Stories

Player Registration for Sawtooth United's 2010 Spring Developmental /Recreational Soccer Program is underway and will continue through March 19th.  The program is for boys and girls of all soccer ability levels,  ages 5-10 yrs. old. (Must be 5 yrs. old by Dec. 31 2009)  Practices will begin the week of April 5th, and the season runs through May 23rd.  For more information and to register online,  please visit the club's website at .   You may also reach the club by email at sawtoothunited@yahoo.com or call the office at 726-1160.  Financial aid is available.

Lindsey Vonn became the first woman to win three straight overall titles since Petra Kronberger of Austria in 1990-92. More here.

Sun Valley native Kaitlyn Farrington did the unexpected and beat Torah Bright of Australia.

The Gnu girl from Sun Valley, Idaho might not have the competitive chops of her American counterparts, but if she continues linking bangers like she did today (in no particular order: back 9, inverted frontside 7, Cab 7, alley oop 5), the Torah/Kelly/Gretchen/Hannah show could soon be renamed to something even more convoluted. Click here for the full story.

This is Blase Reardon of the Sawtooth National Forest Avalanche Center with your Backcountry Avalanche Advisory and Weather Forecast for Monday, March 8, 2010 at 7:30 am for the areas surrounding Sun Valley.

City of Ketchum (www.ketchumfire.org) & the Friends of the Sawtooth Avalanche Center bring you this advisory.

Bottom Line by Region:

North Wood River Valley

Today the avalanche danger is estimated to be MODERATE with pockets of CONSIDERABLE on steep, shaded slopes at mid and upper elevations. The past few days have seen a half dozen or more natural and human-triggered slides; the largest of these were near the crest of the Smoky Range. More human-triggered avalanches are likely today where recent storm snow and wind-deposited snow have loaded weak layers that formed in mid-February. These weak layers are composed of faceted snow and surface hoar and are buried 8-16” deep on many shaded slopes. Near ridgelines and in open bowls, moderate to strong easterly winds have drifted snow and buried these layers...

Ski in the Sawtooths!

Grab your skis and head for the hills,  it's time for the 8th Annual Sawtooth Ski Festival!

Mark your calendar for March 6th and 7th 2010, and join us in the Stanley Basin and Sawtooth Valley,  where the cross country ski trail systems of Park Creek and Alturas Lake are showcased  during the Sawtooth Ski Festival. 

The fundraiser begins with the Park Creek Poker Run and Chili Feed on March 6.  Festivities kick off at eleven  and chili is served from noon until 2 pm.  At Park Creek, 7 miles west of Stanley,  skiers  and  snowshoers  follow a  course,  pick up cards at check points and the best poker hand wins  new snowshoes from Backwoods Mountain Sports!!!   Enjoy a bowl of  homemade chili, some cornbread and delicious cookies provided by our volunteer cooks. Spend the day enjoying  the incredible trails and stunning views at Park Creek.

At 5:30 pm,  Saturday evening,  at the Stanley Community...

By Kay Hummel - Four Idahoans have qualified among the nation's top 78 men and women to compete in nordic collegiate events at the 2010 NCAA Ski Championships March 10-13 in Steamboat Springs, Colo.

Two Boiseans competing are Rose Kemp, Univ. of Utah sophomore, and Wyatt Fereday, Colby College junior. Kemp and Fereday are Boise High Schoolgraduates and alumnae of the Bogus Basin Nordic Team. The other two NCAA Idaho competitors are Ketchum natives Kaelin Kiesel, Montana State Univ., and Alexa Turzian, University of Colorado. Both grew up skiing for the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation nordic squad.

The four athletes will compete in two disciplines at Howelsen Hill near Steamboat. Men's 10-kilometer and women's five-kilometer classical cross-country races take place Thursday, March 11. The women's 15-kilometer and men's 20-kilometer freestyle (skate) races will be held March 13. (Alpine events take place March 10 and 12.)

The University of Denver returns to the National Collegiate Men's and Women's Skiing Championships...

Local ski racers are invited to turn out to support Haiti earthquake victims during a Nastar race March 19-20.

