Photo courtesy of Sun Valley Resort

1. The Adventure All-Star

Sun Valley is home base for some of the most hard-core adventurers on the planet. From National Geographic cinematographers to mountain climbers, kayakers, endurance athletes, expedition guides, documentary filmmakers, conservationists, and conflict photographers, the list of Adventure All-Stars is a long one. These people are the true Sun Valley celebrities, and their occasional slideshows or film presentations — usually produced pro bono to benefit one charitable organization or another — routinely fill local theaters. At times animated storytellers, at others quiet with a far-off look in their eyes, the Adventure All-Stars travel all over the world but come home to Sun Valley because of the community here, and the support that community offers.

2. The White Buffalo

Ski legends never die, and there are quite a few legends still skiing Sun Valley. If you’re lucky enough to spot one of these ski heroes, you’ll know it from the flowing long white hair that never sees a hat or helmet no matter how cold it is. An old pair of glacier glasses, long poles, and some narrow skis they designed themselves will help you identify them in the lift line. On the slopes, all you’ll see is a shadow of white stampeding down the bumps under the lift, a huge smile on their face. These are the guys who made Sun Valley cool; make sure you give them a hoot from the chair.

3. The Wall Street Refugee

Burned out by the rat race, the Wall Street Refugee often arrives toting a young family, chasing the dream of small-town mountain life. Their chic city outfits of mostly black stick out amidst the sea of plaid, as do their substandard abilities and enthusiastic attitudes on skis and boards (and road bikes, in season). Always in danger of applying their big-city standards and type-A personalities to their new small-town life, the upside is they keep the local galleries and theaters well supported.

4. The Skittle Thugs

Photo: Marcus Hansson

Easily spotted in their bright orange, pink, and yellow helmets, these pint-size rippers descend on the mountain and terrain park every weekend. Skiing in packs at breakneck speeds, hopped up on pizza and candy, the Skittle Thugs aren’t to be trifled with. Keep your eye out for them flying through the air around snow guns and huddled around Irving’s hot dog stand at the base of Warm Springs.

5. The 55-year-old who’s way fitter than you

They start their day with a casual hike up Bald Mountain’s 3,400 vertical feet to watch the sunrise, followed by a dozen or so laps in Sun Valley’s quad-torching bowls, another dozen on Warm Springs, a quick trip to the gym for a two-hour workout, and then swimming a couple miles in the pool. If they can squeeze in 20 or so kilometers of cross-country before dark, they’ll consider it a good day. It can be difficult to get a good look at the 55-and-fitter-than-you crowd, but trust me — here in Sun Valley, 60 is the new 30.

6. The Local Olympian

Photo courtesy of Sun Valley

Like the Adventure All-Stars, these are the real Sun Valley celebrities. There are 56 Olympians that call Bald Mountain home, and while some are higher profile than others, their impact on Sun Valley is a substantial one. This is currently the official Olympic Training Site for Nordic skiing, after all, and international teams from countries like Norway and Sweden come here to train. It’s not uncommon to see US Ski Team gear on the slopes and trails of Sun Valley.

7. The Celebrity A-lister at the table next to you

An old Bald Mountain standby, the A-lister has always been attracted to Sun Valley. Movie stars, politicians, and celebrities of all types have been coming here since Averell Harriman first started offering free trips to Hollywood stars in the ’30s. If you see an A-lister in the Warm Springs Lodge or at the Pioneer Saloon, do them and the rest of us a favor and keep your cellphones and selfie-sticks in your pockets. There’s a long-standing Sun Valley ethos of ignoring or, if you must, politely acknowledging these A-listers. They’re here for the same reason we all are, to play in the mountains; playing paparazzi is probably the least cool thing you can do.

8. The Blue-Collar Ripper

Their gloves are covered in duct tape. Their camo jackets are the same ones they use in hunting season. Their pants are covered with dirt and grime from their construction gigs. Their goggles are years old, along with their skis and boots. But when you see these guys on the hill, they’re absolutely ripping. No frills or fancy tricks, just high-speed, non-stop shredding in any type of snow conditions.

9. The Powder-Stache

Photo courtesy of Sun Valley Resort

This devoted local character can be fairly elusive and difficult to follow. Relying on their intimate knowledge of every nook and cranny on the mountain, they’re somehow able to find powder turns even if it hasn’t snowed for weeks. The only real telltale sign of the Powder-Stache are the bushy caterpillars they keep above their upper lips, forever caked in snow.

