The TSC Final Showdown to Sun Valley, Idaho has been designated as a TSC Youth Foundation (YF) trip. This will tie in well with the trip being over Spring Break.  Two of the objectives of the TSCYF are to promote health and fitness among youth and to promote the family unit.  The Final Showdown provides a vehicle to achieve this by offering fun, outdoor family exercise in the winter months. 

Besides going to a beautiful ski resort with your family, you will also be able to have your children participate in a well-run, ski camp and be reimbursed $150 per child if they enroll in at least three days of lessons.  Based on past TSCYF trips, we find that many kids form fast friendships with other Texas kids on the trip.   So they may see each on a trip another year and already have a ski buddy.

You can go to Colorado or Utah any year, but it has been 12 years since the TSC has skied the American Shangrila of Sun Valley.  Way too long!  Don’t miss your opportunity to do so in 2012! If you are not a member of a Texas ski club, go to the website www.texas-ski.org  - "Member Clubs" to find contact info for the following clubs that are participating on the Final Showdown:

• San Antonio - Club St. Bernard or Los Amigos

• Houston - Clear Lake Area Ski Club or Space City Ski Club

• Dallas - Lone Star Skiers
  

Skiing

We will be skiing in the beautiful Sawtooth Mountains.  The resort has two ski mountains just minutes apart – Dollar – a great place for learning – and Baldy – for fun cruising or challenging runs.  We have received a great discount on lift tickets which are good for either mountain. And a great offer for families is that kids 15 and under ski free (1 per paid adult lift package). We have also received good discounts on ski lessons - for adults and the kids.  Each day of kids ski camp includes lessons, equipment, lunch and lift tickets (per the lift ticket rule above).  Detailed pricing is available through the trip leaders. Or contact me at finalshowdown@texas-ski.org.

Activities

Besides skiing and a free mountain tour, other winter sports offered include snowshoeing, cross country skiing, heli skiing, tubing, and ice skating and hockey on the village indoor and outdoor rinks.  Or just relax – taking in a spa treatment or soaking in one of the hot tubs.  Sun Valley offers a unique lift ticket exchange -  so if you decide not to ski one day, you can exchange it for a meal, spa treatment, ice skating and more!

The trip package will include a Welcome Party and Final Awards Party where the race results will be presented prior to dinner and dancing.   Besides the TSC and club parties, there will be après-ski happy hours at the River Run Lodge and The Boiler Room in the Village.  On Thursdays, the Fabulous Vuarnettes perform at 6 pm in the Boiler Room.  Four colorful ladies sing and joke about just anything and everything.  The Duchin Bar at Sun Valley Lodge is good for après-ski or a late night drink and is known for great drinks, a piano bar and dancing. 

While the adults go on a pub crawl in Ketchum, the kids can stay in Sun Valley and bowl in the hotel basement, or go ice skating or watch movies at the movie house.

There is something for everyone! Day and Night!

Lodging and Dining

We will be staying at a wonderful village – thoroughly modern yet reminiscent of its early days as the first destination ski resort (since 1936!).  Reserved lodging includes the Sun Valley Inn (hotel), the Deluxe Lodge Apartment Condominiums right in the Village, as well as a couple of other condominium properties within walking distance of the main village. The main village includes two very large hot tub pools and a skating rink which are available for all guests to use.

Sun Valley has plenty of restaurants. In the Village, there is The Ram, Lodge Dining Room, Gretchen’s, Bald Mountain Pizza, and a deli and bakery.  On the mountain, evening choices include Trail Creek Cabin (via horse drawn sleighs), Roundhouse (via gondola), and the Sun Valley Club (just opened in 2009 at the Nordic Center/Golf Course).  Day lodges on the mountain are at Seattle Ridge, Lookout, Roundhouse, River Run and Warm Springs. The Lookout is just a basic quick-stop lodge for die-hard skiers, but the others are all very nice.  The lodges are gorgeous with many fine amenities and the views from Roundhouse and Seattle Ridge are absolutely beautiful.  

Nearby Ketchum (just 5 minutes on the complimentary shuttle) has numerous restaurant selections.

Transportation

At this point, the clubs are offering land only packages. The unused air fares have been dropped, so you can book your own individual air. Check the airlines and the search sites.  Hopefully by waiting, you will find better airfares in 2012 than we saw last fall.  At this point, everyone is flying into Boise.  Get with the club you will be going with to see the flight times they have and schedule a flight with similar times so you can ride the bus with them into Sun Valley. If you can’t meet up with that group, arrive on 3/10 some time between 1 and 5 pm and depart on 3/17 after 11:00 am and you will be able to ride on one of the buses or vans. The bus ride from Boise to Sun Valley is just under 3 hours. This is not that long and it means the ski slopes are not crowded even at Spring Break since the resort is not just out of town at a major city like Denver.

So sign up soon for some Fun in the Sun!

Marsha Lutz

TSC VP Final Showdown

finalshowdown@texas-ski.org