For the week of October 15 - 21, 2003

Sun Valley 13th in
Skiing magazine survey

For steeps and parties,
Sun Valley not in Top 10

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Skiing magazine’s Top 25

Whistler/Blackcomb, B.C.
Alta/Snowbird, Utah
Jackson Hole, Wyo.
Vail, Colo.
Squaw Valley, Calif.
Mammoth, Calif.
Big Sky, Mont.
Aspen, Colo.
Fernie, B.C.
Telluride, Colo.
Steamboat, Colo.
Crystal Mountain, Wash.

13) Sun Valley, Idaho
14) Park City, Utah
15) Snowbasin, Utah
22) Breckenridge, Colo.
25) Arapahoe Basin, Colo.

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By GREGORY FOLEY
Express Staff Writer

For the second time this fall, Sun Valley has been named by a national skiing publication as one of North America’s best ski resorts.

In its forthcoming November issue, Skiing magazine will feature Sun Valley in an article that lists the Top 25 ski resorts in the United States and Canada.

Pursuant to a survey of magazine readers and professional skiers, Skiing editors ranked Sun Valley 13th among all ski areas on the continent. Whistler/Blackcomb ski resort in British Columbia placed first in the reader survey.

Skiing editors said the 2nd annual Top 25 survey ranked the ski resorts according to "what matters most: steeps, powder and parties." The "Top 25 Spots" rankings, they said, were compiled by surveying a combination of more than 1,000 readers and professional skiers asked to consider statistics pertaining to ski area elevations, vertical drops, snowfall, skiable acres, bars and restaurants.

"No one is more qualified to name the best place to ski than the best skiers," said Perkins Miller, editor-in-chief of Skiing. "That is why we turn to our readers and well-traveled pros."

Sun Valley is often praised for its luxurious lodges and state-of-the-art snowmaking system, but is not typically recognized for its natural snow conditions or steep, double-diamond slopes.

In the October issue of Ski magazine, Sun Valley was ranked seventh in North America, above such revered ski-industry competitors as Park City, Utah, Telluride, Colo., and Aspen, Colo.

Skiing and Ski magazines are both Colorado-based publications of Mountain Sports Media, which is a subsidiary of media giant Time Warner Inc.

In the Skiing survey, Sun Valley was ranked in between two of its primary Rocky Mountain region competitors. Jackson Hole, Wyo., known for its abundant snow and steep terrain, placed third overall. Park City, Utah, a resort area often hailed for its excellent powder snow, placed 14th.

 

The Idaho Mountain Express is distributed free to residents and guests throughout the Sun Valley, Idaho resort area community. Subscribers to the Idaho Mountain Express will read these stories and others in this week's issue.