about us

Sun Valley Magazine is committed to celebrating life in the Wood River Valley. For over 47 years, Sun Valley Magazine has been celebrating the best of life in the Sun Valley area with in-depth, thoughtful articles and arresting artistic design.

Every day, our staff and team freelance team of writers and photographers share their deep passion for educating and inspiring our readers with the stories that are the fabric of our lives here in Sun Valley—chronicles of both a vibrant local community, as well as issues that resonate on a regional and national level. We hope that if you live here too, or just love it here as much as we do, then our magazine will resonate.

Our publications are sold nationally in more than 400 locations nationwide, including the Boise Airport, the Salt Lake International Airport, Barnes & Noble, regional Albertson’s markets, Whole Foods, Natural Grocers, local Atkinsons’ Markets, and fine retailers, bookstores and gift shops across the country. We can’t wait to share our love of the Wood River Valley with you.

Love Life. Love Sun Valley.
Sun Valley Magazine
At the center of it all for over 47 years

meet the staff

Laurie C. Sammis

publisher/editor-in-chief

Laurie Sammis is a publisher by profession and lover of world travel, foreign cultures, the arts, languages, souls, birds of prey, wild spaces and all pure bodies of water, whether fresh or saltwater. At the age of eight she began writing small plays and newscasts for her siblings to perform, which grew into a passion for the creative process and everything you discover by asking the questions “why” and “how.” Her love of the written word has taken her to Africa, Polynesia, Nepal, the outback of Australia and, eventually, back home to Sun Valley, Idaho.

Roberta Morcone

creative director

Roberta Morcone is a Washington, D.C., native with a love for Sun Valley and everything it has to offer. Roberta studied to be an accountant, but after one art class, decided to change direction and become an artist. A graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Roberta has done everything from interactive television to web design, video to print. When Roberta is not creating stunning graphics, you can find her hiking with her dog Jimmy. In the winter, you’ll find her at the ice rink cheering on the Sun Valley Suns, with whom she has had a 38-year relationship.

Heather Linhart

sales & marketing director

Heather Linhart originally joined Sun Valley Magazine as the Director of Sales & Marketing in 2013, helping to grow the brand and launch two successful publications and winning honors for her work producing special sections. Heather brings over 20 years of marketing and sales experience, and has a passion for entrepreneurial endeavors and serving the needs of all her clients. Her artistic eye and photo production and media skills are an immense asset to everyone on the team. A native Idahoan, with stints living overseas, Heather enjoys the mountains of her home state, paints, and coaches and plays tennis.

Jonathan Mentzer

managing editor

Sun Valley has beckoned Jonathan Mentzer’s soul despite moving around the West over the years. Having landed in the Wood River Valley in 2007, Idaho has captured Jonathan’s imagination and sense of community while reassuring his love of the outdoors and allowing him to discover new endeavors. Originally from Lacey, Wash., Jonathan graduated with a B.A. in journalism from Central Washington University, then spent 15 years as a sports journalist. He is an Idaho Press Club Award winner in writing and photography and has written for numerous magazines and newspapers. Jonathan enjoys fishing, camping, photography, poetry and fiction writing. However, nothing can match his overall passion for skiing, which he discovered later in life on the slopes of Baldy. Currently, he lives in Sun Valley with his wife, GiGi.

Lillie Cooper

art director

Lillie’s creative story began over twenty years ago with the idea to ‘Save the World’ with amazing design and a happy smile. She is a human kaleidoscope with an array of talents, passions, and stories and she has worked across a variety of disciplines as a designer, director, strategist, and creative project manager. With her dimensional view of the industry and commitment to building meaningful relationships, Lillie has kept her Idahomies close, even when she isn’t in the Valley that she loves. Originally from New Orleans, Lillie believes amazing food is medicine for the soul, music is essential, adventures with her little family are the best experiences, and being creative takes courage.

featured contributors

David Adler

Caroline Albro

Lara Antonello

Gabe Border

Karen Bossick

Winslow Brokaw

Chad Case

Dick Dorworth

Kitt Doucette

Bryant Dunn

Jon Duval

Danielle Flam

Ray J. Gadd

Jamie Hausman

Laurel Holland

Kate Hull

Phil Huss

Dev Khalsa

McKenna Koon

Jill Kuraitis

Zach Kyle

Amy Story Larson

Jennifer Liebrum

Sarah Linville

Hillary Maybery

Todd Meier

Jonathan Mentzer

Patti Murphy

Glenn Oakley

Diane Josephy Peavey

Paulette Phlipot

Nick Price

Diana Price

Margot Ramsay

Nils Ribi

Hayden Seder

Kirsten Shultz

Angie Smith

Greg Stahl

Kira Tenney

Jamie Truppi

Woods Wheatcroft

Nancy Whitehead

David Adler

David Gray Adler is president of The Alturas Institute, which advances the Constitution, civic education and gender equality. He has taught at all three Idaho universities, and lectured nationally and internationally on the Constitution and the presidency. He is the author of several books and many scholarly articles, which have been quoted by the U.S. Supreme Court, lower courts and by Democrats and Republicans in both houses of Congress.

Caroline Albro

Caroline Albro is the Digital Marketing Coordinator at Sun Valley Magazine. She grew up in the Bay Area but would visit her parents’ hometown of Ketchum each summer, always looking forward to exciting adventures. Now, Caroline is taking a gap year between her studies at Scripps College to live in the Valley, develop her marketing and communication skills, and improve her tolerance for cold weather before returning to California for her final year of school.