10. Employees of the proverbial Playtex Corporation

A bit of an enigma, employees of the Playtex Corporation flutter in and out of Sun Valley constantly. Intentionally vague about what they actually “do,” they always seem to be going someplace exotic or just getting back into town. You’ll find these masters of the leisure lifestyle at the Zenergy Spa, having lunch at upscale restaurants like Cristina’s, sipping lattes at Velocio, or working out and hardly breaking a sweat with their personal trainers.

11. The Baldy Blur

Sun Valley’s Bald Mountain is built for speed, and you’ll find no shortage of fast skiers tearing down runs like Warm Springs, Canyon, and Mid-River on any given day. Truth is, you never really get a good look at the Baldy Blur. The side-by-side train-track trenches their skis leave in the snow is the main evidence of their existence, along with a flash of their mirrored goggle lenses and the back of their helmet.

12. The Perma-Grin Local

Photo courtesy of Sun Valley Resort

This group represents the majority of people you’ll meet in Sun Valley. They come from all walks of life, each with their own story of how they ended up here and what they do in order to stay. They’re the chefs, bartenders and waitresses, lift operators, ski and yoga instructors, and everyone else who works to live here and preferably keeps their days free so they can ski or ride as much of their waking lives as possible. You’ll recognize them by their wide smiles, goggle tans, and that sparkle in their eyes. They’re living the dream; their life is your vacation.

This post is proudly produced in partnership with our friends at Sun Valley Resort.

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Editor’s note: As a lifelong kayaker, I’ve often said that paddling is all about getting access to places you couldn’t reach otherwise: deep box canyons, a single peaceful eddy in the middle of a turbulent boulder garden, remote stretches of river, views from the lip of a waterfall.

A few years ago, however, while in Patagonia, I tried canyoning or “canyoneering” and realized that this was yet another — perhaps even more accessible way. Canyoning is essentially traversing a river canyon or steep creek minus a kayak. Teams use a mix of climbing techniques and equipment, then swim, climb, rappel, scramble, and sometimes jump to descend the terrain. Over the last year, MatadorU alumnus and full-time photographer Rui Romao has traveled to epic gorges in Spain and his native Portugal to bring these 12 views into canyons that few people ever get to see.

1

In this section of the River Lordelo, Server do Vouga, Portugal, our group slows down to deal with a series of rappels. This was a good opportunity for me to climb to a point of view where I could take a wider photo, showing the scale of the terrain. In canyoning, you’re constantly tackling objectives together as a group, which leads to a strong sense of teamwork, accomplishment, and friendship.

2

On this waterfall in the River Lordelo, we improvised a second rappel line, which helped us descend the obstacle in half the time.

3

This is the last of a sequence of nine rappels on a route that was physical and technically demanding. Happy to be almost through this tough section, Luis lets out a smile before descending a face in Ribeira do Ferreiro.

Intermission

1

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by Matt Hershberger

A photographic journey through the Torres del Paine, Patagonia

by Michael Marquand



28

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by Tom Gates

4

The Ribeira Funda Da Ponta Ruiva is on Flores Island in the Azores, Portugal. The entire archipelago of the Azores has islands with intense volcanic lakes and cliff-lined coastal areas.

5

Canyoning involves challenging swims, such as ferrying from one section of the river to another, or shooting upstream. Here, a climber prepares to enter deep water after descending a waterfall in Ribeira Funda Da Ponta Ruiva.

6

Sometimes the terrain is such that instead of rappelling you can just jump into pools. Here on the Margarida, in Corga Da Fecha, Spain, we found a jump.

7

As part of canyoning, however, you must constantly assess options. Prior to making the jump above, another member of our team rappelled down to the pool to check conditions. There was no debris, such as rocks or tree trunks, but the landing area was no more than two square meters. One-by-one, we tossed our backpacks down so we’d have more agility for the jump.

8

We found this little frog halfway down a canyon in Galicia.

9

When packing to explore a new canyoning, canyoneers carry a drill and plenty of “spits” for equipping anchor points.

Intermission

46

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by Elisa Stutts-Barquin



2

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by Kristen Bor



134

The 22 craziest party hostels around the world

by Matt Kepnes

10

Seasoned canyoneer Rui Borges replaces old and rusty anchor points on a waterfall that feeds into the ocean on the Flores Island in the Azores, Portugal.

