Businesses in the town, near the Sun Valley ski resort, can’t fill openings as applicants are unable find a place to live; mayor proposed letting workers pitch tents in a park.

KETCHUM, Idaho—Ethan McKee-Bakos has had no trouble finding work since he moved to this upscale mountain town last February, earning $60,000 a year from two jobs. But Mr. McKee-Bakos spent nearly six weeks living out of his SUV in the nearby Sawtooth National Forest, unable to afford rent for a condo.

“If you live in Ketchum, there’s no shortage of work. There’s just a shortage of where you can live,” said Mr. McKee-Bakos, who works as a supply manager at a local hospital and a bouncer at a bar. “This is the first time I’ve experienced any type of homelessness.”

Like many towns in the West with economies built around tourism, Ketchum is facing a cascading housing crisis caused by a rush of new residents during the Covid-19 pandemic, growing demand for workers during the economic boom that has followed, and a shortage of affordable homes that was years in the making.

Businesses in this community of 2,700, located in central Idaho near the Sun Valley ski resort, are struggling to fill open positions, forcing some to cut hours. Some workers live in trailers or tents in the Sawtooth National Forest. And the waiting list for the 113 affordable-housing units for sale or rent in surrounding Blaine County is years long.

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With all the talk of a tent city springing up in Ketchum, the canvas tents that popped up in the Upper River Run parking lot and an empty lot at the base of Bald Mountain Monday might have given passersby a start.

• Are city fathers renting out tents to workers this summer?
• Is it just a way to determine what a tent city in the shadow of a world-class ski mountain would look like?
• Or are hotels so full proprietors are going to offer tent lodging for tourists, complete with the foot-thick mattresses and comforters in each?

Actually, the tent city is part of 29029 everesting, a monumental challenge designed for those who believe challenging things change us.

The four-day event is expected to bring more than a hundred competitors and their families to Sun Valley from Thursday through Monday, June 17-21.

Competitors will leave base camp at 5,750 feet and race up the mountain about 15 times to climb the equivalent of Mount Everest which, at 29,029 feet, is the world’s tallest mountain. They will ride the gondola down after each summit.

Participants have all sorts of reasons for taking part. One woman told everesting that her husband passed away in January after being diagnosed with ALS. She signed up to give her something to focus on to work through the grief.

Another woman said she is doing it to prove that she is stronger and more fit—and to have fun. A man said he was attempting to be the best he can be for the rest of his life after his father’s death by heart attack shook him to his core.

And a woman who will be coming to Sun Valley from Atlanta is doing it as part of a pandemic health plan that included losing 45 pounds and reducing her elevated blood pressure.

Additional 29029 events have been held in Vermont and Snowbasin, Utah. Split evenly between men and women, the average age of past events is well over 40, according to Bloomberg.

Many participants are entrepreneurs or corporate managers for companies like Goldman Sachs and Bank of New York Mellon Corp. While some have a few marathons behind them, for most this is a new frontier.

When people think of art not many think of pies, but one local Sun Valley woman is changing that with Piedaho, a family-owned bakery. Rebecca Bloom created Piedaho to offer Idahoans and people nationwide a way to order handmade artisanal pies.

When she first launched Piedaho, Bloom was selling pies to friends and friends of friends, but that quickly changed after the bakery was featured on Oprah’s favorite things. “So that took this little thing and sort of bloomed it out, so we were forced to grow then and that put us in a different place than we anticipated,” Bloom said. After the feature, demand for pies increased within a couple of days.

Each pie purchased is made with a unique handmade design. Unless it’s a custom order, people usually won’t know what their pie will look like until they open their box. The bakery has been family-operated since it launched in 2018. They even hand deliver to those who purchase in the Wood River Valley.

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FLIGHT RELIABILITY AT SUN HAS IMPROVED WITH NEW APPROACH

There are a lot of fantastic resorts scattered across the country, each with their own beautiful locations, lavish amenities, and – of course – incredible skiing. But few people know that America’s first ski destination resort is right here in Idaho – and it has quite the history buried beneath its picturesque surface. Fortunately, even for those who aren’t powder hounds or craving runs down a mountain, the Sun Valley Resort boasts endless things to do year-round, and in perfect mountain luxury.

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This New Year’s Eve, enjoy a simple celebration at home.

With big parties out of the question (really, please don’t) it’s time to celebrate the end of 2020 the way we’ve marked most major occasions this year: at home.

That doesn’t mean you have to pack it in and put yourself to bed before midnight, unless a good night’s sleep is what you’ve been looking forward to all year. That’s a valid choice. Even if the night feels different than New Year’s Eve celebrations of the past, you can still make the evening special — and pace yourself — without hitting the town.

Clean now, reward yourself later!

First things first: If you’ve been putting off any housecleaning over the holidays, give the house a good once-over to get it ready for 2021.

Keep yourself in check!

The impulse to have a drink, or two or three, is ingrained in Western New Year’s culture. But it doesn’t have to be a night of tequila shots and Champagne popping.

Make dinner an affair to remember!

With winter’s first major snowstorms already sweeping across the country, outdoor dining could be dicey in your neck of the woods. So keep the meal inside and make dinner an intimate event.

Cue up a classic New Year’s movie!

As the credits roll, make a toast to making it through 2020 in one piece and call it a night.

Traditional Thanksgiving opening scheduled for 85th season

Back in March, major cities like New York City and San Francisco saw an outflux of residents leaving the pandemic-riddled mega metropolises for more cozy and quiet places offered by smaller cities and the suburbs. Some temporarily moved in with families while others left and claimed they will never turn back. Regardless of where they ended up, there was a consistent reason why: living in a highly populated, dense city is not conducive to a world that revolves around social-distancing protocols and shelter-in-place mandates.

City living already features a cramped lifestyle filled with too-close-for-comfort subway rides, overpriced lofts, and underappreciated parks that are sparse and hard to visit. Residents are willing to put up with higher crime rates in exchange for more intriguing and exciting activities, like the spectacular nightlife, unbelievable restaurants, and diverse culture scene. Take those enterprises away and you create a stagnant claustrophobic environment that limits you to the entrance of your stairwell. All things considered, it’s not really surprising why people want out.

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As the United States begins to get a handle on the coronavirus pandemic and travel starts to open up in many areas, many people are considering how they can safely take a trip at the end of the summer.

Despite international travel restrictions being lifted, Americans are not exactly being welcomed with open arms in a number of destinations so it’s time to rediscover some of the destinations that may have fallen off the ol’ bucket list.

This week, we start with Sun Valley, Idaho. Idaho is in phase 4 of its reopening with most retail, dining and tour establishments open for business in the state.

During a recent visit to the destination, I can confirm that travelers looking to escape to an alpine setting for a relaxing vacation away from the perils of COVID-19 will find their stay blissful.

Visitors will need to bring a mask but they will also find stunning hiking trails, adventure activities galore, al fresco dining, luxury shopping and more.

Travelers have their choice to stay at high-end resorts such as the Sun Valley Lodge or choose from a variety of vacation rentals. The local airport has regularly scheduled flights and Sun Valley is also a convenient drive destination from many places in the Northwest.

Most well-known as a ski destination, lifts do operate in the summer taking guests to the top of the mountain for views of the valley and offering the chance to dine outdoors at the Roundhouse restaurant.

Popular activities in the area include white-water rafting, horseback riding, biking, hiking, fishing—and even ice skating—as well as day trips to places like Shoshone Falls and Redfish Lake.

Visitors to Sun Valley in the summer are sure to discover why this hidden gem is more than a winter skiing hot spot.