Twin Falls Film Festival to Showcase Global and Local Talent

Stories from the Old Idaho Penitentiary, a kayaking trip down the Snake River to the Pacific Ocean…these are some of the tales you can see on the big screen when the 9th Annual Twin Falls Film Festival hits the stage Feb. 6 and 7.

Toby Rafford Podiums in FIS Freeride Competition in Pyrenees

Sun Valley freeride skier Toby Rafford captured second place in the FIS Freeride World Tour Baqueira Beret this week.

Choral Evensongs to Include Observance of Black History Month

St. Thomas Episcopal Church will kick off the first of three Choral Evensongs this winter with a focus on the Confession of St. Peter.

Sun Valley Has Always Been Washington’s Ski Mecca

Editor’s Note: Sun Valley once again welcomed the Ancient Skiers—a group of die-hard Washington skiers that has been coming to ski for a week at Sun Valley Resort for ages. Over the years, the group has included such members of Ski Patrol innovator  Nelson Bennett and mountaineer Lou Whittaker.

Warm Temperatures Cancel Billy Goat Loppet

You can’t deny that it hasn’t been pleasant skiing—or hiking or biking.

SVSEF Compete on Stellar Snow at Grand Targhee

Ford Rixon and Asa Sattler got a first-place finish. Alta Questad and Kayla Kloster finished second. And Asa Sattler also got a third-place finish at the Grand Targhee North Series Qualifier held Jan. 10-11 at Grand Targhee Resort.

Sun Valley Resort to Host the Super Bowl of Skiing Again

The World Cup Finals will return to Sun Valley in 2027.

Ken Burns to be Honored by Sun Valley Writers’ Conference

Ken Burns, who mesmerized America with his series on the Civil War and who just recently presented a look at the American Revolution, will be honored as the Sun Valley Writers’ Conference 2026 Writer in the World Prize recipient.

SVSEF Athletes Shine at Snow King Qualifier

Samantha Pringle captured the women’s overall win at the snow King Qualifier Jan. 9-11. And three other members of the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation’s Alpine U14 Intermountain Division team also had outstanding performances.

Banff Mountain Films Open Door to Culture, Sport, Humor and Emotion

You’ll journey from Kathmandu to Nepal’s remote Dolpo region, attempt a daring first descent of Canada’s Mount Robson’s South Face and follow two adventurous fathers taking their 2-year-old sons on a six-day mountain bike tour through the Swiss Alps when the 2026 Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour comes to Sun Valley.

Biologist to Tout Importance of Migration Routes

Wildlife biologist Jim Williams promises to tell some incredible migration stories as he explores the importance of maintaining migration routes across Idaho and other parts of the West Thursday night.

Atkinson Park Ice Rink Opens for Season

The Christina Potters Ice Rink has officially opened for the winter season, despite temperatures approaching 50 degrees during the second week of January.

SVSEF Nordic Apres Snowmaker Celebrates Youth and Legacy

Mia Case was 4 when her mother took her cross-country skiing for the first time in her home state of Wisconsin. Stuck at the bottom of a hill trying to figure out how to get up it without sliding back, she told her mother that she hated skiing and would never go again.

Paul Nicklen and Cristina Mittermeier to Discuss Efforts to Protect Environment

World renowned photographers Paul Nicklen and Cristina Mittermeier are coming to Ketchum.

Senator Ron Taylor Expects a Challenging Legislative Session

Dist. 26 Sen. Ron Taylor told a standing-room-only crowd at Hailey Town West Saturday that it’s going to be a very challenging year for the 2026 Idaho Legislature as they’re forced to address a budget deficit of more than $40 million.

Somber Protest Asks Americans to Respect Existence or Expect Resistance

Somber outrage over the shooting of a Minneapolis woman by an ICE agent spilled over onto Hailey’s Main Street Saturday.

Museum Passport to Offer a Look at Major Art Exhibitions Across the Country

The Sun Valley Museum has long hosted exhibition tours and lectures pertaining to the art on its walls.

Beyond Blaine to Examine How Rest of State Impacts Local Life

It might be easy if Blaine County was its own little kingdom, answerable to no one else for the choices it makes to preserve the way of life that its residents crave.

Tusker-Brotherhood of Elephants Filmed by Ketchum Couple

Esau is 35 years old and a risk taker who is in the habit of raiding plantations near Mount Kilimanjaro for tomatoes, cabbage and watermelon.

Sammy Smith Wins a Second Championship

Sammy Smith won her second national cross country skiing title at the US National Cross Country Championships this week, besting 189 skiers in the classic sprint on Friday at Lake Placid, N.Y.

Soldier Mountain Opens

In addition, the snowcat terrain is open and has extraordinary coverage.

