Sun Valley: America's First Destination Ski Resort

The whole idea behind Sun Valley is luxury and exclusivity. In the 1930s W. Averell Harriman, the head of the Union Pacific Railroad, was looking to start a ski resort conveniently located near a railroad line. The resort was meant to be a destination resort in the tradition of European ski destinations like Chamonix. To help in his quest, he appropriated the Austrian Count Felix Schaffgotsch to search the West. Schaffgotsch rejected sites that have since become famous in their own rights - Aspen, Jackson Hole, Lake Tahoe - in favor of the mining town of Ketchum, Idaho. The term Sun Valley was coined to encompass the entire valley, including the town of Ketchum and other towns like Hailey.

Since its inception, Sun Valley has been a rustically sophisticated location offering the most modern of amenities, including the invention of the chairlift in 1938. Averell designated a Streamliner train, "The City of Los Angeles," to run daily, bringing high-powered celebrities like Gary Cooper, Ingrid Bergman, and Clark Gable to the valley. Ernest Hemingway was a long time resident of the Sun Valley area, and wrote most of For Whom the Bell Tolls within its confines. Schaffgotsch chose Sun Valley because of its light, dry powder (the best for skiing), challenging slopes, exposure to the sun, and the majestic Sawtooth mountains to the north that served as protection. The celebrities chose Sun Valley because they could get away from the press of crowds and the insanity of Hollywood.