Sun Valley to begin operation of new lift this weekend!

Skiers and snowboarders will be able to ride a new chairlift and get a glimpse of new terrain on Saturday, when Sun Valley Resort begins the first phase of opening a long-awaited expansion in the Cold Springs area of Bald Mountain.

Sun Valley will welcome skiers to explore an extension of the Lower Broadway run and ride the new Broadway high-speed quad chairlift. The Seattle Ridge area of Baldy is also scheduled to open on Saturday, served by the Seattle Ridge and Mayday chairlifts. The resort stated Tuesday that it will finalize which trails will be open in that area later this week.

The resort has installed the new Doppelmayr high-speed quad Broadway chairlift to serve the expansion area southeast of Seattle Ridge—called Sunrise—and to bring skiers out of the Seattle Ridge area. The lift has replaced the oldest operating chairlift on Bald Mountain, the Cold Springs two-person chair. The lift ascends 1,582 feet from a point at the bottom of an extension of Lower Broadway up to the Roundhouse restaurant, where skiers and riders can access the Christmas chairlift and runs on the River Run side of the ski mountain. The resort has installed 25 new snowmaking guns on the extended section of Lower Broadway, a popular, easy-rated cruising run.

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Traditional Thanksgiving opening scheduled for 85th season

Back in March, major cities like New York City and San Francisco saw an outflux of residents leaving the pandemic-riddled mega metropolises for more cozy and quiet places offered by smaller cities and the suburbs. Some temporarily moved in with families while others left and claimed they will never turn back. Regardless of where they ended up, there was a consistent reason why: living in a highly populated, dense city is not conducive to a world that revolves around social-distancing protocols and shelter-in-place mandates.

City living already features a cramped lifestyle filled with too-close-for-comfort subway rides, overpriced lofts, and underappreciated parks that are sparse and hard to visit. Residents are willing to put up with higher crime rates in exchange for more intriguing and exciting activities, like the spectacular nightlife, unbelievable restaurants, and diverse culture scene. Take those enterprises away and you create a stagnant claustrophobic environment that limits you to the entrance of your stairwell. All things considered, it’s not really surprising why people want out.

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As the United States begins to get a handle on the coronavirus pandemic and travel starts to open up in many areas, many people are considering how they can safely take a trip at the end of the summer.

Despite international travel restrictions being lifted, Americans are not exactly being welcomed with open arms in a number of destinations so it’s time to rediscover some of the destinations that may have fallen off the ol’ bucket list.

This week, we start with Sun Valley, Idaho. Idaho is in phase 4 of its reopening with most retail, dining and tour establishments open for business in the state.

During a recent visit to the destination, I can confirm that travelers looking to escape to an alpine setting for a relaxing vacation away from the perils of COVID-19 will find their stay blissful.

Visitors will need to bring a mask but they will also find stunning hiking trails, adventure activities galore, al fresco dining, luxury shopping and more.

Travelers have their choice to stay at high-end resorts such as the Sun Valley Lodge or choose from a variety of vacation rentals. The local airport has regularly scheduled flights and Sun Valley is also a convenient drive destination from many places in the Northwest.

Most well-known as a ski destination, lifts do operate in the summer taking guests to the top of the mountain for views of the valley and offering the chance to dine outdoors at the Roundhouse restaurant.

Popular activities in the area include white-water rafting, horseback riding, biking, hiking, fishing—and even ice skating—as well as day trips to places like Shoshone Falls and Redfish Lake.

Visitors to Sun Valley in the summer are sure to discover why this hidden gem is more than a winter skiing hot spot.

Ketchum, Sun Valley skyrocket after slow start to 2020!

Home sales are up in the Wood River Valley as city dwellers looking to relocate to a more sparsely populated place flock to the Sun Valley area, local real estate agents say.

The number of home sales pending in Blaine County in the first three weeks of June was 75 percent higher than it was at the same time last year, data from the Sun Valley Board of Realtors shows, after a drop in sales following COVID-19’s arrival in Idaho. As the number of new cases in Blaine County has flattened and Idaho businesses have reopened, local real estate brokers say they are now seeing an unusually high demand for land and homes, especially in the northern part of the valley.

Ketchum has seen the largest boom, with 34 sales pending between June 1 and June 23—a 277 percent increase from the same timeframe in 2019. Sun Valley saw a 90 percent increase in pending sales, with 19 homes under contract, and Hailey experienced a 36 percent increase from last year.