Here comes the snow! Yee-haw! Where to go downhill skiing, xc skiing and snowshoeing

Big storm coming our way today and thru the weekend (courtesy NOAA) 

Brundage forecast today and tomorrow Winter Weather Advisory Woo-Hoo! 

Targhee has gotten a ton of snow in the last week ... 

Pomerelle Mountain Resort near Declo is opening on Friday

Anthony Lakes is looking good! They open Friday to season pass holders,
and on Saturday for the general public. 

Hi all,

I was watching the weather on the 10 p.m. news last night, and I heard Scott Dorval with KIVI-TV say that we should get 1-3 feet of snow in Idaho's Central Mountains in the next week! That put a smile on my face, I'll tell you what! It's been a bit of a slow start to the ski season, but now things are catching up! Bring it on!

Here's the latest information as of Thursday, Dec. 8th on ski area openings and conditions:

First, here are the resorts that are open now or plan to open this weekend:

• Sun Valley is open for top-to-bottom skiing on man-made and natural snow. Tickets are cheaper now than they will be all season. 16-inch base at the top and bottom with snow coming down as we speak. 
• Pomerelle Mountain Resort near Albion is opening Friday and will continue operations Saturday-Sunday with at least 80 percent of their terrain open for skiing and riding. Reporting a 12-inch base at the bottom and 16 inches at the top, with more snow coming today, tonight and tomorrow. 
• Anthony Lakes near Baker, OR, is opening Friday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for season pass holders and then it opens Saturday and Sunday for the general public. Reporting a 30-inch base. 
• Bogus Basin is opening Deer Point Chair and Showcase slopes Saturday, plus the beginner chair. They will open more terrain as new snow allows. Reporting a 21-inch base, and it's snowing as we speak. 
• Brundage Mountain is opening it's beginning hill, Easy Street, and the Bear Chair on Saturday, and may open up more terrain as new snow allows. Lots of backcountry skiers have been climbing Brundage to ski fresh *pow* while they wait for the Bluebird and Engen lifts to open the rest of the mountain. Reporting 13 inch base at the bottom and 16 inches on top, with lots of snow on the way. 
• Gateway Parks in Eagle Island State Park opens on Friday. They've got plenty of snow and lots of park features for folks to enjoy. 
• Grand Targhee opened last week, and they've been getting a ton of snow ever since. "Over 5 feet in 7 days," is the headline on the front page of their web site. If you've got it, you might as well flaunt it! Reporting a 60-inch base. 

Gateway parks at Eagle Island State Park opens tomorrow. 

Boise is supposed to get several inches of snow today, so I'm sure people will be out playing in the snow locally. Snow biking on foothills trails will be excellent until it warms up and starts raining tomorrow. 

Dog owners will be pleased to know that Ann Morrison Park and Esther Simplot Park are official off-leash areas for the winter months. See the off-leash dog areas on the Boise Parks & Recreation web site for more locations. 

You could go snowshoeing at Bogus Basin, Idaho City Park n' Ski Areas,
Ponderosa State Park or Bear Basin in McCall 

As for Nordic skiing and snowshoeing: 

• Bogus Basin is opening the Nordic highway on Saturday, and Sappers and other Nordic trails will be groomed for xc skiing. Stay tuned on snow bike trails. It may take a little more time to get those ready to roll. 
• Idaho City Park n' Ski area parking lots were plowed in the past week, so you could go xc skiing or snowshoeing in the Park n' Ski areas. The trails to Banner Ridge and Stargaze are best-marked, according to Idaho Parks and Recreation officials. As previously reported, none of the xc ski trails will be groomed this year because of the Pioneer Fire. 
• Pondersosa State Park in McCall has rolled a few of their trails including the dog loop and other trails near the trailhead. Park officials report they need another 9 inches of snow to run their groomer and open all of the terrain. But people are out xc skiing and snowshoeing today. 
• Bear Basin trails near McCall are open and signs are going up to prepare for the weekend. They're reporting an 8 inch base prior to the storms coming today, tomorrow and this weekend. 
• For people who like to go tubing, the Activity Barn in McCall will be opening on Friday, Nov. 9 in McCall. They'll have one tubing lane open on Friday, and more will open as snow permits. 