11

Canyoneers must pack in all provisions, and the constantly fluctuating weight of your pack changes the way you navigate the terrain.

12

At the end of a climb in the Flores Islands, we descended an incredible waterfall to the ocean, where a boat was waiting to take us back to dry land.

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You spend the night drinking on a tiny plastic stool.

If you’ve visited Vietnam, you know. If not, imagine tiny, red or blue plastic chairs arranged on the sidewalk and street like an oversized game of music chairs. You sit and wait for a second, before smelling the cart of dried squid passing by. Then your bia hơi arrives. What’s bia hơi? A beer found all over Vietnam, brewed daily and served up street-side. Big deal, right? Not so fast. Each glass of beer typically costs 15-to-25 cents. Before you know it, you’ll find yourself spending an hour or two nightly on tiny chairs, knocking back bia hơi with friends and strangers alike.

Crossing the street involves dodging no less than 35 motorbikes.

According to Vietnam’s Ministry of Transport, there are 37 million registered motorbikes in the country (compared to roughly two million registered cars). How do you cross the street, you ask? Well, start walking. With confidence. Not too fast. Not too slow. Don’t hesitate. Don’t stop in the middle of the road. Just. Keep. Walking. Drivers will zip past you on their motorbikes, dodging you in the process. The name of the game is trust, because frankly, traffic doesn’t really stop. If you’d prefer not to risk it, well, enjoy your side of the street.

You quickly learn not to bat an eyelash at public urination.

It might be surprising the first or second time you see someone pull their pants down and start using the restroom in a public area (street, square, you name it), but you’ll quickly get over it. And don’t worry — if you’re in Vietnam long enough, you will see it. With that said, you might come across public defecation, too. No word on if you’ll ever get used to it, though.

You manage to offend a local via your broken Vietnamese.

Think the Vietnamese language might be easy because it’s written with the Latin alphabet? Think again. Instead, think diacritical marks, diphthongs, triphthongs, and offglides. Any mark above or below a letter can change the sound or meaning of a word. For that reason, you’ll likely think you can read every street sign, but chances are you’ll pronounce them in a completely incorrect manner. Or you might just happen to make a local’s eyes widen when you make an unsuccessful attempt in telling them in Vietnamese that the pomelo they just offered you was delicious.

You get a haircut on the side of the road.

If you’re in Hanoi and you need a cheap, quick (and good) haircut, you could always go to a nearby barbershop. But who needs barbershops when you have barbers running their businesses street-side? Walk up. Get a haircut. Pay. Walk off. Sure, you might become a tourist attraction for the 10 to 15 minutes that you’re getting your haircut, but it’s worth the experience. Besides, you probably don’t get to enjoy the nice weather while getting a haircut very often back home, do you?

You witness several mattresses being transported — on one motorbike.

If seeing thousands of motorbikes daily wasn’t enough culture shock on your first visit to Vietnam, make sure to take a look at what’s being transported on them (and they’re not giant Harley Davidson bikes, mind you). Several pigs. Several mattress. Tires upon tires. Dozens of goldfish in plastic bags. Entire families. And every time you see something giant being transported via motorbike, you’ll shake your head in disbelief, feeling as if you’re watching a Cirque du Soleil balancing act.

It’s karaoke time. Enough said.

Karaoke is one of the most popular forms of entertainment in Vietnam, but the experience isn’t your typical karaoke night at Applebee’s. You’ll go out, have beers, hang out with some people, and drunkenly belt out tunes all night. You may or may not get to do this on a junk boat in Ha Long Bay. While many of the karaoke bars are awesome, keep an eye out. You might end up hanging out with some cool, friendly girls and having a great time almost by “coincidence,” but you won’t be quite as excited when it’s time to pay the bill.

You’re invited into a local’s home after knowing them for 10 minutes.

If you’re visiting Vietnam for the first time, chances are that you don’t have too many connections within the country. Lucky for you, everyone is pretty damn friendly. Eating a banh mi prepared by a couple as the rest of their family hangs out in the background? Don’t be surprised if you’re offered (yes, offered not sold) tea, fruits, and an impromptu Vietnamese lesson before going on your way. Trying to bargain with the hotel concierge while booking a Ha Long Bay cruise last minute? Well, you might not necessarily get a huge bargain, but you may end up being treated to homemade rice wine, rice liquor, and hot pot by the hotel employees. Not such a bad deal after all.

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