Idaho is rich in all things beer from the finest of ingredients to the beloved finished product. Idaho Brewers United and Idaho Tourism took it upon themselves to pay tribute to the flourishing beer culture in the state by dedicating April as the official Idaho Craft Beer Month. While we may be small here in Sun Valley, we have plenty to be proud of when it comes to contributing to Idaho’s beer pride. We’ve put together a few ways to maximize the Idaho Beer Month experience in Sun Valley and beyond. Fun Idaho Beer Facts Gelande Quaffing Sawtooth Regional Gelande Quaffing Championships | April 7 Local Sun Valley Breweries Sawtooth Brewery Warfield Distillery & Brewery Sun Valley Brewing Company River Bend Brewing Best Places to Enjoy a Beer The Power House Grumpy’s Lefty’s Wiseguy’s Don’t forget the breweries listed above (with the exception of River Bend)! Other Great Idaho Breweries to Check Out With the 50+ breweries in Idaho, we didn’t have room to list them all. Check out the Visit Idaho page for a few more listings or scan the Google search to find one closest to you! Photo of Earnest Hemingway by John Bryson 1959 Now that you’ve got the info, venture out …
How to Get to Sun Valley, Idaho
Nonstop flights to Sun Valley, Idaho from 6 major cities! Yes, you read correctly, Sun Valley does have an airport and it is served via United, Delta, and Alaska Airlines. While getting to Sun Valley is part of the adventure, new non-stop flights have made it easier than ever to visit this little corner of winter paradise. Fly to Hailey’s Friedman Memorial Airport or land a bit further out and take the beautiful drive to Sun Valley. Either way, we’ll be waiting to welcome you.
Host a Meeting or Event in Sun Valley
Looking to have a meeting or event in Sun Valley? Your guests will thank you. With excellent meeting venues both indoors and out, and a town filled with great food, fun activities, and the beauty of the surrounding mountains, you’ll be getting a pat on the back from even the most discerning meeting attendee
8 Things You Don’t Want to Miss in Sun Valley This Spring
Spring in a mountain ski town frequently goes unsung and frequently nearly unnoticed. It’s not uncommon for skiers to forget that the best skiing is right up to even after the mountain closes, as dreams of sunny beaches or rolling vineyards in lands far off frequently enchant those who wish spring would just do her thing and get on with it. But spring is awesome and a time when renewed energy for stretching the legs and the mind in new directions spawns a whole new level of creativity. So check out these fun, educational, artistic, or even downright goofy things you don’t want to miss out on in Sun Valley this spring! 1. The End of the Season Party It’s a bit sad when the season ends, but Sun Valley rally’s like no one else to close out a great year of spending days one end with good friends. Just don’t leave the top of the mountain too soon…(photo: Mark Oliver) The season ender is always one of the highlights/low points of being a skier/snowboarder. You’re sad because it’s over but somehow that makes you even more fired up to get after it and celebrate it properly. And Sun …
Cornucopia of Awesomeness- March Madness in Sun Valley
March in Sun Valley is the best. The short, cold days of winter slowly fade away as the sun climbs higher in the sky. The daily routine slows down dramatically with the timing of snow conditions. So take it from me, first off, there is no rush. Start the day out right and drop by your local coffee house in town for an expertly made cappuccino before hitting the slopes. After that caffeine hits your veins, the day will start to blossom. It’s the time of year when the snow begins to soften around midday and you take comfort in knowing that it’s possible after a day of riding to slide your feet into the luxurious embrace of flip flops while having an après-ski beer on the outdoor patio at Lefty’s, Apples, or Warm Springs Lodge, sharing in the camaraderie of good friends. At times it’s a challenge to just live in the moment. So I advise relishing every second of every day.