Enjoy this early Christmas gift of wonderful snow snow snow! Have fun!
- SS 

Where to play in the snow? Sun Valley is ready to roll, plus more ideas for the weekend

Carve the groomers at Sun Valley! Available now! 

Hi all,

We're starting to get just enough snow to go play in the mountains, but it's still not enough for most of the ski areas to open quite yet. Sun Valley is the exception with its world-class computerized snowmaking system. They opened top-to-bottom skiing yesterday -- that's 3,400 vertical feet of downhill skiing on man-made groomers to get your legs in shape. How about it?

If this sounds interesting, check out Sun Valley's lodging and specials page. I saw that they're offering a 25 percent discount on lodging and lift tickets between now and Dec. 15. I also saw that you can save 20 percent on lift tickets if you purchase them 7 days in advance ... that's $71 instead off an early-season rack rate of $89/day. Over the Christmas season, lift fees will be $133 without discount. Wow! Get there early and enjoy the discounts! Stay at the Sun Valley Lodge and soak up the history.

Before I go into more recommendations for the weekend, I wanted to recommend stopping by Idaho Mountain Touring in downtown Boise this evening (Thursday, Dec. 1) for their 32nd annual anniversary party, featuring the crew of Wide Eye Productions and Tim Woodward who will sign copies of "Idaho the Movie 2;" Kevin Everett, who will be signing copies of a new running guide; and I'll be there selling Boise Trail Guides at a Christmas-season discount price of $15.95, 20% off the normal price. The event runs from 5:30 to 8 p.m. with free beer and snacks. Conservation groups will be there this evening as well.

Boise Trail Guide: 90 Hiking & Running Routes Close to Home, features tons of trails close to Boise, the Owyhee Canyonlands, and Boise National Forest. It'll keep you busy for several years of hiking, with a huge selection of easy, moderate, strenuous and epic hiking/running adventures. See you there.

Back to alpine skiing, Bogus Basin (9 inches at the base) and Brundage Mountain (20 inches at the summit; 12 inches at the base) are hoping for more storms before they can open. Hopefully we get hit hard this weekend. Bogus is making snow to accelerate the opening. Tamarack Resort (18 inches at the top) reported that they're opening their bunny hill this weekend, operating Saturday and Sunday. They also have snow-making machines.

While we wait for more snow, you might want to go find your own adventure in the mountains:

• Toss your snow boots, snowshoes or xc skis in the car, go up to the snow in the Boise, Payette or Sawtooth National Forest (above 5,000 feet) and go boot-hiking, snowshoeing or xc skiing, depending on depth of snow.  
• I saw a lot of people goofing around on 6 inches of snow on the way to Bogus in the last week ... some were sledding, others snowboarding and skiing. 

  

  Fat biking on Deer Pt. Service Road 

• Go fat biking in the snow. I'd recommend the Deer Point Service Road on the way to Bogus, the Boise Ridge Road, Middle Fork Payette River Road, forest roads around Idaho City, and areas outside the fire-closure area between Idaho City and Lowman. Even the Eastside Trail might work between Bogus and the trailhead on a fat bike. Other areas around Tamarack or Brundage would work, too. Jug Mountain Ranch has the best fat biking trails in Valley County but I'm not sure if they have enough snow yet. 
• Go hiking/biking/running on Boise Foothills trails. There was almost a traffic jam in Military Reserve today. Everyone seemed to have the same idea to get out for a lunchtime run, bike ride or hike on the dirt. The low- and mid-level trails in the foothills are clear of snow. Dress in layers for cold weather. 

  

  Check out the deep pow at Targhee! Pic taken today. (courtesy Grand Targhee)

• Make your reservations to ski/ride Grand Targhee. They opened today with a 55 inch base at the summit. Look at how much powder they had today! Oh baby! 
• Bruneau Dunes State Park would be a great place to hike around on a weekend like this when it's cool. 
• I saw a nice outdoor feature story on staying at rental cabins at Three Island State Park in the Twin Falls Times-News. Check it out! 
• I also saw a great summary of Soldier Mountain's new offerings in the winter of 2016-17 under new ownership. They're having a season pass party tomorrow night. Check it out!

