Chef Sean Petersen and his fireman, Mark, made Pizza for lunch for the DeVos heliski group for lunch at the ISML last week. Because of cold temperatures and the newness of our wood fired oven, it had to be heated slowly. This meant coming in the night before and building up the fire gradually. Weather postponed the lunch for a day, so there were about 30 hours of firing, baking, and testing before the final product was served, but the results were worth it. Pizza will be a regular feature for heli-ski lodge trips from now on!

This season, Sun Valley Heli-Ski will base operations exclusively from the Idaho Smoky Mountain Lodge for these dates, January 18-20, 21-23 and February 14-16, 17-19. This means that you won’t have to book the entire lodge but bring a friend or two (or more) for our standard 3 day package. This happens to also be during the full moon. So, get ready to ski, soak, eat, sleep, repeat! Book Now! 800-872-3108

End of a perfect day at the ISML

Otto rests after helping KFD clear this slide which hit some homes

Mark Baumgardner’s avalanche search dog, Otto announces his retirement from active duty. Otto will remain “top dog” at the Idaho Smoky Mountain Lodge. Otto began training as a puppy and was active for 12 winters. He participated in many searches and was responsible for the quick recovery of a snowmobiler who perished in a Baker Creek avalanche in 2005. Otto and Mark attended 2 WBR (Wasatch Backcountry Rescue) dog team seminars, considered the finest training available in the US. Otto developed seizures this fall. The original diagnosis was a brain tumor, but later it was revealed that a stroke was the cause. He has recovered nicely, with a little loss of stamina but so far seizure free. We will continue to train this winter as it is a great “game” and there may be a few things we can teach the younger dog teams. Thanks, Otto, best partner, ever!

Cooking in wood burning ovens has been around since the dawn of time. Anyone that has tasted bread or pizza cooked from a wood burning oven will agree that the wholesome goodness and savory flavor simply cannot be recreated by other types of cooking. In sticking with tradition, Mark Baumgardner, owner of Idaho Smoky Mountain Lodge, decided to heat things this summer up by installing an authentic outdoor wood burning pizza oven.

Firing Up the Oven

The wood burning oven will be used by our Lodge chefs to prepare meals for our guests during the Heli-Ski and Mountain Biking seasons. Of course, we will encourage guests to attempt to hand-toss their own pizza crust and get creative with toppings. Bike Ranch Director, Jennifer Biondi explains, “It’s a great new feature of our the Lodge that compliments our philosophy of outdoor adventure and fun. Who wouldn’t want to return to the Lodge after an epic day of skiing powder or riding in the park and smell of fresh baked cookies or homemade pizza? It makes me hungry just thinking about it!”

When you book your next trip to the Lodge, be prepared to play hard and eat well!