What a treat. We had some final things to do to make the pad feel like home, so we did the two-day trek from Sonoma (thanks again Elko for your hospitality), and spent Thanksgiving in Sun Valley. That means, opening day on the mountain. It’s a long way from skiing the Bowls or doing “T to B’s” down Warm Springs, but to our beginning set of skiers, it could have been a powder day in the Lizard Range. The 619 feet of vertical wore out my 11-year-old in four runs, although I had to drag my 1st-timer off the Kinderspielplatz (aka Magic Carpet run).
It was a bit nostalgic for me, as we geared up for a day of skiing at the condo, and made my old trek, out the sideyard, past the Tyrolean Lodge and across the Riven Run parking lot. The kids asked if we could drive, which is definitely possible, but you’re just driving around the block to the parking lot, and we’ve done the River Run march so many times now, that they didn’t even argue when I said “no.”
I imagine that if we’re here for an extended ski trip, we’ll make the walk and then check our skis and boots at the base after each day ($4 for skis and $4 for boots that they attach to boot dryers). We’ll see. We never checked in our skis in the old days.
River Run is a great base operation, with a huge lodge, a full bar, roaring fireplaces, great dining, a top-notch rental and retail shop, and ski school. Live music for après on weekends. I think it’s as good as ski-in, ski-out, but without all those obnoxious condos lining the ski slopes, taking away from the beauty of the hill.
The best news is that the kids were begging to go again the next day. Sun Valley 2016-2017 is underway. Let it snow. Let it snow.