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I also wanted to mention a first-time event happening in mid-December at Brundage Mountain ... it's a world-class mountaineering event called the “Northwest Passage Ski Mountaineering Race,” co-sponsored by the McCall Winter Sports Club and the United States Ski Mountaineering Association on Dec. 16-17. 

On Friday, Dec. 16, racers will compete in a 520-meter "vertical race," starting at 4:00 pm at the base of Brundage's 45^th Parallel ski run and finishes at the top of Engen. This event is open to local skiers and elite racers.  

On Saturday, Dec. 17, elite racers will tackle a 12.9-mile uphill/downhill course that includes six climbs covering a total of 6400 vertical feet. Recreational racers will compete in a 7.3-mile route with four climbs and 3860 feet of elevation gain. Both courses begin at the base of Brundage Mountain with an uphill climb to the Lakeview Bowl area, which will be the site of the first transition to downhill skiing. From there, competitors will climb back out of the Lakeview area, and leave the ski area boundary en route to the summit of Sargents Mountain. There, racers will complete additional climbs and descents in the Sargents bowl before finishing at the base of Hidden Valley.

 

If you'd like to sign up for the Northwest Passage Ski Mountaineering Race, go to the Brundage web site.  Volunteers are needed to help with the race as well. Contact Jim Pace if you'd like to volunteer at mccallboater@gmail.com.

Have fun!
- SS

Weather forecast calls for big *pow* in Central Idaho this weekend; 24-36'' expected

Should be tons of fresh *pow* this weekend. Go get it! (Courtesy Brundage Mountain) 

Hi all,

Well, it's been warm and rainy this week, but now the temperatures are beginning to cool down -- just in time to lay down a fresh layer of powder snow for happy skiers this weekend. Indeed, Christmas is coming early for the powder hounds!

Scott Dorval on KIVI-TV has been tracking the storms and predicting 6-12 inches of new snow from the storms on Thursday, more snow Friday and Saturday, and then 10-18 inches on Saturday night and Sunday. Are you getting excited yet? I am! That's 20-37 inches of new snow forecast from Thursday - Sunday. Woo hoo!

The most snow is forecast for Brundage, Tamarack Resort and Bogus Basin. Sun Valley is supposed to get some new snow, but not more than a couple of inches a day. I heard they had 4 inches of new just this morning.

Brundage will be in full operation on Friday, with all chairs running and 100 percent of the terrain open. Tamarack is opening the whole mountain for the first time on Friday, so there will be lots of fresh snow to ski there. It's not clear what slopes will be open specifically, so check their web site for updates. Sun Valley has been open since Thanksgiving It offers top-to-bottom groomed runs that are guaranteed to burn your quads because the slopes are SO long ... more than 3,000 verts!

Personally, I'm going to head up to McCall because I think there will be the most powder there, and I have a place to stay at our Cozy Cabin in McCall. Look for early-season lodging deals in McCall and Sun Valley. You can pick up stay-and-ski packages for great prices! Sometimes you have to pick up the phone to get the best deals ... especially in McCall.

I'm not sure if Bogus Basin will be open this weekend or not. There is no indication on their web site. I couldn't get an answer on the phone this afternoon. So maybe there will be an announcement on Friday ...

If you're interested in going backcountry skiing this weekend, I'd be cautious about that. Check on avalanche conditions before you go ...

The Idaho City Park n' Ski Areas should be fine for snowshoeing this weekend. No grooming is happening yet, so the xc skiing would be marginal, especially after all the rain mid-week. Monitor the snow conditions line for more information: 208-514-2423.
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I've been contacted by quite a few folks who want to buy my outdoor books for Christmas gifts, and they'd like to get their books signed. So, I have set up a special book-signing event on Saturday, Dec. 19th, beginning at 11 a.m. at the Capital City Market Annex in Vista Village. There will be live music and wine-tasting going on at the same time.

I'll have my outdoor guidebooks with me, and I also will have plenty of copies of "Idaho Microbes: How tiny single-celled organisms can harm, or save, our world."

