THE SUN VALLEY STORY In this era of resurgent domestic tourism and rediscovery of America, one American original stands out: Sun Valley. It does this majestically, for Sun Valley is the nation's original destination ski resort, celebrating 62-years in December 1998.
It's role is widely recognized. The readers of Ski Magazine voted Sun Valley the best ski resort in the United States, in September 1995, and in 1996 the readers of Conde Nast Traveler voted it the best ski resort in North America. In 1998 the readers of Gourmet Magazine voted Sun Valley as the best ski and winter sports resort in the nation.
Majesty wears a crown, so it is with Sun Valley for it now wears a triple crown, with the Warm Springs, Seattle Ridge and River Run lodges its three jewels. The three spectacular day-lodge facilities are just part of a massive expansion and improvement program launched a few years back. In this program every guest room in both the Sun Valley Inn and the Sun Valley Lodge was redecorated, the snowmaking was expanded to be the largest computer controlled system in the world, the three new massive high-tech day lodges were built, and Baldy, Sun Valley s beloved ski mountain was further developed and perfected.
A timeless resort for all seasons, Sun Valley combines natural beauty with cosmopolitan vivacity. Set amid the pristine splendor of central Idaho's Big Wood River Valley, nestled in the rugged Sawtooth Mountains -- the American Alps -- Sun Valley could be called an American Shangri-la.
While its mountains are towering, the valley's base elevation of only 6,000 feet is actually closer to sea level than many other mountain resorts, assuring easy breathing for people of all ages. The desert-montane climate keeps the air crisp and clear in winter, warm and dry in the summer and makes autumns effervescent.
Sun Valley was the piece of American landscape Ernest Hemingway loved best of all. He came for the scenic mysteries -- the way the lights played at dusk, the layers of cottony tufts on rows of cottonwoods -- to write, hunt and revel in the sanctuary of nature's majesty. But 'Papa' was not alone. Since its creation 62 years ago by W. Averell Harriman, then president of the Union Pacific Railroad, Sun Valley has acted as a powerful magnet for many reasons and many generations of American and foreign visitors.
For skiers, Bald Mountain, known affectionately as 'Baldy,' has earned the reputation as the best single ski mountain in the U.S. And its continued reign is ensured. There are now 17- lifts with a capacity to carry 28,180 people per hour, 78 runs on 2,054 skiable acres, perfect pitch and 3,400 feet of vertical drop.
The world's largest computer-controlled snowmaking system, covering 630 acres assures skiers fresh powder on the mountain every morning during the season, no matter what Mother Nature's inclinations. (A person seated at a computer terminal controls everything.)
Olympians abound. Picabo Street, the Sun Valley resident who was a Gold Medalist in 1998 in the Woman's Super G at Nagano, and a Silver Medal at the 1994 Olympics, learned to ski at Sun Valley. Picabo Street says, 'I never met a person who hasn't liked Sun Valley. Bald Mountain has the most variety and diversity of any mountain I've ever skied.' Sun Valley's Baldy is known for its constant pitch enabling skiers to ski smoothly all the way down. And Gretchen Fraser America's first Olympic gold medalist in any winter sport was a Sun Valley resident. Ms. Fraser won a gold at the 1948 Olympics.
Baldy was the home mountain for 5 skiers who made the United States Olympic team that went to the Nagano Winter Olympics. Among them, snow boarder Sondra VanErt, alpine skier Picabo Street, Nordic skier Laura Wilson, biathlete Ntala Skinner and paraolympian Muffy Davis.
Beginners find the broad, treeless slopes of nearby Dollar Mountain ideal. Downhill facilities, though, are not Sun Valley's only ski attraction; its cross-country facilities have grown increasingly popular amongst all levels of skiers. The world's first child-sized cross country tracks, in fact, were designed here, enabling young skiers (3 and up) to maneuver their equipment and the terrain with ease.
Sun Valley is arguably a winter wonderland, yet it is only the flirting stage of a great romance. 'Winter brought us here,' say Sun Valley visitors- cum-residents, 'but it's summer that keeps us.'
EMPLOYMENT INFORMATION Sun Valley Resort is a year round destination resort and a great place to work and play. Nestled in the Idaho Rockies, Sun Valley is a 4,300 acre playground. The Sun Valley area provides more than 28 miles of awesome hiking, biking, and rollerblading trails which wind throughout the community. The winter months offer some of the best skiing and snowboarding in the United States. Sun Valley is just minutes from the energetic and friendly town of Ketchum. The communities surrounding Sun Valley offer a offer a great range of dining, recreation and entertainment for all ages.
If you've been considering opportunities to enrich your life by working in a beautiful setting with other workers from all over the world, Sun Valley is the right place!
IMPORTANT EMPLOYMENT INFORMATION Note: This is a partial listing and description of enrollment-eligibility information. Call 1-800-894-9946 to request a complete copy of application information.
Drug Testing - includes pre-employment and random
Uniforms - see above
Grooming and Conduct Standards - call to request a copy of employment information
Wages - (Entry-level) most positions begin above minimum wage
Work Hours - Schedule may fall on any day during the week including holidays. Some seasonal recreational positions qualify for overtime exception (allowing employees to work 56 hours per week at regular wage)
Jobs - Many jobs are physically demanding and may require lifting, bending, standing and kneeling.
BENEFITS 1)Employee Discounts at Sun Valley owned retail stores and restaurants (excluding mountain facilities) 2)Employee Cafeteria - Low-cost meals for employees only 3)Group Medical/Life Coverage - Eligibility requires employees work full-time (at least 32 hours/wk) continuously for 90 days and then becomes eligible on the first day of the next month. 4) Dental Coverage - Eligibility: one year following enrollment for health coverage 5)Vision Coverage - Eligibility: one year following enrollment for health coverage 6)Sick Time - Eligibility after six months continuous full-time employment 7)Vacation Time - Eligibility after one year continuous full-time employment 8)Pension and Profit-Sharing Participation - Eligibility after one year continuous full-time employment with 1,000 hours 9)Flex-Spending Plan - Eligibility at same time employee becomes eligible for Group Medical/Life coverage and during annual Open Enrollment. 10)UNIFORMS - Two uniforms will be issued for some jobs. Laundering is provided free to employees.
EMPLOYMENT RECREATION BENEFITS 1) Unlimited access to the Employee Fitness Center 2)Unlimited First-run movies at the Opera House 3)Year-round ice skating (1/week free) 4)Unlimited access to pools 5)Unlimited access to summer mountain lifts 6)Bike rental (1/week free) 7)Discounts on Sun Valley-owned restaurants 8)Discounts at all Sun Valley-owned retail shops 9)Discounted golf 10)Discounted bowling 11)Discounted horseback riding 12)Discounted meals for employees 13)Discounts on many special events