Fred Pendl’s Austrian Apple Strudel

Fred Pendl boarded the Queen Mary in 1966 bound for Sun Valley Resort where he had been tasked with creating The Konditorei restaurant and pastry shop. He made a brief stop in Chicago where the resort handed him $28,000 to buy furniture and pots and pans for the restaurant, which opened in January 1967.

Sun Valley Resort Offers $64 Lift Tickets to Augment Air Service

Discounted tickets are now available for Ski for Air Service Day.

St. Luke’s Wood River Welcomes Three New Health Care Providers

St. Luke’s Wood River is welcoming three new primary care providers as the New Year breaks: Dr. Abigail Allman, Alisa Barnes, PA -C, and Erin Hess, PA – C.

‘All The Walls Came Down’ Offers Cautionary Tale in Wake of L.A. Fires

When the Eaton fire ravaged vast neighborhoods in Los Angeles County a year ago Jan. 7-8, filmmaker Ondi Timoner was on a shoot in Europe. She returned to her “paradise” to find 19 people dead and 12,500 homes reduced to rubble, including hers.

Ski Free Day Offered on the Nordic Trails

Ski or snowshoe North Valley Nordic and snowshoe trails free of charge on Sunday.

Protest Against ICE to be Held Saturday

Wood River Valley citizens are staging what they call an Emergency Protest against ICE on Saturday.

From a Wolverine to a Wave

A couple years ago, Ellie Sandoz never dreamed she would be leaving Wood River High School a semester ahead of May graduation.

Sammy Smith Wins National Championship

Samantha “Sammy” Smith won a national championship Tuesday at the US National Cross-Country Ski Championships being held this week at Lake Placid, N.Y.

Sun Valley Resort Gingerbread Contest Winners Named

Your votes are in, and three creative gingerbread builders have won monetary donations for the nonprofits of their choice.

Sun Dancers Added to the Character of Life in Sun Valley

Diana Fassino’s Sun Dancers were a fixture on Elkhorn Road for 20 years.

Bellini’s ‘Rage of Paris’ to be MetHD’s Next Show

Vincenzo Bellini’s “I Puritani”—called “the rage of Paris” when it debuted in 1835—will take to the big screen on Saturday when the Metropolitan Opera presents its live simulcast of “I Puritani.”

Friday Night is Square Dancing Time

A Community Square Dance will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, Jan. 9, at the Upper Big Wood River Grange in Hailey.

SVSEF Gold Team Racer Tunnels His Way to Skiing

It’s safe to say the Nordic skiing around Sun Valley got off to a slow start this year, thanks to should-have-been snow that came down as rain and temperatures that have been warm enough to make a cup of tea on occasion.

Paddle Through the Tongass and the Togiak

Sit back in your armchair and take a solo paddling and fishing trip through the Tongass National Forest in southeast Alaska on Wednesday.

Send-Off for Sen. Ron Taylor on Saturday

A sendoff for District 26 Sen. Ron Taylor will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 10, at Hailey Town Center, 116 S. River Street.

A J-Bar Took Skiers to Proctor Mountain Chairlift

During the first year of Sun Valley’s operation during the winter of 1936-37, skiers reached the Proctor Mountain chairlift by riding a bus from the Sun Valley Lodge out what is now Fairway Road.

Sawtooth Botanical Garden to Host Dark Sky Dinners

The garden may be put to bed. But inside the Sawtooth Botanical Garden greenhouse, the temperature is cozy, and the table is set for a Dark Sky Dinner.

‘Thaw’ Explores the Issues Behind Parenthood on Ice

“Thaw,” a movie about parenthood on ice, will launch the Sun Valley Film Festival’s 2026 Monthly Movie Series this coming week.

Demi Moore, Ali Larter Sing Praises of LANDMAN and Sun Valley

The Sun Valley Film Festival brought some serious star power to the stage this week with 2025 Golden Globe recipient Demi Moore and Ali Larter who co-stars with Moore in the hit series “LANDMAN.”

FitWorks Offers Free Classes and Gym Use This Week

Did you make one of those—you know—New Year’s resolutions to get fit?

Flourish Foundation to Offer Free Meditations for Adults

Flourish Foundation will begin offering weekly community meditations beginning Tuesday, Jan. 6.

Learn About Robert Strahorn Who Paved the Way for Sun Valley

Long before Averell Harriman built Sun Valley Resort to lure train passengers, Union Pacific’s publicist Robert Strahorn constructed railroad lines in the Wood River Valley that laid the foundation for what would later become Sun Valley Resort.

Rotarun Ski Area to Open Today

We could possibly break a record high temperature today, according to some weather forecasts.

Hailey Man to Present Memoir on Alaskan Fishing and Long Distance Running

Keith Catalano Wilson is one of those Blaine County residents with two homes—one in Hailey; the other, beachfront property on Bristol Bay, Alaska.

