The Ski Retreat · Sun Valley, Idaho
Sun Valley Women's Ski Retreat
The Retreat Co runs a women's ski retreat in Sun Valley each season, based in the mountain town of Ketchum with skiing, a private chef dinner, yoga, and a curated town experience.
Sun Valley, Idaho, is the kind of place skiers come back to every year for the fondue lunch at a mid-mountain restaurant with 180-degree views, après at the Pioneer, a legendary local saloon, the fancy mountain top lodges, and private chef dinners cooked with local ingredients. (Oh wait—just us?) And about the skiing itself? They come back for the thrill of high-level runs under a gleaming sun. Once you experience it, you'll be back too.
How Sun Valley Compares
If Vail and Park City are the ones everyone already knows, Sun Valley is the one their parents and grandparents knew first — it's one of the oldest ski resorts in the country, and it shows in the best way: less crowded lift lines, a town that still feels lived-in rather than built for tourists, and a mountain that rewards skiers without making them fight for it. It doesn't have the mega-resort sprawl of Park City or the price-tag prestige of Vail, but it has something most big-name resorts lost a while ago: exhilarating skiing, a walkable town with real local culture, and a community that actually lives there year-round. If you've done the famous resorts and want the one serious skiers quietly recommend to each other, this is it.
The Mountain: What to Expect on Skis
Sun Valley's main ski terrain is split between two sides: Warm Springs and River Run (the main base village side). The Warm Springs run is iconic and the chairlifts are modern, fast, and well-designed. There is one six-person chair lift, Challenger, that almost feel like a Disneyland ride and famously features the largest vertical rise of any chairlift in North America, ascending 3,138 vertical feet in just 8 minutes. And once you get to the top, you can see the mountain range and multiple other ranges stretching out in every direction - a literal 360 degree view.
Sun Valley is best suited for intermediate and advanced skiers. Beginners have Dollar Mountain nearby, or Lower River at Sun Valley itself. Our retreat guests typically stick to intermediate and advanced terrain, and on-mountain lessons are available for anyone looking to level up. Sun Valley is an Ikon Pass resort, and full rental shops are available at both River Run and Warm Springs.
The Town: Ketchum Is the Après Scene
Downtown Ketchum, where our retreat guests stay, is a very short drive (5 min) from the resort. It's the kind of small mountain town that punches well above its weight: boutiques, cafes, yoga studios, salons, excellent restaurants, and some genuinely fun dive bars.
(Don't skip Pioneer Saloon. Just don't. It's the after-ski spot, a local institution, and exactly what après ski should feel like.)
Sun Valley and Ketchum have a surprisingly liberal, arts-forward culture for a state that skews deeply conservative. There's a free symphony series in the summer, free public culinary events sponsored by local philanthropists, and lectures at the public library from National Geographic explorers and scientists.
The instructor who teaches our art classes at the retreat is a Sun Valley native, and so is our soundbath practitioner and private chef. The whole community feels like it was built by people who care about living well and sharing that with others.
The Culture: More Than a Ski Trip
Olympic legacy
Sun Valley has produced five female Olympic medalists. There's a new installation in what's now called the Champions Meadow: bronze statues of each athlete set in a field. Among them are Kaitlyn Farrington, US gold medalist snowboarder, and Picabo Street, one of the most decorated American alpine ski racers of all time.
FOOD
Midway down the mountain on the Seattle Ridge side is the Roundhouse (accessible via the Roundhouse Express gondola), where you should definitely sit down for fondue lunch and admire the panoramic views of the mountain and valley. Or, check out the River Run Day Lodge at the base of Bald Mountain and aprés ski to your heart’s content. Our retreat includes a private chef dinner at our Ketchum house, featuring local, seasonal ingredients from a local female chef. If it sounds nice on paper, it’s even better in person.
COMMUNITY
Our partner Wild Rye, a women's outdoor apparel brand, is based in Sun Valley. A shop visit and fireside chat with their team is a natural add-on for a women's retreat. On top of that, local artists and wellness practitioners are embedded in the community, hosting our art classes, yoga sessions, and meditations. To be clear, these aren't imported experiences—they're how people actually live there. Finally, Ketchum is notably friendly, without any of the pretentiousness of other well-known ski areas—an ideal mountain town.
Logistics: getting there and around
Fly into Hailey (SUN), 20 minutes from our accommodation, or fly into Boise and rent a car for the roughly 3-hour drive. Rideshare is essentially nonexistent in Ketchum — many guests rent a car for the weekend for flexibility, though most of downtown is walkable. The Limelight Hotel is a solid option for guests arriving early or staying late, with a shuttle to the mountain and airport.
the SUN VALLEY Retreat experience
Included
World-class skiing on elite runs
Visit to Sun Valley Lodge and Champions Meadow
On-mountain fondue lunch at the Roundhouse
Yoga at a local studio in Ketchum
Art class with a local artist
Private chef dinner with local ingredients
Sip-and-shop at Wild Rye's downtown HQ
A photographer capturing the weekend
Not included
Flights to and from Sun Valley / Boise
Ikon Pass or lift ticket
Ski or snowboard rental
Ski or snowboard lessons
Travel insurance
“Having been on three of these experiences now, getting to know Charlotte and the programs she puts together, there is so much thoughtfulness behind them.
You’re meeting cool women creators and women entrepreneurs. You’re having chef driven dinners with women who are amazing in the culinary field.
Charlotte is really thoughtful about bringing women into those experiences and living what she’s promoting, which is women’s empowerment. I think that is really special.”
— Jessica, Sun Valley 2025 & 2026
Explore more: all of our women's ski retreats · meet Charlotte, our founder
Hear from women who've been
“When women are encouraging, supportive, giving, and just there for someone, I think that’s so important. It’s a reminder that we need to be a girl gang. Especially in this day and age, it’s important to look out for one another and feel empowered to do that.”
- jessica
“If you can do it, do it. If you’re worried about coming alone, don’t. Everyone is welcoming. You’re surrounded by people with shared interests and a common goal. You’re going to find people you connect with.”
meet your retreat leader
Charlotte Lilley
Founder, The Retreat Co
Charlotte has been running women's ski retreats since 2018, based in Lake Tahoe. She leads every Sun Valley trip herself, alongside a crew of local guides, artists, and chefs who call Ketchum home.
Frequently asked questions
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Best suited for intermediate to advanced skiers. All experience levels are welcome as attendees, but guests skiing with the group should be comfortable at an intermediate level or above. Beginners can access Dollar Mountain nearby, or Sun Valley's own Lower River beginner run.
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Fly into Hailey Airport (SUN), about 20 minutes from Ketchum accommodations, or fly into Boise and drive roughly 3 hours. A rental car is recommended, since rideshare options are limited in Ketchum.
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Guided skiing at Sun Valley Resort, an on-mountain fondue lunch, a private chef dinner, a yoga class, an art class with a local artist, a visit to Champions Meadow, and a stop at Wild Rye's Sun Valley headquarters.
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February 4–7, 2027, based in Ketchum, Idaho.
A Few Final NotesSpots fill fast — repeat guests rebook before the retreat is even publicly announcedAll experience levels are welcome as attendees, but skiers should be at intermediate level or above to ski with the groupElk sightings are common and genuinely magicalThe ski resort bathrooms are, inexplicably, a talking point (in the best way!)
If you're looking for a ski retreat that goes deeper than a ski trip, somewhere with culture, community, incredible terrain, and a town that rewards curiosity, Sun Valley belongs near the top of your list. Questions about the trip? Drop them below or reach out directly. There are only a couple spots left!