PARK CITY, Utah – Leading eastern resort Sugarloaf, Maine and historic Sun Valley, Idaho will host the 2016-2018 U.S. Alpine Championships on alternating years beginning next winter with Sugarloaf. The announcement continues the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association’s long-term plan to move the annual celebration of American ski racing to top resorts around the United States.

“Moving the U.S. Alpine Championships around the United States is vital to directly engaging with strong ski racing communities that are instrumental in growing and maintaining a strong developmental pipeline. It allows us to showcase the excitement of high level alpine skiing to new generations of young athletes and fans,” said U.S. Ski Team Alpine Director Patrick Riml.

The dynamic Narrow Gauge run last hosted the U.S. Championships at Sugarloaf in 2008. Sun Valley last hosted the event in 1951.

“Both Sugarloaf and Sun Valley have a strong tradition in building and showcasing events that celebrate the excitement and culture of ski racing,” noted USSA VP of Events Calum Clark. “The Narrow Gauge race hill is [renowned in the East] for testing and training the best in the world like Bode Miller. Sun Valley has helped produce its share of legends like Picabo Street, who found her love for speed on Warm Springs and Greyhawk.”

Each of the resorts boasts a rooted history and heritage of ski racing in America and continues that tradition through their strong USSA club programs of Carrabassett Valley Academy at Sugarloaf and the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation. The 2015 U.S. Championships will mark the events first trip to the Eastern United States since Lake Placid, N.Y. and the 1980 Olympic mountain of Whiteface hosted the event in 2010.

2016-2018 U.S. Alpine Championships

2016 – Sun Valley

2017 – Sugarloaf

2018 – Sun Valley

“Where Vision Comes Into Focus”​

Sun Valley, Idaho has been welcoming the film industry since Averell Harriman opened America's first ski resort in 1936. To celebrate the area’s Hollywood heritage and bring it into the 21st century, the inaugural Sun Valley Film Festival was launched in March 2012 and was an immediate success. Heading into its fifth year in 2016, the Sun Valley Film Festival continues to build on that success with over 60 films including world premieres, networking dinners, unique panels, passionate discussions and memorable parties. The Sun Valley Film Festival brings together over 3,500 festival goers for five unforgettable days where industry insiders and movie lovers alike, gather to celebrate the art of filmmaking in a majestic setting.

USA Today agrees, naming Sun Valley one of the Top 10 “Greatest Places for a Fabulous Film Festival.”  

Learn More at: www.sunvalleyfilmfestival.org

Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation freestyle skier Henry Cherp is all business and all creative energy carving his way down Baldy’s Roundhouse Slope during Sunday’s sunny final day of the sixth annual Sun Valley Freestyle Spectacular. The two-day event featured 192 runs for Saturday’s single moguls, 91 runs for Sunday’s singles and 100 runs in duals.

The El Niño winter stoke is alive in well in Sun Valley! Nearly 7 FEET!! of snow has fallen so far this season with no sign of letting up. Skiers and boarders are reaping the benefits of deep powder days and all-time coverage. This season is shaping up to be one you'll want to add to your highlight reel!

El Niño or as Chris Farley referred to in simpler terms as, “The Niño“, brought about a mixed bag of early season predictions from meteorologists far and wide. Skiers and boarders throughout the west became overnight skeptics serving up their own myriad of prophesied forecasts as to whether it would be a lack luster winter or flashback to being like the “good old days”. At the end of the day, no one could put any weight behind their hunches for what the 2015/2016 season would bring.

Fast forward to the first actual day of winter and we have a bit of empirical data to suggest that this El Niño is coming through huge, bringing those good old days back to Sun Valley. As of December 22nd, Bald Mountain has seen nearly 7 feet of crowd-pleasing snowfall. We’re savoring all-time conditions that have opened up access to certain terrain that hasn’t been rideable in years past. Enough hyping up the winter we’re having here – we’ll let the photos below do the talking for us.