Idaho Microbes is a brand new 268-page full-color book that features 10 chapters, or "eco-adventures," as my editor puts it, taking readers on a virtual journey to learn about a particular big-picture environmental or human health issue, and then learn about how the magical powers of microbes are helping solve the issue or make it worse. The whole project was a really fun learning experience for me.

In the case of the beer chapter, yeast is the magical ingredient that leads to the unique taste of a beer, among other things. In a chapter on "Guzzling Crude," naturally occurring microbes consume an oil spill below a Nampa gas station. In the chapter on white pine blister-rust, I show how the exotic fungus is combining with mountain pine beetles to kill off our whitebark pine trees in the rooftops of the mountains of Idaho. Fortunately, there are solutions to save our whitebark pines.

Anyway, the book is proving to be very popular so far! Idaho Microbes retails for $29.95. It's available at Rediscovered Books, the Boise State bookstore, Discovery Center of Idaho, and SteveStuebner.com,  
-- SS

Hit the groomers at Sun Valley, check for best lodging deals; plus beer bus to Brundage

Perfect corduroy for carving turns ... 

What happened to those nice wool ski sweathers? 

Great views of the Pioneer Mountains ... 

Groomers galore in Sun Valley! 

Hi all,

It's looking like another weekend where we're going to have a fresh dusting of snow in the mountains, including Brundage, Sun Valley and Tamarack, and then sunshine on Sunday. Could be a good time to hit the slopes!

I've been hearing great things about the conditions on Bald Mountain in Sun Valley. They have a very sophisticated computerized snow-making system that dishes out new snow overnight, and Sun Valley's groomers smooth it out for some ego-boosting turns. No obstacles to worry about. No potato rows between the groomer paths.

I love the feeling of being on top of Bald Mountain, taking in the splendor of the surrounding mountains, and then zooming down College or Ridge to the mid-mountain chair. Maybe Christmas Bowl is skiable? That's a hoot. You also can go top-to-bottom on Warm Springs, experiencing the full 3,300-foot vertical foot plunge to the bottom, and feel your thighs burn with every turn as you cruise downhill. Seattle Ridge is another place to let it rip on wide groomed runs. The challenge is to pace yourself so you've got enough strength and energy to put in a full day ... even after a full half-day, your legs might feel zapped.

When you're skiing downhill, feel your edges carve on the snow. The Sun Valley slopes are perfect for this. Open up your speed and ride the edges of your skis. The faster you go, the more you'll feel the beauty of the carving turn. Make big arcs with your edges, stay on top of your skis, meaning keep your weight forward, and let the skis carve the snow.

The big challenge with Sun Valley is to find discounted lift tickets and affordable lodging. Ski-and-stay packages are a great way to save money. The best deal offered by Sun Valley today is $162/night for a stay-and-ski package for two. Considering that day tickets cost $109, that's a pretty good deal! But there are lots of other stay-and-ski packages available. Try the Ketchum-Sun Valley Chamber for their deals, and InIdaho, too.

Another way to save money on Sun Valley lift tickets is to buy them online in advance. 

On Saturday, there's a beer bus that's heading up to Salmon River Brewery in McCall for a quick beer tasting and brunch. Then they're hitting the slopes at Brundage for the day, and capping it all off with a big feast and wonderful craft beer at Salmon River Brewery. Kate McGuire of K-106 is organizing the trip, and they still have a few openings. Cost is $81 per person. There are a total of 45 spots available. See Kate University Brew Bus for more information or to book your seat.   

There's some rain/snow in the forecast for the Boise Valley on Friday and Saturday, so that may muck up the trails in the Boise Foothills. I've been enjoying the trails this week, and it's been so GREAT to be out there on our wonderful trail system. Please watch the Ridge to Rivers web site and Facebook page for the most updated information on trail conditions this weekend.

If conditions are wet, my recent blog on exploring Marianne Williams Park and the Eagle Greenbelt are great alternatives where you can't go wrong.
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Check out this YouTube video that I took earlier today, mountain biking the Sidewinder-Fat Tire-Trail #5 Loop with my pointer Huck. It's so much fun to watch him fly through the sagebrush, especially when we're going downhill. So I brought the GoPro today and got some footage. You might like the biking footage too!

