STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK

Skiing is in full swing in Sun Valley, despite the snow track ending up in Houston and Corpus Christi on Friday.

Sun Valley Resort opens Warm Springs top to bottom today, and it’s expected the skiing there will resemble the smooth corduroy gliding the rest of Bald Mountain has offered all  week.

The Roundhouse and Averell’s Bar is now open. And—pssst—if you want to get warm, head to the top of Bald Mountain where the temperature has been as much as 24 degrees warmer than the foggy valley bottom.

Galena Lodge, meanwhile, is riding the coattails of winter storms that dumped eight inches on the trails around the lodge last weekend.

The sun-kissed Nordic skiing has been awesome wherever the Blaine County Recreation District has been grooming. And those who have ripped up the backcountry have been giving it a thumbs up, as well.

The BCRD will celebrate the early season bonanza of snow with Ski Free Day and Demo Days today—Saturday, Dec. 9.

There’ll be no charge to ski the Nordic trails from SNRA headquarters north of Ketchum to Galena Lodge.

From 10 a.m. on The Elephant’s Perch and other outdoor shops will roll out the newest skis, boots and poles from Swix, Salomon, Fischer, Atomic, Madshus, Alpina and Rossignol at Galena Lodge for people to try free of charge.

And Galena Lodge Ski School will offer free half-hour mini-lessons for beginning skate and classic skiers from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the hour. Complimentary equipment will be available for the lessons.

The BCRD has been grooming from Prairie Creek north daily but other stretches of the Harriman Trail intermittently. The trails are well-covered and the skiing excellent, with the snow has been cold and a touch slow in spots.

Though it’s been very warm in spots by 11 a.m. each day the snow has not been getting icy.

Classic track skiing is good throughout. Skate skiing is best wherever it’s freshly groomed (visit www.bcrd.org for the grooming report.)

Call Galena Lodge at 208-726-4010 for more information.

WINTER START ON SUNDAY

The Winter Start X-C Race, designed to signal the start of the Nordic ski and race season, will be held at 10 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 10, at Galena Lodge.

The citizen’s race, sponsored by the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation, will include 3 kilometer, 6k and 9 k courses. Registration will be held at the lodge, closing at 9:30 a.m.