It’s a wonderful
time of the year!
Sun Valley shines
with
Christmas tradition
By GREGORY
FOLEY
Express Staff Writer
As the nation’s
oldest destination ski resort, Sun Valley abounds with tradition, and at no time
is that more evident than during the Christmas holiday season.
After days skiing
on the sun-splashed slopes of Bald Mountain, holiday revelers by the hundreds
retreat to Sun Valley’s quaint village for a horse-drawn sleigh ride, fireside
aperitif, or an elegant banquet in the majestic Sun Valley Lodge.
Days off from
skiing prompt cross country ski trips to historic Trail Creek Cabin, shopping in
ornamented boutiques, and casual strolls to Ketchum past the famed "Red
Barn" at the city’s western entrance.
However, for many
visitors and residents alike, one long-standing Sun Valley tradition stands
above them all: the Christmas Eve festivities at Sun Valley Lodge.
"It’s a
gathering for the holiday spirit," said Jack Sibbach, marketing and public
relations director for Sun Valley Resort. "It attracts not only the guests
of the resort, but also the locals and their kids. It has become a tradition for
a lot of families, an event where they can spend some time to really focus on
Christmas."
The Christmas Eve
celebration this year will begin with a gathering at 5 p.m. on the terrace of
the Lodge, across from the resort’s outdoor ice rink.
At approximately
5:30 p.m., carolers from the Utah State University Drama Department will perform
for the crowd, followed some 10 minutes later by the resort’s "Christmas
on Ice" show on the outdoor rink.
At approximately
6 p.m., members of the Sun Valley Ski School will lead an extraordinary
torchlight parade down the snow-covered slopes of Bald Mountain. To cap off the
parade, a fireworks display will light the sky over Bald Mountain, Ketchum and
Sun Valley.
After the last
flare is launched, Santa will arrive at the ice rink on his sleigh and hand out
candy canes to the children.
The evening will
conclude after guests are invited to skate on the ice rink that made Norwegian
Olympian Sonja Henie a figure-skating film star.
For many, the
Christmas Eve celebrations at the Sun Valley Lodge not only elicit a genuine
image of Christmas in the Rocky Mountains, but also embody the essence of what
Christmas traditions are really all about.
"It’s been
a long time this tradition has been going on," Sibbach said. "People
have been gathering there at the ice rink on Christmas Eve since 1937."
He added:
"For me, and I think for many people who are quite busy during the
holidays, that’s when Christmas begins."
Sibbach said many
Sun Valley Lodge guests have returned to the resort year after year to celebrate
Christmas in and around Sun Valley.
"We have
some people who have come back to the Lodge for 45 years, and now they bring
their kids and their grandkids," he said. "It’s part of their
tradition."
Following the
Christmas Eve festivities outdoors, many guests head upstairs in the Lodge for a
sumptuous holiday dinner in the Lodge Dining Room, Sibbach noted.
"We have
some people who have had dinner there every Christmas Eve for 30 or 40
years."
In addition,
other Sun Valley traditions will continue this year throughout the holiday
season.
Starting the
weekend of Dec. 21, Sun Valley will offer daily sleigh rides and sleigh
ride-dinner combinations. Sleighs will take guests to Trail Creek Cabin for
lunch or dinner, with nightly departures typically at 6, 7 and 8 p.m.—plus
additional trips on certain days.
(If warm, dry
weather conditions prevail through the holidays, hay rides will be offered in
lieu of sleigh rides, Sibbach noted.)
Starting Friday,
Dec. 20, the historic Roundhouse restaurant on Bald Mountain—the ski mountain’s
original day lodge—will open for daily lunch service.
From Dec. 16 to
Dec. 30, the Utah State carolers will serenade holiday visitors throughout Sun
Valley’s main village and its restaurants, as they have done for decades.
For additional
information about Christmas Eve events and other holiday activities in Sun
Valley, call Sun Valley Resort at 622-2001 or 622-2097.