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Sun Valley Skiers Make the Most Out of a Ribbon of White
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Friday, November 26, 2021
 

STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK

Ann Erickson showed up to Bald Mountain an hour ahead of the lifts cranking up. She had received a new knee six months ago and couldn’t wait to try it out.

“Around here, you keep getting enough new body parts to keep going,” she said.

Erickson was not disappointed. Sun Valley Resort launched its 86th winter season on a mild November morning with temperatures approaching 40—perfect, unless you were a powder hound praying for snow. And within a couple runs she was approaching her old ski instructor form.

Although mostly manmade, the snow was fluffy offering excellent ski conditions for both skiing and snowboarding. But some skiers got an unanticipated, and somewhat scary, adventure when the Lookout Express began running backwards instead of climbing towards the top of the mountain.

Something went awry with one of the chairs as it was leaving the Lookout Express terminal, causing it to slide backwards, resulting in a 15-minute stoppage.

“I do have to be home by 11:30,” quipped Jef Feiler, jokingly wondering if he’d get off the chair in time to cook pork tenderloin and sauerbraten for 13 guests.

While this is Sun Valley’s 86th season, it is season No. 36 for Erickson. She moved to Sun Valley from Missoula, Mont., accepting an offer from then-Ski School Director Rainer Kolb. It was one of five offers she received.

“I think I chose the ski school because it had a good reputation,” said Erickson, who went on to become one of the first female ski school supervisors at Sun Valley.

The 1976-77 season was the year of the Big Drought.

“We got to the top once. We spent the season doing race gates on Lower Warm Springs. Now, because of the snowmaking, we get to ski the top on opening day,” she said. “Sun Valley’s always been a great community and a great playground.”

Trish Wood showed up wearing the season pass she’d won at The Senior Connection’s Cocktails for a Cause fundraiser earlier this fall. And Nancy Mihalic chose to ski Thanksgiving for the first time in nearly 30 years of living in Sub Valley.

“It was just such a beautiful day. And the skiing is so good,” she said after taking her first run.

Otto Olson and Steve Roth showed up at 1:50 in the morning to claim bragging rights to the first chair. And Jimmy and Grace Overby, showed up in tiger outfits left over from Halloween when they showed up at Nightmare on Main Street as Tony the Tiger and a cereal box.

“We’re going for 100 days of skiing this year,” said Overby, who moved to Sun Valley last year from Seattle. “We were so close last year—just four days off.”

While it looked as if there was just one ribbon of white stretching down the mountain, encompassing Upper and Lower College and 42nd Street and River Run, Sun Valley opened Roundhouse Lane on Thursday morning and looked to open Mid-River Run by Saturday..

Snow guns were creating blizzards on runs like Mid-River Run and Blue Grouse. Snowmakers are working as hard as they can to open up more mountain, even though temperatures have been mild, said Bridget Higgins, director of marketing for Sun Valley. And a small terrain part built on Lower River Run satisfied skiers' quest for rails.

“We’re just so excited to be open when most resorts could not open for Thanksgiving,” said Snowsports Director Tony Parkhill. “We didn’t know how last year was going to go given the fact that many destination skiers couldn’t come because of the pandemic. But we had a great skier count and March was one of the biggest months we’ve ever had. Now, the CDC has made it clear that outdoor recreation is a pretty safe bet.

“Aren’t we lucky?!”


 

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