MAD Turns For Haiti will begin with a silent auction at Whiskey Jacques at 6 pm Friday, March 19. The next day Nastar racing will start at 11 am on Baldy. The race will be followed by a BBQ celebration and awards ceremony at Apple’s Bar and Grill at 2 pm.

The race entry fee will be a minimum donation of $25 (does not include lift ticket) and 100 percent of the donation will go toward the relief effort through Make A Difference Now, www.makeadifferencenow.org who will  partner with an organization on the ground in  Haiti. Their target will be construction materials for rebuilding schools and the needs of homeless children.

Non-skiers who would like to donate any amount may call 208-720-6968 or email madturns@gmail.com.

Race sponsors are Apple’s Bar and Grill,Sun Valley Resort and Whiskey Jacques.

Racers can register now at Warms Springs Lodge race desk and also at the Silent Auction.

For additional...

Sun Valley Resort’s 74th winter season will continue through Sunday, April 18.

Dollar Mountain will continue operation through Easter Sunday, April 4.

Please check updated mountain reports at sunvalley.com or call 800-635-4150. Ski conditions are weather dependent and subject to change.

Jack Sibbach
Director of Sales, Marketing & P.R.
Sun Valley Resort
#1 Sun Valley, Idaho 83353
Ph: 208-622-2183

Competitive figure skater, Nicole Pratt, became a US Figure Skating Gold Medalist in Moves In the Field at a test session conducted at the recent Idaho Winter Games in Sun Valley. This achievement is the culmination of 10 years of year-round weekly training. It marks a progression through eight different progressively challenging test levels where the quality of edges, balance, speed, power, presentation and overall skating are evaluated by a panel of judges certified by the US Figure Skating Association. The Senior Level Test is the highest level USFS Moves In the Field test available to figure skaters. With this honor, Nicole becomes one of an elite group of less than ten Sun Valley skaters to pass a Gold Moves Test in the last six years. Pratt is a 14 year old a freshman at Wood River High School.



Nicole began skating 10 years ago in Sun Valley Figure Skating Club's "Skate-With Us" group classes for beginning skaters. She fell in love with skating and began taking lessons from Coach Darlin Baker. Baker, a...

Sawtooth United FC Benefit Night at SUNS Hockey!

This Saturday Night, February 27th

Game time 7:00 p.m.  at the Sun Valley Indoor Ice Arena !

FREE SUFC Aluminum Water Bottle to the FIRST 20 Sawtooth Players at the Ticket Booth!

Please come out and support Sawtooth United AND the Sun Valley SUNS.  

It's a fun night out for the whole family and a portion of  the ticket sale proceeds are donated to Sawtooth United! 

~ Thank you to the SUN VALLEY SUNS for their Support ~ 

For more information on the game visit www.sunvalleysuns.com

Wow! Just returning home from an amazing Olympic experience. This was my 4^th Olympic Games and the most fun so far. Torino 2006 was a great a experience with Seth winning the first ever Olympic Gold medal in SBX.  This year in Vancouver even trumped 2006! Seth’s victory to come from behind in the Finals to win Gold was legendary. 

He was surgical with the way he rode the finals. He was calm and confident all day long, telling me between every heat he could win from any lane. He rode with smarts, patience, precision, and matched every transition. Twice he picked the right time to pass by nailing the turn before the flatter glide section. It was awesome to be part of making history again with Wescott, winning back-to-back Gold Medals in the 1^st two Olympic Snowboardcross races. He is also the 1^st male skier or snowboarder in US history to win back-to-back Olympic Gold, and the 1^st American (male or female) since Anne Marie Lawrence back in 1952 to repeat Gold.

I want to thank everyone for their...

NBC Previews the competition here.

Update: The U.S. Team came in 12th with Arritola skiing the 3rd leg.

The women's 4x5km relay determines which cross-country skiing nation has the best team depth. In this mass start event, two legs of classical skiing are followed by two legs of the freestyle (skating) technique. The winning team is the one whose anchor-leg skier first crosses the finish line.

The U.S. will be led by Anchorage, Alaska skier Kikkan Randall. The two-time Olympian will likely be joined by Olympic debutantes Liz Stephen of East Burke, Ver., and Morgan Arritola of Sun Valley, Ida.. The best result for the U.S. women at the Olympics is 7th, achieved at the 1980 and 1984 Games.

