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Trip Report, Sun Valley/Jackson Hole 2/23-2/29

ilovepugs

Angel Diva
I’m here at Sun Valley right now, tagging along with my husband to a Western Trauma Surgical Association conference (West). West has its annual conference at a ski resort every year, at a resort of the President at the Association’s choosing.

I brought my snowboard with me for this trip. I would rate myself a semi-advanced rider - comfortable on all Eastern blues even in icy conditions, fine on black diamonds, and will occasionally do double blacks on a powder day. I like riding that is playful and prioritize bouncing around and dancing on the mountain over charging hard.

Let’s start with the good:

1. The views are astounding.

D84622DF-1C45-49F0-B693-F0FB1931A1AE.jpeg
(@Christy has posted far better shots in her trip report and I suggest you check it out!)

2. The weather was mostly sunny and 20 degrees both days, and looks to be that way the rest of the week.

3. The staff and facilities are really nice. The food is excellent and the prices are the same as any other ski resort. I ate lunch at the Sierra Lodge twice and was very happy and full both times.

Notice what’s not on this list?

The not-so-good:

Sun Valley hasn’t had a real snow storm since January (perhaps around the time Christy visited), so conditions were, quite frankly, abysmal. The snow at Bald Mountain is extremely hard packed, and while it’s very likely that my edges are in need of sharpening, my husband and I both agreed that the snow/ice did not lend itself to really opening up and ripping down Sun Valley’s famous groomers. I texted a friend that the conditions were “good for Pennsylvania.”

I think that the terrain here would actually be really fun to rip down if there was any snow. The trails are steeply pitched and very smooth, even planes - very different from the rolling groomers that I find most enjoyable; quite a few greens would be classified as steep blues in the East. They But the lack of snow just means that it was challenging to hold an edge, and what little snow that fell last night (2”) was all scraped off the steep pitches early in the day. The even pitches also meant that there was no real opportunity to lose speed if you got moving quickly, which means that any falls would inevitably be painful.

Yesterday, we did a half day, sticking to blue and green terrain, and called it early. Today, I ended up dealing with a work fire drill and didn’t meet up with folks until lunch, but I took one run down a steep icy pitch, and determined that the risk/reward ratio simply wasn’t there for me.

... Especially since I’m not tied to staying local to Ketchum, and Jackson Hole is only 4 hours away!
 

Christy

Angel Diva
Yikes. Yeah, that can happen. SV gets the leftovers from Sierra storms, and you probably know there haven't been Sierra storms in a while.

This (poor conditions) are actually why I like Ketchum/ SV. I've had bad conditions so many places, from rain in Steamboat to ice in...well, a whole lot of places. Even if it's real crap in SV (I've been rained on there too) I know I will still have a good time staying at the lodge, eating at my favorite restaurants, and doing other things in and around the valley.

If you're at a conference, are you at the Inn?
 

ilovepugs

Angel Diva
I know I will still have a good time staying at the lodge, eating at my favorite restaurants, and doing other things in and around the valley.

That’s a really positive and constructive way to look at it. I appreciate that you’re from the PNW, so it’s not as arduous a trek.

For us, coming from outside Burlington Vermont, we had a painful drive to Boston, with a brief stay overnight before catching a 7am flight to Seattle, and then a long layover before our flight to Sun Valley. It was our only sub-$1000 flight option. So, yeah, I’m a bit disappointed that conditions are - by all accounts - better back home, but it’s still cool to see somewhere new and check out the views.

If you're at a conference, are you at the Inn?
We are not. My husband went through their website and saw that their on-resort properties started at $500 a night - guess they were out of cheaper options at the time we booked. Our friends recommended the Cottonwood Condos, which are across the road and quite reasonable at $160 a night for a 2 BR spot.
 

Christy

Angel Diva
we had a painful drive to Boston, with a brief stay overnight before catching a 7am flight to Seattle, and then a long layover before our flight to Sun Valley.

That's why it's not crowded. :smile: But sorry you had a long and painful trek for rotten conditions--Jackson will be better! Let me know if you ideas for other stuff to do. Driving north to Galena Pass is just gorgeous, if you have a car. If not, and if you enjoy a hot pool--book an appointment at the SV spa for, I think, anything, and you get to use the pool. It is an absolute joy.
 

CindiSue

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Yes, we've been stuck in a weather pattern for the past month where all the weather is hitting a high (or low?) pressure zone and going around us. First time I've seen this in the 5 years I've lived here. The saving grace is that SV makes a ton of snow and has great grooming. So they're making the best of it. But new snow would be very helpful. I just took my skis in for sharpening :-)
 

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