Bounce back into winter mode, search for the best *pow*; Look for great stay-and-ski deals

Fresh turns in nice powder puts a smile on your face! (Courtesy Brundage Mountain) 

Skier shreds 7 inches of new at Brundage today. (Courtesy Brundage Mountain)

Hi all, 

I've been having a great time playing in the Boise Foothills lately, but with the cool and wet weather happening now and through the weekend, you might as well bounce back into winter-mode and go skiing this weekend. Are your skis waxed for speed? 

The weather forecast looks really promising for powder hounds at Brundage Mountain, Tamarack Resort, Bogus Basin and the West-Central Mountains, in particular. There isn't as much snow forecast for Sun Valley and Stanley, but there are some great lodging deals cooking in Sun Valley. More about that in a moment. 

Holy Powder Handstands, it is bombing snow in McCall! Brundage received 7 inches of new today, and it's nice, light snow with temperatures hovering around 20 degrees F. Damn! Shoulda been there today! They could get 8-14 inches Friday, 4-8 inches Saturday and 2-4 inches on Sunday, according to the National Weather Service. All told, that could be 14-26 inches over the weekend! The great snow god Ullr is looking kindly upon Brundage. Wow! 

Bogus got 5 inches of new today (Thursday), and it could get another 10-20 inches of snow by Sunday morning, according to the National Weather Service. I also see "rain/snow" mix at times on Friday and Saturday, so I hope you can avoid that. But there should be a steady dose of new storms rolling in and dumping snow Friday and Saturday. Watch the weather, Bogus' web cams and catch the best powder window that you can. 

Tamarack Resort also is going to get dumped on, with 10-21 inches forecast through Sunday. 

The forecast for Sun Valley calls for 3-6 inches of new snow through Sunday. But if you don't like skiing in a lot of powder, then Sun Valley might be the right call. It's a huge mountain with tons of great slopes, finely manicured groomers and plenty of challenge in the Baldy Bowls and bump runs like Holiday, Exhibition and Limelight. 

Best of all, you can save a ton of money on lift tickets by doing a combo stay-and-play package. Right now, you can stay overnight and ski a day at Baldy for $65/night, and kids 15 and under ski free! Contact VisitSunValley to book a room. 

McCall has some excellent lodging deals going on as well. Visit the McCall Chamber of Commerce's stay-and-play lodging page, and you'll see some package deals with lift tickets to Tamarack and Brundage ranging from $63.50/night to $90 a night and more. 

---------------------------------

Sagebrush and bitterbrush planting efforts improve habitat
 for mule deer, song birds and other wildlife. 

Closer to home, there are a couple of volunteer opportunities going on this weekend. Mary Dudley of Idaho Fish and Game could use more volunteers for planting sagebrush and bitterbrush in the Pony fire complex area north of Mountain Home on Saturday. People are meeting at the Nature Center at IDFG on Walnut Street at 8 a.m. Dress warm for foul weather, bring a lunch and water. Call Mary to RSVP if you'd like to go, 208-327-7099. There's another planting day planned April 5th, if you'd rather not plant in rainy weather. 

On Friday afternoon, Mike Pellant from the Healthy Hills Initiative in Eagle needs 10-15 more volunteers to plant forbs at the Eagle Sports complex near Floating Feather and old Horseshoe Bend Road from 3-7 p.m. They have 1,300 forbs to plant in a native plant education area. Call Mike for more information or to let him know you'd like to help, 208-867-1571.  

Head for high country to find snow; plan a road trip to go skiing in Sun Valley or Grand Targhee

Skate skiing at Galena is perfect right now ... they never got any rain. Yay! 

Galena Lodge as of Sunday. They have snow in spades! (Courtesy Galena Lodge)

Grand Targhee ... dig it! 

Hi all,


The weekly outdoor tips are back from yours truly.

Winter is getting a slow start because of the warm weather and rain we've had in the lower elevations, but above 6,500-foot elevation, there is quite a bit of snow accumulating.

