist here and around the area. I am always so amazed at the accessibility of the mountainous terrain via trail system. You can spend weeks in the saddle and never roll over the same ground.
The Christmas and New Year holiday season in Ketchum and Sun Valley is something special. We have spent two Christmas vacations here in the last 3 years. The town is so beautifully adorned with Christmas lights and there are some really fun events to enjoy. There is always a huge skating performance at Sun Valley Resort, followed by all of the ski patrollers skiing down Dollar Mountain, carrying torches as they go. This creates a long ribbon of red fire sweeping down the slope. Amazing!! This is then followed by an incredible fireworks display over the top of the mountain as a finale to the show. It is quite an evening.
