By Mike McKenna
On December 21, 1936, the dream finally became a reality.
Averell Harriman, the chairman of Union Pacific Railroad, wanted to create a European-style ski resort in America. Not something like the raw and rugged ski hills of the Northeast, but, rather, a true destination resort like those found in the Alps.
He hired a rather larger-than-life Austrian named Count Schaffgotsch to find the ideal place in America. After traveling all over the West on planes, trains, sleighs, dogsleds and skis, the good Count still couldn’t find the perfect spot.
Luckily for Harriman—and for those of us who love to ski Sun Valley—just as the Count was set to report that his mission had failed, he caught a break. Some folks from Idaho got word of the search and recommended the cozy old mining and sheepherding areas of Ketchum and Hailey.
The Count came, and as soon as he got off the train, it was love at first sight—something many of us can also relate to.
Naturally, the history of ski racing in Sun Valley is as rich and as impressive as anyplace in the country. In many ways, ski racing in America really started here, in the heart of the mountains of Idaho where the world’s first chairlift was invented. And Gretchen Fraser was the matriarch.
Born in Washington State, Gretchen moved to Sun Valley to pursue skiing and to train with the best in the nation. Gretchen excelled and became the first American to win an Olympic gold medal in the sport. She took the top spot at the 1948 Winter Games in St. Moritz, Switzerland.
Gretchen’s win would pave the way for generations of local women who would hone their skills at Sun Valley—skills that led to international success.
Susie Corrock took home bronze at the downhill in Sapporo, Japan, in 1972. Christin Cooper earned silver at the 1984 Games in Sarajevo, of Boznia and Herzegovina. Picabo Street brought silver home from Lillehammer, Norway, in 1994 and gold from Nagano, Japan, in 1998. Muffy Davis earned bronze at the 1998 Paralympics Games in Nagano and three silvers at the 2002 Paralympics in Salt Lake City. Kaitlyn Farrington took home a snowboarding gold from Sochi, Russia, in 2014.
From the 1930s until 1977, Sun Valley was the mecca of the nation’s ski scene, hosting the annual Harriman Cup (which will return this year), the Hahnenkamm of America, and U.S National and World Cup races regularly.
“Ski racing is in the blood here,” Christin Cooper said back in 2016, when the U.S. Nationals returned for the first big ski race in Idaho in decades.
The 2025 Audi FIS Ski World Cup Finals is bringing the top 25 male and female skiers back to Baldy for the first time in nearly 50 years. From the slopes to the city streets, the Wood River Valley is once again going to be the hottest ski scene on the planet. Just like it used to be.
You can find about everything going on during the World Cup by visiting the Hailey Welcome Center or ValleyChamber.org.
