Global Adventure - Nordic Ski in Idaho's Iconic Sun Valley

The trip starts on Feb 15 and ends on Feb 22 at our rented house (6 miles north of Ketchum).  Drive from Seattle (approx. 660 miles each way - carpooling encouraged!) or  fly into Hailey.  Note that the airport in Hailey is frequently closed in the winter due to weather, so if you choose to fly you, the airline may bus you to Hailey from the closest open airport !

Itinerary Highlights:  Join us in skiing across some of the best-groomed, sunlit ski trails the West has to offer, for 8-20 miles a day with 300-800 ft. in elevation gains.  Each day we will chose the best trail based on weather conditions and ski trail grooming reports.  There are about 124 miles of expertly groomed ski trails between Ketchum and Alturas Lake from which to choose.  We will ski on a variety of terrain ranging in difficulty from easy to challenging.  Depending on the trail and conditions on the day, one can choose to either classic or skate ski.  Areas we may ski include Galena, Prairie Creek, Baker Creek, North Fork, Harriman Trail, Sun Valley Nordic Center, and Alturas Lake.

Time of Year:  Winter

Lodging: Our rented house is ideally located between Ketchum and our trailheads, and has a hot tub, 4 shared bedrooms and 3 baths.  It’s on an easy groomed trail for those that want a low key or rest day.  Ketchum is a fun town for exploring or dining when you don’t want to cook.

Food: Three group meals will be provided at our rented house, participants will pack most of their own lunches, and you can cook other meals in our kitchen.  Ketchum is close, and provides many restaurant options.

Leader’s Experience: Co-leaders are Cindy Hoover (cyn@zipcon.com) and Cheri Solien  (csolien@gmail.com) . Cindy has led Mountaineer ski trips for over twenty years and has instructed for the Seattle Branch’s Nordic Ski Courses for a similar period.  This will be the 4th Global Adventure she has led.   Cheri is a member of the Mountaineers’ Tacoma Branch and is a XC Ski and Hike Leader.  She lived in Anchorage, AK  where she x-c skied for over 20 years.  Both leaders have previously cross country skied in Sun Valley.

Participant Requirements:  Must be a Mountaineers member with an up to date waiver on file. Participants need to have strong intermediate cross country skills, the ability to control speed on relatively steep and long descents, and  the endurance to ski for a full day, for several days in a row.  It is assumed that you will provide your own gear, though it is probably possible to rent gear in Ketchum.  The trip requires that you have skis narrow enough to fit into groomed tracks.

Trip Price Detail:  $1100, which includes lodging, 3 group home-cooked meals, and all trail passes.  Not included are other meals, and transportation to and from Ketchum (flights to Hailey are $700-800 and you may need to pay for a cab to get to our rented house).  Note that when the Hailey airport is closed due to weather, the airline will fly to the next closest city and bus you to Hailey.   Skiers are expected to help with the cost of getting to trailheads if they are passengers in other group members' cars.

Registration Instructions:  First please submit the application form which will automatically be sent to the leader.   After the leader’s approval, go to the trip listing and click the REGISTER button to pay the 50% deposit and hold your space on the roster.   A place on the roster can only be held with payment of the deposit. The second and final payment of $550 will be due November 22, 2019.

Application     Trip Agreement     Release

Cancellation Policy: If you cancel because of an emergency, you may receive a refund less expenses incurred and a $100 administrative fee.