This spring Sun Valley Resort will offer college students an all new Spring Triple-Play Ski Pass.

Beginning March 1 and continuing through the end of the ski season April 18, full-time college students can purchase three days of skiing for only $99. The three days do not have to be used consecutively and the pass may be renewed multiple times.

The Triple-Play Pass can be purchased at the Sun Valley River Run ticket office with proper college I.D.

For more information please call 208-622-6136.

Inga-Lami- all women's Norwegian Tour at Quigley Nordic Center

Sun Valley Heli Ski Guides is currently finding great boot top powder on shady low angle exposures. This is easy and fun skiing, ideal for those who have always wanted to try heliskiing in a relaxed, no pressure environment, or anyone tired of skiing hard groomers or bumps. There is a great deal more snow in our remote terrain to the west, so don't let the brown hillsides surrounding Baldy fool you. We are posting stills and video on the Sun Valley Heli Ski Guides Facebook Page after every day of operation. Check it out and give us a call at 622-3108 to make your reservation!,

Lisa-Marie Allen was another Sun Valley area resident who participated in the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics along with previously profiled Judy Blumberg (also a figure skater). The 1980 U.S. Olympic Figure Skating team was referred to by some as the "Dream Team". Yet another connection to Sun Valley is Linda Fratianne who was also a member of that Dream Team.


What Olympics did you participate in and in what event(s)

----1980 Lake Placid, Ladies Figure Skating, 5th place


Have you been back to the host city? If so, what was that like for you (memories, experiences, etc.)?

-I've been back 3 times, once as a motivational speaker and twice for reunions. All three return visits to Lake Placid have been extremely fun and educational, as 1979 and 1980 were a fantastic, almost surreal time in my life. I didn't really get to see the town and meet the wonderful community on the first two trips.


Have you stayed involved in the Olympic movement? If so, in what ways?

With the financial and commercial success of the Los Angeles Games...

Following on the heels of the highly successful 1st annual valley-wide Sun Valley Nordic Festival, a consortium of locals have joined together to create another new valley-wide event, the which will feature 4 days of activities, June 24-27, 2010.

The group’s goal for the Sun Valley Rhythm & Ride event is to create an event that will be fun for the local community, as well as to attract road & mountain bike enthusiasts to the valley.  “This is a great opportunity to help significantly raise the profile of Sun Valley as a premier biking destination and to highlight Sun Valley area’s incredible single track trails”, stated Greg Martin, director of the Wood River Bike Coalition.  “We have seen the success that positive community collaboration can bring to create wonderful events and programs here and we invite anyone with an idea of an activity or event to add to our still developing schedule related to biking and music, to join us in this effort.”...

The famous Norwegian Nordic Olympic Team chose Sun Valley as their pre-Olympics training base prior to the Olympics. In this profile, we meet some of the Olympians as they share their experience in Sun Valley.

Judy Blumberg is a Ketchum resident and figure skating coach. In addition, two of her pairs teams competed in the Vancouver Olympics last week. Mark Ladwig & Amanda Evora and Caydee Denney & Jeremy Barrett. She has been a consulting coach to both pairs teams. Blumberg answers questions about her Olympic experience below.

What Olympics did you participate in and in what event(s)?

1980 Lake Placid & 1984 Sarajevo in Figure Skating Ice Dancing

Have you been back to the host city? If so, what was that like for you (memories, experiences, etc.)?

I have been back to Lake Placid for several years running for Figure Skating events. It's still the small town it was and still the small shops that were there in 1980. I will always remember that arena which hosted the most memorable Olympic event for Americans -- The Miracle on Ice. It's heartwarming to see that they have tried to rebuild Sarajevo after the war. People were incredibly warm in 1984. I would really like to go back to revisit the country. I have...

Curtis Bacca shares more pics. This time, some behind the scenes on the aftermath of a Gold Medal.

The boys celebrating in the wax room after the Gold Medal run

Even a Gold Medalist needs to recharge

Stephen Colbert interviews Seth

Colbert tries on the U.S. Snowboarding Olympic jacket