their motto, “Our environment is our livelihood,” and are
making great strides to introduce robust environmental
sustainability initiatives.
Healthier forests
“We have been involved in the Healthy Forests Initiative
for a number of years,” said Kelli Lusk, public relations and
communications manager for Sun Valley Resort. “We also
are working with community members, the National Forest
Foundation, U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Man-agement
on ways we can collectively work together to main-tain
and improve forest health.”
Under the program this year, 18 acres of gladed skiing have
been added to Bald Mountain, bringing the total to 81 acres.
The Healthy Forests Initiative improves forest health by clear-ing
overstocked vegetation. Forest thinning decreases the
amount of fuel available for wildfires – an ongoing concern
with climate change. It can also reduce the occurrence of
invasive and harmful insects. The return on investment is a
healthier forest, reduced fire danger and improved terrain
for skiing.
Snow on the mountains
Snowmaking is a mainstay of any ski resort, ensuring qual-ity
conditions for guests throughout the season. Since 2014,
Sun Valley Resort has been replacing its Borax snowmaking
guns with high efficiency Rubis EVO models from TechnoAl-pin.
To date, 283 of the resort’s 578 guns have been replaced.
Through this incentive program with Idaho Power, the resort
has saved 1.6 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity per
year for the last several years. That’s enough to power 127
homes for a year.
Putting employees first
Affordable housing continues to be a challenge in most
mountain and resort communities as long-term rentals dis-appear
from the market. The Sun Valley Employee Housing
Project is helping to change that with the addition of spaces
that can accommodate more than 575 employees.
“We understand the importance of providing affordable
housing to our employees, especially with the long-term
housing options becoming more scarce and more expensive
in resort towns,” Lusk said. “These new buildings have com-mon
areas, free laundry, fitness center and host community
activities to really create a sense of home.”
The location of the new buildings makes it convenient for
employees to take the free shuttle service to town or to the
base areas, or go for a short walk to the Sun Valley Village.
The Wood River Bike Path and the Mountain Rides bus stop
are also within walking distance, encouraging less car use
and more human-powered and public transportation.
In keeping with the resort’s commitment to sustainability,
the new housing buildings (which replaced one built in the
1960s) comply with International Energy Conservation Code
standards for energy performance. Compliance includes low-emissivity
windows to prevent heat loss and gain, high effi-ciency
heating and cooling systems, high performance LED
RESORT PROFILE
All About Sun Valley Resort
Challenging terrain, one of the top snow
sports schools in the country, a sophisticated
snowmaking system, world-class grooming and
not one, but two mountains make Sun Valley
Resort an easy choice for ski and snowboard
enthusiasts, but it doesn’t stop there.
“The Sun Valley Village has dining, shopping,
lodging, a movie theatre, bowling, an outdoor
ice rink, two year-round outdoor heated pools,
two fitness centers and a 20,000 square foot
full-service spa with 15 treatment rooms,” said
Kelli Lusk, public relations and communications
manager at Sun Valley Resort. “We also have
a Nordic center with 40 kilometers of expertly
groomed cross-country skiing trails, snowshoeing
and fat tire biking. We offer horse-drawn sleigh
rides during the day and evening sleigh rides to
the historic Trail Creek Cabin for dinner.”
While it has a prestigious reputation as a ski
destination, Sun Valley is a four-season resort.
“It may sound surprising that the summer season
is actually busier for us than the winter,” Lusk
said. “But we have so many cultural events,
art galleries, dining and outdoor activities that
anytime is really a great time to visit.”
Lusk says Sun Valley Resort’s Idaho location is
appealing for visitors from near and far.
“We are much easier to get to than some
people realize, with non-stop flights from six
major cities and free public transportation
once you get to the resort. We also provide a
free shuttle from and to the airport for guests
staying at Sun Valley Resort,” Lusk said.
Sun Valley Resort remains independently-owned
and operated by the Holdings family of
Salt Lake City, Utah. They also own Snowbasin in
Utah, the Grand America Hotel and Resort and
Little America Hotel in Salt Lake City, Westgate
Hotel in San Diego and Little America hotels in
Arizona and Wyoming.
“We’re truly focused on providing a high-quality
experience for all of our visitors in all seasons,”
Lusk said. “Our commitment to customer
service, our efforts to constantly improve our
facilities and our dedication to environmental
sustainability make us confident we’ll remain as
one of America’s most loved destinations.”
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