Slope Style
Life on the Mountain
Winter 2012
 |
12/26/12The Christmas Eve Torchlight ParadeThere are moments in life when things just feel right. Moments bereft of doubt, filled purely by goodness and joy and the confidence that nothing can shake you. Riding up the Dollar Mountain chairlift with friends and family at dusk on Christmas Eve could be described as one such moment. Sun Valley, draped in fresh snow from the two nights prior, was at its winter’s finest. The hillsides were blanketed in white, their bumps smoothed over, like frost-laden sand dunes. The air was brisk. The moon, high and alone in the dimming night sky, shone down fortuitously. Soft yellow lights sprinkled the Valley, beacons to the many fireplaces that awaited our return. But there we were, a horde of ski school instructors, patrolmen and a handful of others, on a night ride with our skis... |
 |
12/20/12Superpipe Dreams at Sun ValleyUnsatisfied to play second fiddle, Sun Valley continues to make enormous strides in bringing its terrain park scene up to par with the nation’s elite mountain playgrounds. The resort’s power play this year: an Olympic-sized, 22-foot superpipe on the Old Bowl at Dollar Mountain, which is slated to open this Christmas. “With the Olympics coming up shortly in Sochi, we feel that having a 22-foot superpipe will attract a lot of athletes here to train,” explained Sun Valley’s director of marketing, Jack Sibbach. Although the walls of Dollar’s halfpipe last season were already an intimidating 18 feet, the standard for superpipes has aggressively increased since the now ubiquitous 22-footer made its major competition debut at the 2008 Winter X Games.... |
 |
12/11/122012 Powder Dance FestivalIt’s hard to find a place where people love skiing (and powder) as much as the townies of Sun Valley. So much so, that we dedicated four days to the white fluffy goodness during the 2012 Sun Valley Powder Festival. The “Ultimate Snow Dance Weekend” was filled with live music, film festivals, ski contests, dance parties, costumes and plenty of praying/bowing/dancing to the Snow God powers-that-be. The party was a spin-off of last year’s Powder Prom, where Powder Magazine came to celebrate its 40th Anniversary in the same town where it was born. Brothers and local ski bums, Jake and Dave Moe, first launched the winter "mag" in Sun Valley back in 1971. Ten years later, they sold it to Surfer... Posted at 10:32 AM | Permalink | Comments: 1 |
 |
11/14/1236th Annual Fall Game DinnerIt was an important year for the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation’s (SVSEF) Annual Fall Game Dinner and Auction—local SVSEF icon and veteran Kate Berman retired after 13 years as the Director of Fundraising Events. The Limelight Room at the Sun Valley Inn was packed with some 320 people—all standing, applauding and whistling—while the microphone-shy Berman modestly said her thanks, gave her bows and ceremoniously handed the torch off to Sarah Crowley, who will begin taking over her position this year. “It’s been a great road. I’m very proud to have been a part of it,” said Berman. “In fact, I’m more proud than I ever have been to be involved with this program, but I’ve been doing it a long time.... |
 |
10/31/12Warren Miller’s "Flow State"In all likelihood, you’re going to see a better ski movie this winter than Warren Miller’s "Flow State." Releases by Level 1, Matchstick and Teton Gravity Research, to name a few, will feature gnarlier athletes, bigger lines, crazier rails and superior soundtracks. If you don’t believe me, you’re not watching the competition. The industry has evolved (beyond the obvious switch to HD cinematography) and Warren Miller hasn’t. Fortunately, the franchise doesn’t really have to. "Flow State" is the 63rd film by Warren Miller Entertainment (WME), this year sponsored by Soldier Mountain. That’s literally more ski movies than the aforementioned production companies combined (TGR: 28 movies, Matchstick: 22 movies, Level 1: 13).... |
 |
10/17/12Highlights from the Interbike Health + Fitness ExpoEvery September, thousands of world’s best manufactures meet in Vegas to show off their latest and greatest at the annual Interbike Health + Fitness Business Expo (HFB). Since 1997, the HFB has been the premiere place to see the latest and greatest gadgets, inventions and burgeoning trends in the health and fitness industry. Idaho resident and inventor of the incredibly comfortable RideOut Tech bicycle seat line, Jeri Rutherford, attended this year’s expo and passed along two new products that really fit the Gem State lifestyle. Jackknife Vertical Hitch Rack from Swagman The newest rack from Swagman allows bikes to be loaded vertically instead of the typical horizontal orientation. The advantage to the Jackknife is the zero frame contact, very small size and... |
 |
04/13/12Giving Us WingsIn honor of the the end of the ski season, everything that gives us strength and makes us happy, we thought a little bit about all the things in our lives that give us wings. |
 |
03/08/12Cheers to the ChairliftI'm pretty sure that all life’s answers can be found on the chairlift. Maybe there's something in the mountain air. Maybe it's the view. Perhaps the solitude, the silence or the lifted disconnection from solid ground. Even if it is just for a brief 11 minutes. I have cried on chairlifts. Strangers have corrected me on what I thought was the capital city of Turkey. I have been inspired and perplexed on chairlifts. I have made decisions, big ones, on chairlifts. People have fallen in love on chairlifts or even found reasons to break up. Friendships are made. Goals are set. Problems are solved. Apologies are given. Questions are asked. Where else in our lives can we experience such a vast array of emotions,... Posted at 10:15 AM | Permalink | Comments: 2 |
 |
02/16/1224 Hours of Sun ValleySandpoint-based non-profit, 24 Hours for Hank is putting on Sun Valley's very first 24 Hour Race on Dollar Mountain in March. Proceeds go to Cystinosis research. Posted at 09:14 AM | Permalink | Comments: 1 |
 |
01/18/12Tom Wallisch Fantasy Rail JamPhotographer Tal Roberts captured all the action from Saturday's Tom Wallisch Fantasy Rail Jam on Dollar Mountain. |
 |
01/05/12Loudmouth Golf Snow PantsA fan of just about anything loud, I have a bright green and pink ski jacket (one that gets remarks about both watermelons and Christmas), TWO purple ski jackets, one bright blue and tan jacket, vintage pink, purple and neon green ski poles, and currently, green fingernails. So when I first saw the new Loudmouth Golf snow pants, I knew they were for me. Posted at 02:11 PM | Permalink | Comments: 2 |
 |
12/29/11New Year ResolutionsThe New Year is upon us and with rumors of the apocalypse coming, the little bit of dooms-day believer in us is afraid that this might be the last ski season… EVER. So in light of that, and because real New Year’s Resolutions never really seem to stick, we are instead making 10 Ski Resolutions for 2012. |
