By Mike McKenna
The best advice I’ve ever been given about living in a ski town came from my boss at the time, a short, fiery, legendary local named Mark Fisher.
“The only way you’re ever going to be happy living in a ski town is if you occasionally take a vacation and don’t go anywhere,” Fisher said from across the pickup window at the Sun Valley Brewing Company and Café in Hailey—where I was bartending during my first go-round in the Wood River Valley.
“Sometimes you’ve got to play tourist, too, and remember why you live here,” explained Fisher, who had a head and face full of dirty blond hair and who tragically passed away while driving down one of the old, dusty Idaho mountain roads he loved so much.
As he handed over a homemade wurst plate for a patron, he sternly stated, “Otherwise, you’re gonna be miserable and nobody wants to be around somebody who’s miserable. Got it?!”
Fisher then told me to take the next week off—paid, of course—because that’s the kind of generous guy he was. He basically ordered me to take what we now call a “staycation”—although he’d probably never use that term, at least not without putting the word “damn” in front of it. He told me to pretend that I, much like many of the people I regularly served, was a “touron,” too. And that’s exactly what I did, specifically because Fisher (who had forearms that Popeye would be jealous of and was an acclaimed big game bow hunter) wasn’t the type of guy who took “no” for an answer.
For the next seven days I was lucky enough to enjoy the playground that we call home.
And since the Wood River Valley is home to the country’s first destination ski resort, it naturally offers all kinds of magical places to go outside to play no matter what season it is. While I’ll always love some of the other resorts I’ve had the blessing of calling home for a while, like Taos and the eastern Sierra’s Mammoth Mountain, Sun Valley will always be my favorite.
As I often hear when shooting the breeze with locals, second homeowners or folks making a sojourn in Sun Valley, there’s something magical about this place (actually, there are numerous things: world-class skiing, hiking, mountain biking, fly fishing, food, art galleries, culture, mountain views, plus it’s a great place to raise kids).
But it’s easy to forget all this when you’re just another overworked ski town local trying to survive. For all the beauty and glory, it can be tough to make it in most ski towns—living in paradise requires some sacrifices.
That’s why Fisher’s order/advice to stop and literally smell the roses—or the fresh snow or the squirmy fish or the blooming sagebrush or my own sweat while hiking or biking in this breathtaking place—is the best I’ve ever been given. And one any ski town local could make good use of: “Take a damn staycation!”
Sun Valley Brewery is located at 202 North Main Street in Hailey and is open Mondays through Fridays. April is Idaho Craft Brewers Month. Celebrate it locally at Sun Valley Brewery, Warfield Brewery or at either Sawtooth Brewery location.