Its the End of the Season As We Know It: Sawtooth National Gelande Quaffing Championships
Gelandesprung (v): German for a downhill ski jump in the style of Oympic nordic jumping, yet with fixed heels. Quaff (v): to drink rapidly with much vigor The legend of the Gelande Quaff was born back around the time snow was new. On a dark winter evening as the boys huddled for one last round, tipping back cold beers honoring their mastery of the backscratcher into couloirs in tight neon stretchpants, the bar tender slid frosty mugs down the bar to eager hands. It was a normal night until an order was called, the one who ordered got distracted, and the beer slid past only to leap off the end of the bar. Fortunately, stationed at the end of the bar, there stood one lone, alert skier who snatched the beer out of the air, pounded it back and slamming it on the table proclaimed, “Gelandequaffing!!” and the rest was history. As the story goes, a new form of sport drinking was born. It began to catch on in small mountain towns where long winters and poor odds lead to various devices of distraction. Like most new sports, the development of rules and competition formats would follow as well as the kind of innovation that was tracking in freeskiing and snowboarding. And today, after nearly a decade of progression Gelande Quaffing has evolved into a World Championship-level competition. Getting an invite to the said World Champs stands as one of the more coveted mountain town trappings anywhere.
Rites of Spring – Stalking Steelhead
Idaho is a landlocked state but what few realize is that it’s connected via one of the longest river systems in the US to the Pacific Ocean. For millennia, a certain species of traveler, the steelhead trout, has migrated through this river corridor, the Salmon, from the mountains of central Idaho to the ocean and back again. And a mere hour drive from Sun Valley lies the headwaters of the Salmon River, the origin of the steelhead run. Set amidst the awe-inspiring Sawtooth Mountains, these freestone waters play host to spawning spring steelhead.
The Greatest Golf Tourney On Earth – The Ketchum Wide Open
The official score card of destiny Harley’s for hangovers, Banks Gilberti must still be looking for his passport. It began nearly a quarter century ago as a way to pass time during spring slack season at a time of year when the tourists are not on tour and the locals are getting a little restless. It’s a basic yet brilliant concept: the bars and restaurants in town rally together and each creates a mini-golf hole to try and befuddle even the savviest golfer. Athletes congregate in teams of two and play a round of ultimate mini golf. Bonuses are awarded for various actions and everyone tries to make it all the way around town before the closing bell rings. Costumes are taken seriously in Sun Valley and the KWO as it is affectionately known brings out the best of the best. The Vikings and the Americans battle for the title in a previous year’s KWO. It’s no joke and if there was ever a winter of preparation to get ready for this event Sun Valley has got it. Spend hours upon hours at après and you are the finely tuned machine who will come and represent. Registration starts promptly at …
Rain or Shine Closing Weekend Will Always Go Off
If there are two truths to be said about Sun Valley over the years, one is never trust what the weather man tells you. The second: if you give any local a reason to dress up, they most definitely will. The weather report rolling through the weekend was anything but favorable for dressing up. Yet from most everyone I talked to, that was not going to deter them from hitting the Goldmine, pulling out their vintage gear, busting out the margarita machine, or breaking out the fire pit and camper for a blowout of a last weekend on the hill.
Orage Masters, This Really Did Happen In Sun Valley
The Orage Masters mascot for 2013. Surreal entry to a surreal event. photo: G Randolph They call it the anti-comp. “They” being more specifically the French Canadians and their international brand of irreverent entertainment, vices, and ski apparel bearing the name “Orage”. A battle royale for the ages. Visually disorienting; competitively uncompetitive. And yes, “It” really happened in Sun Valley. Back flipping Pizza? Check. Or is it pizza you’ll flip for? Thought not an entirely novel concept–get crazy and party your brains out at the end of the year– the Orage Masters returned after a two year hiatus from the anti-competition circuit bringing a flare of end-of-the-year revelry that caught the Sun Valley locals a little off guard. Accompanying their traveling gong-show was some heavy local talent with Collin Collins, Banks Gilberti, and Karl Fostvedt back on home turf to represent. I was stoked to bring my young, impressionable pre-teens to see them rip and they did not disappoint. Visual chaos might be the most appropriate way to describe the Orage weekend. photo: G Randolph The notion is fairly simple: get together all of your best buds after a season of traveling, competing and filming where the …
