Can I Create a Gay Ski Tour in Sun Valley?
Snowboarding has always been among my favorite sports, so when hearing that our post familiarization trip, for the Go West Summit, would be in Sun Valley, I was ecstatic. Mountain sports are a great way to take advantage of cold snowy winters, which otherwise can be painfully miserable. This is why I am looking to create a gay luxury ski adventure for HE Travel. Skiing is a popular sport within the gay community. This is evident with the many gay ski weeks that are held throughout the country.
The Resort
Our host set us up in a large shuttle van that would take three hours to arrive at the resort. The drive to Sun Valley sets the tone for the kind of vacation you will have. Long, flat stretches of sparkling white snow, set with a backdrop of naked mountain. There was clear blue skies and sun. Lots of sun. It’s clear that this place is a winter desert.
Upon arriving at Sun Valley Resort, it immediately sets itself apart from other ski resorts by its beautiful attention to detail in its public spaces. The lobby was grand, with beautiful stone and woodwork, coupled with luxury furniture next to the multiple fireplaces.
The main resort lobby was also equipped with geothermal pools, where you could order drinks at the bar and enjoy a snowy mountain backdrop.
Sun Valley also has a stylish clean bowling alley in the basement. This was my favorite bowling alley I have ever been to, due to the high quality feel that is missing from most bowling alleys.
The resort overall was built with quality and luxury in mind. The staff was cheerful, accommodating, and friendly. This quality of the space makes me think a gay luxury ski tour would work great here.
Skiing
The first activity we did at the resort was skiing down the mountain. I had never skied before, so I decided I would try it here. I’ve had around ten years of experience snowboarding, so I was confident in my skiing ability. I picked it up quick and was sure that by the end of the day I would be at an intermediate level.
It didn’t take long for that dream to be crushed.
After skiing down a blue run, I crashed into an orange fence and tumbled down the mountain the rest of the way. I immediately switched to a snowboard when I reached the bottom, and I promised I would never put on skis again.
However, the next day our hosts forced me to cross country ski. Neither I or my Uncle Zach had done it before, but it was relatively easy to pick up. The scenery was beautiful, and it was quite a workout.
After a long lunch, with cocktails, we got back on our skis to return them. Although we hadn’t fallen the whole time before, my uncle fell right on his ass immediately after putting his skis on.
The quality of mountains of Sun Valley lives up to the many mountains I have experienced. This makes me believe we could make a fantastic luxury gay ski adventure here.
Eats
Our last night in Sun Valley we went to a local burger joint called Grumpy’s, in the local town of Ketchum. I’m usually not a fan of such places, however, there was a veggie burger available for me to eat. This place is famous for serving 32-ounce drinks with your burger, which led to Zach and I ordering mimosas in these sizes. Working in travel often gives you an excuse to have more drinks than you would otherwise, as can be seen in my uncles’ patterns.
Overall I found my first familiarization trip with HE Travel to be a great experience, and I am happy it was in Sun Valley. I am really looking forward to creating a luxury gay ski adventure tour for HE Travel in the future. In addition to this, I would like to ignite new gay ski weeks in areas that lack them.
Click her to check out our Glacier National Park Gay Adventure.