Sun Valley Scenes From the Year Past

People come from around the world to fish Silver Creek, a world-famous trout stream south of Bellevue. Sun Valley photographer John Boydston fishes there with his camera.

SVMoA Kick Starts New Year’s Activity with First Friday

You probably spent New Year’s Day relaxing after a busy New Year’s Eve skiing, partying and watching fireworks at Sun Valley Resort.

Sun Valley Nordic Opens

Sun Valley Nordic didn’t let the year 2025 end without getting open.

Hailey Hot Springs Ranch to be Preserved in Perpetuity

The Hailey Hot Springs Ranch is in the bag, thanks to donations from more than 900 families, businesses, foundations and nonprofits.

The Search to Address the Meaning of Life

What is this journey in between birth and death? Is it taking you somewhere? Perhaps, a destination beyond your last breath? And what do you want from your life during the in-between?

Shoshone Project Has Banner Year

The Shoshone Project’s Sixth Annual Warm Clothing and Food Drive ended up serving 175 families with groceries and grocery gift cards this year in what was the Shoshone Project’s largest food and clothing drive to date.

Ski Tek Changes Hands After 12,000 Custom Footbeds

Brent Hansen would never profess to be a miracle worker. But he has helped the lame to walk again.

Salvation Army Kettles See Double the Donations

The Salvation Army nearly doubled its previous record for donations this Christmas, thanks  to the addition of a second kettle placed outside Albertsons in Hailey.

Killebrew-Thompson Memorial Raises Money for St. Luke’s Cancer Outreach

The Killebrew-Thompson Memorial has gifted $675,000 to St. Luke’s Cancer Institute.

Sun Valley’s First Expert Ski Runs Were on Proctor Mountain

When Sun Valley opened in December 1936, the resort had two chairlift-served mountains: Dollar Mountain for beginners and Proctor Mountain for experts.

Alli Frank Releases New Novel Inspired by the Loves of Our Lives

Callie Kingman enjoyed idyllic years at Princeton University. But she begrudgingly followed her husband Thomas across the country as he pursued his career at the expense of her own only to have him leave her with no job prospects in Sacramento, which she considered “the dullest city in America,”

Lincoln Day Dinner Tickets on Sale

The Blaine County Republicans will join hands with the Lincoln County Republicans to host a 2026 Lincoln Day Dinner on Saturday, Feb. 21.

Sun Valley Opera Looks Ahead to Mardis Gras, Phantom of the Opera

The Hurdy Gurdy Girls transported the audience back to the 1800s when the music of Americana was formed and when a trip to Boise would have taken four days.

Airport Passengers Reward Musical Jammers in Triplicate

The Wood River Valley Music Jammers just wanted to equal or eclipse the $400 they raised last Christmas for The Hunger Coalition.

100 Men Who Care to Meet Up Following Record-Breaking Year

Wood River Valley nonprofits were collectively made $156,400 richer during 2025, thanks to the generosity of those involved in 100 Men Who Care.

Arnold Schwarzenegger-How Much Joy It Is to Chase Something

Arnold Schwarzenegger told a full house at the Sun Valley Film Festival that three words he uttered during the movie Terminator” sounded so weird to him as a German that he asked director James Cameraon, “Why can’t I say it like, ‘I will be back?’ ”

OCHI Holds Artists Reception for Vanishing Point Exhibition

Twisted pine trees and whirling fire. They’re part of the “Vanishing Point” exhibition that is debuting from 5 to 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 29, at OCHI Gallery in Ketchum.

Christmas Cheer Abounds as Sun Valley, Galena Turn Into Winter Wonderland

Dixy and Mark Campbell Hamby are among those making spirits bright on the slopes of Sun Valley during the Christmas holidays.

Santa in a Snow Globe—A Blast From the Past

The tiny tot stared at Saint Nick through the clear plastic Snow Globe set up on Main Street Ketchum. As Santa read her name from his Nice Kids list, she reached out and touched her hand on the plastic that protected her from Santa and Santa from her.

Sun Valley Food and Wine Celebration to Boast New Events

A new Wine Tasting & Seafood Extravaganza will debut during the 2026 Sun Valley Food & Wine Celebration.

Beloved Red Pony Had a History

It was nearly 25 years ago that Lyn Stallard and Terry Tischer organized Summer of Labs to raise money for Mountain Humane, then known as the Animal Shelter of the Wood River Valley.

Charlotte Hemmings Probes the Mythology of the American West in Her Art

Charlotte Hemmings thrived under the tutelage of John Blackman, a former Wood River High School art teacher who achieved worldwide recognition for the tiger and eagle he painted on Olympian Picabo Street’s racing helmets.