"Tell them to head to the high country," says Ron Abramovich, snow survey supervisor for the Natural Resources Conservation Service. "Snow starts accumulating around 6,500 feet in the Boise Basin, and it gets deep fast as you increase in elevation. Trinity and Atlanta Summit SNOTEL sites have about 50 inches of snow on the ground. In the Payette basin, the Deadwood site has the most snow in the state with 83 inches of snow on the ground."

Wow! It'd be nice to have a snowmobile or your own personal snowcat to reach those spots ...

If you'd like to go play in the snow this weekend, here's what I'd recommend:

• For cross-country skiing, head for Galena Lodge, north of Sun Valley. They've got more than 48 inches by the parking lot, and lots of kilometers open for Nordic skiing. There's a FREE demo day going on Saturday, and a race Sunday. Trail passes cost $10 Saturday, and kids under 12 ski or snowshoe for free. "We've got so much snow it's ridiculous," said David, who answered the phone this afternoon. Note the picture above! Their conditions are stellar.  
• For snowshoeing, Galena Lodge would be great, or if you're heading for Cascade or McCall, you could try Big Creek Summit on the way to Warm Lake or drive up Lick Creek Road until you run into snow and make your own adventure. Leo Hennessy is leading an Idaho Outdoors trip at Big Creek Summit on Saturday. See the Idaho Outdoors Yahoo Group to learn how to sign up. 
• Another possibility for xc skiing and snowshoeing would be the Harriman Trail, north of Ketchum and Sun Valley. The Harriman trail is reportedly open from the Sawtooth NRA to Galena Lodge. That's an easy-going trail that winds along the Big Wood River. Great place to go. 
• For downhill skiing, the best bets right now appear to be at Sun Valley and Grand Targhee. We're talking road trip! I saw a great video of people power skiing at Sun Valley last weekend that made me really jealous. Look for stay-and-play deals at Sun Valley to save money. I saw one package for $79.50 per person (lift ticket and lodging). See more here.
• At Grand Targhee, which is reporting a 57-inch base right now, you can book 4 nights lodging and ski free. More details here. Grand Targhee and Sun Valley are probably going to be VERY POPULAR at Christmas time.   
• Just so you know ... there isn't much snow yet at Mores Creek Summit. Just 6 inches. And the Idaho City Park n' Ski Areas need more snow, too. Leo said there isn't even enough snow yet to ski or snowshoe on the roads! 

There you have it! If you're wondering what's happening with yurt rentals in the Idaho City Park n' Ski Areas, tune in next week, I'll have more information then.

If you're stuck in town, the Ridge to Rivers Trails have been drying out after the rainstorms, and the trails that are most sandy are best to rely on. Be sure to check on the Ridge to Rivers web site to check on the current trail report.

Have fun!
- SS

Go mountain biking in Sun Valley this weekend; enjoy the Ride Sun Valley Bike Festival

Ride Sun Valley! (Courtesy Sun Valley Chamber)

The trails are amazingly smooth and contoured (Courtesy Sun Valley Chamber)

Post card views around every bend (Courtesy Sun Valley Chamber)

I love to ride through aspens ... this was in Lamb's Gulch in Croy Canyon

Part of our crew on the Little Basin-Big Basin ride near Stanley. Those young boys can ride!

Crossing Big Basin Creek is a bit chilly

Hi all,

Cycling enthusiasts are faced with a vexing choice this weekend -- do you stay in town to watch the Boise Twilight Criterium or head up to Sun Valley to participate in the Ride Sun Valley Bike Festival and watch the USA Cycling National Mountain Biking Cross-Country Championships?

That's a tough decision, but in my mind, the participatory-nature of the Sun Valley bike festival makes it a pretty easy choice that tips in favor of heading up to Sun Valley. Former Olympic road and mountain bike racer Greg Randolph, a.k.a. "Chopper," who is now heading up the Sun Valley Chamber of Commerce, has put together a super cool week of events for the bike festival. Maybe you've read Greg's advice column in Bike mag.

