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24hrs with a Local

24 hours with a Local: TNT Taproom’s Max Lemman

Though he didn’t move here until 2018, TNT Taproom owner Max Lemman grew up coming to Sun Valley, learning to ski and then snowboard on Baldy. Both of his parents are avid skiers and Max spent his winters and summers visiting the area from Seattle. In the winter of 2018, he invited his now-wife Ashley to come to Sun Valley for the holidays. While participating in the local nightlife—or lack thereof, in Ashley and Max’s opinion—they started hatching an idea for opening a new kind of brewery and bar. Back in Seattle Max had been trying to open a bar but found the city to be too busy, both for his business or for him to want to stay. The couple moved to Ketchum and, after looking at several spaces, opened TNT Taproom in “the Dynamite Shed,” which used to house the town’s railroad and mining dynamite and has affectionately been referred to by locals as “the Boom Shack” or the “Boom Room.” Max got his dream of opening a simple taproom, one that serves only beers on draft and delicious wine. While you can often find Max behind the bar, Ashley is behind the scenes building the menu, ordering …

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Fall, Hiking

5 of the Best Fall Hikes in Sun Valley

Fall has officially arrived. The sun soaked aspen and cottonwood leaves have slowly begun to make their way from branch ends to trail floors leaving behind nature’s very own yellow brick road. This vibrantly radiating carpet and canopy delivers a truly enchanting hiking experience. We’ve compiled a list of our top-five best fall hikes in Sun Valley to help you maximize your dose of vitamin yellow. Proctor Mountain (5 miles – moderate) Serving up some the earliest pops of color in the Valley, the Proctor Mountain area tops our list of early fall hikes. This zone starts by venturing through thick swaths of aspen groves before climbing to higher elevations. Thoughts of burning thighs quickly vanish as expansive perspectives of the colorful valley below take hold. The reward makes the trek well worth the effort. Tip: the leaves will be changing early up here so get after it as soon as you see the first leaves starting to change, usually the middle of September. Directions: From Ketchum, head northeast on Sun Valley Rd towards Trail Creek. In roughly 2.6 miles look for the “Hemingway Memorial” sign and use the parking lots on your right or left. Park here and follow the trail …

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Fall

Sun Valley: Endless Options for Every Idaho Road Trip

After spending the last three summers backpacking in the Sawtooth Range, I was keen to explore the trails and dispersed camping in Sun Valley, which tend to fly under the radar. While I usually set my schedule in stone, this year I’ve been modifying it weekly as I adjust to the new normal with road tripping. With a wealth of options (plus a commitment to the safety of tourists and locals alike), Sun Valley has something for every traveler, budget and schedule — even those subject to change. Without further ado, here are some ideas and suggestions for an amazing Idaho fall road trip to Sun Valley. Where to Hike From the jagged peaks in the background to the catchy phrase painted on the roof, it’s easy to see why Pioneer Cabin is one of the more popular hikes in Sun Valley. With four different routes to the cabin, overcrowding on the trail is not an issue, thus making it a very appealing day hike. Hikers can access the cabin via the Pioneer Cabin Trail (8 miles roundtrip, 2,570 feet of gain), Long Gulch (9 miles roundtrip, 3,000 feet of gain), Johnstone Creek (12 miles roundtrip, 3,000 feet of gain) and …

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24hrs with a Local

24 hours with a Local: Hemingway Steam School Teacher Ross Parsons

Life has come full circle for Ross Parsons, a teacher at Hemingway Steam School, where he himself went to elementary school. The school expanded to pre-k through 8th grade in 2017, which was Ross’s first year teaching back at his alma mater. Before returning to the Valley and becoming a teacher, Ross worked as a field instructor at the McCall Outdoor Science School, ski patrolled at Snowbasin in Utah, and was a U.S. Forest Service/BLM River Ranger on the Salmon, Rogue, Owyhee, and Bruneau Rivers. He now teaches 6th grade science, 7th grade math, and 8th grade advisory, and works a second job as a ski patroller in the winters (taking after his father, Ron Parsons, a ski patroller since 1979). Ross’s wife, Mya, is a fellow teacher at Hemingway (5th grade). The two met through Mya’s brother, Ross’s best friend in college, and after dating long-distance between Ketchum and Breckenridge, Ross convinced her to move here. “You gotta import the good ones,” he says of his wife, describing her as his “best friend on the planet.” The two live on Warm Springs out Board Ranch, just past Penny Lake, with their eight-month-olds twins, Redd and Maeve (the birth of …

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Bucket List, Fall

How to Fall in Love with Fall in Sun Valley: A Bucket List

This is your guide for how to Fall in Love with Fall in Sun Valley, Idaho. From hiking to leaf peeping see why this is the best kept secret season.