Tonight’s Gallery Walk Features New Works, New Artists

The beauty of organic materials and diamond dust will accent the artwork that can be seen on tonight’s Gallery Walk.

Sun Valley Culinary Institute Hosts Open House, Cooking Demos

Sun Valley Culinary Institute is inviting you to its annual Holiday Open House from 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 27.

Live Nativity Tells Story of an Uncommon Commoner

An angel wearing a gold diadem and gold chains around her waist flapped translucent wings as angels wearing white fuzzy snow hats danced around her.

Reflections on Incarnation

How does divine

Idaho Botanical Garden Bursts with Holiday Color

The Idaho Botanical Garden in Boise is bathed in 850,000 lights this holiday season as it celebrates 29 years of Winter Garden aGlow.

Santa Trades Sleigh for Mini-Fire Truck as He Comes Bearing Gifts

Last we saw Santa he had arrived in Ketchum on a big giant fire truck for Ketchum’s Christmas Tree Lighting, reindeer in tow.

Sun Valley Stages Ice Show, Opens Up More Runs on Baldy

Get ready for a Norman Rockwell scene on ice when Sun Valley Resort stages its annual Christmas Eve Ice Show tonight.

Sun Valley Racers Top U18 Podiums

The Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation FIS Alpine team opened their 2025–26 race season at the Western Region FIS Devo Open hosted at Big Sky Resort in Big Sky, Mont., Dec.15-18.

Christmas Elves Work Out of Wood River YMCA’s North Pole Station

Laughter filled the air as a group of women stood around watching Santa’s elves painstakingly wrap every square inch of two bicycles in blue wrapping paper depicting   whales and dolphins frolicking underwater.

Artists Offer Free Book Illustration and Photo Booth Workshops

Learn to create a book combining drawing and text. And create a portrait of yourself and others to be printed on a FUJIFILM instax camera when two hip artists present free workshops at The Community Library.

Demi Moore, Ali Larter to Do a Sun Valley Film Festival Cocktail Talk

Take part in a Cocktail Talk with Demi Moore and Ali Larter followed by an episode of “LANDMAN” on Tuesday, Dec. 30.

Musical Jammers Spread Christmas Cheer

The sounds of Christmas are greeting  passengers arriving at Friedman Memorial Airport this holiday season. And, non, it’s not piped-in music.

Snowfall Transforms Downhill and Nordic Skiing in Sun Valley

Just in the Nick of time, Santa has transformed Sun Valley Resort into a Winter Wonderland.

Drive Defensively to Avoid Animal Collisions

Winter is already tough for deer, elk, and other big game animals, and being near busy roads and highways can be deadly, so drivers are asked to keep a sharp eye out and avoid costly and potentially dangerous collisions.

Sun Valley Airport Flies High with the Arrival of New Nonstop Flights

The first American Airlines flight from Phoenix pulled up to Friedman Memorial Airport at 8:25 p.m. Thursday night as airport workers shoveled about five inches of snow on the tarmac. And, with that the arrival of the American Eagle, SUN opened a new chapter in its history.

Apres Snowmaker Fundraiser to Benefit SVSEF’s Nordic Program

The Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation’s Cross Country Program is hosting its second annual Après Snowmaker Fundraiser on Saturday, Jan.10, at the Sage School Barn in Hailey.

Wanted-Proposals for Building Climate Resilience

Got an idea for a way to build climate resilience in Blaine County?

Mariel Hemingway Talks About the Warrior Within in Karen Day’s Video

Mariel Hemingway doesn’t consider herself a warrior in the sense of someone who carries a spear or a battleaxe. But she does believe that women who have experienced trauma and come out stronger have a warrior within.

Holiday Market to Boast Nussknackers and Vintage Sweaters

Still looking for that perfect Christmas present?

‘Where the Forest Roars’ Looks at Elephant Conflicts in Himalaya

In 2018 Ketchum filmmaker Kim Frnak traveled to North Bengal where she came front to front with the daily conflict going on between the people of the eastern Himalaya and the large Asian elephants who live there.

UFO and Gnome Sweet Gnome Among Winter Wonderland Attractions

The Advocates are in the midst of a project building 20 new units of housing for families transitioning into a better future. But this Christmas they have a new building that they hope will provide funding for their programs for survivors of abuse.

SVMoA Celebrates Hidden Gems Tonight

Take a gander at some of the “Hidden Gems” that art enthusiasts in the  Sun Valley area and surrounding area have collected when Sun Valley Museum of Art holds an opening celebration for its newest exhibition tonight—Friday, Dec. 19.

Violinist Benjamin Beilman Curates Winter Festival Featuring Copland and Vivaldi

Award-winning violinist Benjamin Beilman, who has been praised by the New York Times for performances that are “muscular with a glint of violence,” will perform at and curate the Sun Valley Music Festival’s eighth Winter Season.