The Ketchum-Hailey-Sun Valley area has more than 400 miles of singletrack and 32 miles of paved trails. We know we're blessed in Boise with more than 200 miles of trails that stretch from Bogus Basin to the Greenbelt. Imagine if our trail system were doubled in size ... then maybe you can begin to imagine the huge sweep of trails that lace the mountains in the Wood River Valley. Check out an interactive trail guide produced by the Blaine County Recreation District and you'll be amazed.

But you have to experience it yourself to truly understand what a fantastic place it is to ride. I was up there last weekend for my son's baseball tournament, and I snuck away multiple times to ride some new trails west of Hailey in Croy Canyon and the Greenhorn-Mahoney Loop north of Hailey. We wrapped it all up with a gorgeous ride with four teenagers on the Little Basin-Big Basin Loop near Stanley on Sunday.

Chopper is making it easy this week by leading a series of show-me rides every day through Sunday. Here's the schedule for the weekend:

Friday, July 15

RIDE SUN VALLEY LOCAL STOKER - Departs at 9:00 a.m. Free to public space limited.

Cold Springs-Warm Springs. 16 miles, 2,400’ vertical, 3.5 hours. Ride from SV Visitor Center climb back side of Baldy via Cold Springs and rip around to the Warm Springs side via Warm Springs Trail. Apples BBQ awaits for riders at conclusion.

Saturday, July 16

RIDE SUN VALLEY LOCAL STOKER - Departs at 9:00 a.m. Free to public, space limited.

Easley Hot Springs aka Curly’s Trail. 11 miles, 1,500 feet, 2 hours. Break out your longer travel for one the valley’s classic brake warpers. Make two laps if you are feeling cheeky. Shuttle to and from Baker Creek.

Sunday, July 16

RIDE SUN VALLEY LOCAL STOKER - Departs 9:00 a.m. Free to public, space limited.

Fox Peak to Ketchum via East Fork Baker Creek. 22 miles, 2,100’+ vertical, 4.5+ hours. This is the mother of all Local Stokers! Strenuous, technical, long, hard, super awesome. Ride from Baker Creek back to Ketchum on over 22 miles of railer singletrack. Pack extra energy food.

The thing I love about riding in the Wood River Valley is that the trails twist through shady aspen groves, pine and fir forests, punctuated by wildflowers that are popping everywhere right now. It's postcard gorgeous around every bend. And the gradient of the trails is much more moderate than they are in the Boise Foothills, especially in the lower part of the rides. Many of the trails are pure butter-smooth singletrack, and they're a hoot to ride.

I rode the Fox Peak to Adams Gulch ride featured on Sunday for my book Mountain Biking Idaho, and that one is a truly a premium ride. It starts with a moderate climb up the Baker Creek Road, and East Fork Baker Road to one of my favorite ski huts of all time, the Tornak Hut and sauna, which looks out at a stunning display of the rocky Boulder Mountains. You ride a bit more toward Fox Peak, and then it's a wickedly fun downhill spanning several thousand vertical feet to Adams Gulch. Even if you can't do that ride Sunday, you have to do it sometime.

About 650 of the best mountain bikers across the nation are competing in the cross-country mountain bike races. Here is the schedule. Many of the events are located on Bald Mountain, including the downhill courses. You can check in on the action in the River Run area (the turnoff is just before you enter Ketchum on Idaho 75) and see where it might be best to watch your favorite event. The races run through Sunday.

If you have time, go home via Idaho 21 in Stanley and ride the Fisher-Williams Loop or Little Basin-Big Basin Loop a.k.a. "Potato Mountain Loop" on your way home. Both of those rides are a total blast.

To find a place to stay in the Wood River Valley this weekend, check here for the options that may work best for you. If you want to camp, there are many places north of Ketchum where you can pitch at tent or park your camper in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area. I camped in a no-fee dispersed campsite north of Baker Creek last weekend.

In Hailey, you have to stop at the Power House and have a beer and a sandwich. It's a unique spot because it's a bike shop, bar and restaurant all wrapped into one venue. They have wifi. I was in there last weekend doing some online work, and their password made me chuckle ... "beer&bike." That says it all!

Have fun!

- SS