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24hrs with a Local, Fall

24hrs with a Local: Miles to Go Fitness’ Miles Fink-Debray, November

Ski season is almost upon us which means it’s the perfect time to start leveling up your training! And when it comes to training for ski season, Miles Fink-Debray is your man. The elite athlete has worked with high-level trainers and athletes in multiple sports for his whole life. He has taken that experience and directed it into his own training gym, Miles to Go. When he’s not training clients at the gym of the portable van gym that makes house calls, he’s practicing what he preaches by participating (and often winning) local events like the Baldy Hill Climb or Suffer Fest, the “World’s Toughest 10K” which he created. He’s also in the top 75 world rank in skiing, an amateur national mountain bike champ, and 2012 Sun Valley Athlete of the Year. Before the intensity of the ski season begins, Miles walks us through an ideal 24hrs in Sun Valley fall day. How does your perfect fall day start? Miles: I work and workout all week, so Saturdays are designated for me. I love having the access to the outdoor right out my doorstep in Warm Springs to mountain bike, hike, run, and skate ski. I start by making …

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Innovation, What We're Made Of

What We’re Made Of: Sun Valley Bronze

When it comes to locally made hardware in the Wood River Valley, Sun Valley Bronze has you covered. This long-standing institution in the valley is an inspiration. Get to know them in this edition of, “What We’re Made Of.” Sun Valley Bronze What has now become a 30-plus-year institution in the Wood River Valley once had very humble beginnings, with founder Bob Commons starting Sun Valley Bronze (SVB) in his garage. Back in 1992, Bob was working in construction, building the high-end homes so ubiquitous in the area, while his wife, Debbie, drafted architectural plans. Frustrated by the lack of luxury hardware available for the jobs he was working on, and with 15 years of thoughts of starting his own business, Bob began experimenting with the casting process using old foundry equipment he purchased from the local high school shop department. Since then, the company has evolved into an internationally sold brand used by some of the top architects and designers in the world. What was once created in a garage is now operated out of a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility that utilizes robotics, CNC machines for patterning and machining, and 3D printing for prototyping. The luxury architectural hardware created by …

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Innovation, What We're Made Of

What We’re Made Of: Rocky Mountain Hardware

With a unique origin story and process for creating hardware, Rocky Mountain Hardware is a staple in the Sun Valley business scene. Get to know Rocky Mountain Hardware, from accessories and custom pieces to creating a life in the valley. Rocky Mountain Hardware Back in 1994, there weren’t many options for local hardware in the Wood River Valley. Mark Nickum ran a local door and window company in the Valley at the time and found he kept getting requests from clients looking for hardware for the doors and windows he was selling. Though there were a few options, there weren’t many. Luckily for Rocky Mountain Hardware, Mark decided to capitalize on this gap in the market and began messing around with metals on his own to create hardware for the doors and windows he sold. He landed on bronze as a high-quality metal and started working with a local friend at a foundry to create unique designs. As Mark received more and more requests, he realized he had something good going here and formed, along with his wife Patsy, Rocky Mountain Hardware (RMH). Next year will be RMH’s 30th anniversary, and while their offerings and operations have grown over the …

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24hrs with a Local

24 hours with a Local: ERC Executive Director and County Commissioner Lindsay Mollineaux

A native of the Wood River Valley, Lindsay Mollineaux felt like many do when leaving their hometown—that they can’t get out of there fast enough. But after working for the International Monetary Fund, the Federal Reserve, and then as Deputy Chief Analytics Officer for the City of New York, she realized that she missed the mountains. In the fall of 2016, she came back to Sun Valley with the plan to ski and only be back for a year when she realized how much she enjoyed being back in her hometown. After working for the City of Ketchum and Kraay’s Market and Garden, the Executive Director position at the Environmental Resource Center (ERC) opened up. Though Lindsay says she “knew nothing about the environment,” the econ major with experience in operations and finance took the job and three years later is now an expert environmentalist. Lindsay Mollineaux also became county commissioner two months ago when the position was vacated by the late Dick Fosbury. In between working part-time for the ERC and part-time as commissioner, Lindsay lives in Picabo with her father and two cats, Kukla and Fran (named after the 1950’s sitcom Kukla, Fran and Ollie) and enjoys knitting, …

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Dining, Wellness

Eat Local! In Sun Valley, Idaho

There’s no end to the variety of restaurants, cafes, and bakeries in the Sun Valley area and greater Wood River Valley, and complementing those eats are a bounty of fresh, locally grown ingredients as well as homemade creations from area bakers and cooks. Whether you’d like to enjoy a meal completely cooked from scratch while you dine out or simply want to pick up locally made cooks to enjoy at home or on the road, Ketchum, Sun Valley, and Hailey are home to many spots to eat local made and sourced food. Restaurants So many restaurants within the Wood River Valley make many of their ingredients from scratch, source locally grown food, or buy already made products from local producers. It would take up this whole blog entry to go into each in depth, but here’s just a selection of the best spots to eat local goods. In Hailey, try dinner spot CK’s for globally inspired farm-to-table cuisine made with sustainable ingredients and lots of Idaho suppliers. Also in Hailey is high-end bike shop and pub the Powerhouse, which offers a selection of burgers, tacos, salads, and fries made with house-made, locally sourced ingredients. Ketchum dinner restaurant The Covey makes …