Lara Antonello

Lara Antonello is an enthusiastic conservationist, human-powered adventurer, and freelance writer that calls the Stanley Sawtooth Basin home. In winter, Lara is an aspiring avalanche educator for Sawtooth Mountain Guides and, in summer, she is the bear education biologist for the Sawtooth National Recreation Area. Her studies of the natural world have inspired her writings and continue to guide her passion to connect people to the environments in which they live. Other writings by Lara can be found on the Sawtooth Mountain Guides and Stanley Chamber of Commerce blog pages.

Gabe Border

Gabe Border spends more time chasing his Peregrine falcon than actually catching grouse with it. He’s also guilty of false casting too much. Regardless, when not photographing architecture and food, Gabe enjoys learning about building science and cooking with his wife Emily. Gabe’s photography has appeared in Architectural Digest, Dwell, Luxe, Elle Decor and the Wall Street Journal.

Karen Bossick

Karen Bossick discovered the rich treasure trove of stories that reside among the people of the Wood River Valley after a 23-year-stint with the Idaho Statesman. When she isn’t checking out the valley’s happenings, you’ll find her hiking with her tiny lab retriever, Shiloh, or skate skiing the valley’s fabulous trails. Her secret wish? That Sun Valley’s Proctor Loop could be refrigerated for summer skiing.

Winslow Brokaw

Winslow Brokaw, born in Idaho and raised on a remote peninsula in northern Maine, feels at home in the mountains and on the ocean. Graduating from Middlebury College with a B.A. in International Studies (Sociology, Spanish, and Latin America) and a minor in Education, she spent several years designing and leading girls’ and adolescent empowerment programs in the Dominican Republic, Mexico, India, and the US. Prior to her current position as Client Resource & Outreach Coordinator at The Hunger Coalition in Blaine County, Winslow helped launch the cruise industry’s first social impact brand, Fathom Travel, in the Dominican Republic and Cuba.

Chad Case

Chad Case is an award winning professional photographer and videographer. His travel images have appeared in National Geographic Traveler, National Geographic Adventure, The New York Times, Outside, Sunset Backpacker and numerous other publications. Chad also operates Idaho Stock Images representing over 100 photographers with more than 40,000 images online. His work can be seen online at www.chadcasephotography.com.

Dick Dorworth

Dick Dorworth has spent most of his life in the mountains of the West. His work has appeared in many publications, and he has authored six books. “Night Driving,” “The Perfect Turn,” “The Straight Course,” and “Climbing to Freedom” are published by Western Eye Press and are available through Dick’s blog at dickdorworth.com. “The Only Path” and “WHAT ARE YOU DOING? And Other Buddha’s Dharma Dances” were self-published and are available on Amazon. He divides his time between Bozeman, Mont. and Ketchum, Idaho.

Kitt Doucette

Kitt Doucette is a renaissance man with unyielding positivity. Groomed in the mountains of Idaho, Kitt is a life long skier and kayaker, enthusiastic surfer and award-winning journalist whose work has been published in Rolling Stone, Men’s Journal and Dossier, among other publications. When not tracking polar bears in Norway, surfing empty waves in Indonesia, or sipping coffee in Central America, he can be found busting out signature dance moves at wedding receptions throughout the American West.

Bryant Dunn

Bryant Dunn owns Sun Valley Outfitters and Wanderlust Flyfishing Adventures, which outfits flyfishing groups in the Himalayas, Southeast Asia and the South Pacific. Bryant works for the Sun Valley Ski Patrol in the winter and is the proud Dad of his four trouble making kids, Maddy, Amanda, Daker and Hunter. When not outfitting guests in the wildest places on Earth, Bryant spends his time hiding out at his cabin on the upper Salmon River, downstream from Stanley.

Jon Duval

Jon Duval, like many residents in the Wood River Valley, took a circuitous route before arriving here in 2006. The Boston native’s divergent career path has taken him from the world of high finance with the illustrious firm Lehman Bros., to the waist-deep powder of Hokkaido, Japan, to the rain-slicked streets of Auckland, New Zealand, where he worked as a bike messenger. Jon now runs the Ketchum Community Development Corporation, and moonlights as a freelance writer and washed-up hockey player.

Danielle Flam

Danielle Flam works as a freelance writer and as a consultant for an ethnographic consulting company. After completing her undergraduate studies in biology at Reed College in Portland, Oregon, she pursued graduate studies in cultural anthropology at the University of Chicago. Prior to beginning her work as a corporate anthropologist, she worked as a translator and conducted research for human rights and environmental conservation organizations. Her training left her convinced that ethnography is the best approach to understanding any subject, and, as such, her research and writing is decidedly ethnographic in nature.

Ray J. Gadd

Ray J. Gadd is a born-and-raised Idahoan but an equal opportunity adventurer with a hankering for documenting the journey no matter the location. Uncovering unfamiliar smiles, stories, mountaintops, and backyard businesses, in search of preserving that emotion with each frame are his favorite parts of the journey. Happiest enjoying post-ride beers, coming up for air on deep days of storm skiing, overcoming the trials and tribulations of casting to educated fish and sprinkling in the occasional type II fun. Stalk him on Instagram at @rayjgadd.

Jamie Hausman

Jamie Hausman was born and raised in the Chicagoland area, and after graduating from the Missouri School of Journalism she became a freelance writer. In addition to writing for print and digital magazines, she launched two farmer’s markets in Atlanta, Georgia. She moved to Boise in January 2017 with her golden retriever, Hooch, and her boyfriend, Owen, seeking new adventures. She enjoys cooking, hiking and spending time at the Boise Farmer’s Market.

Laurel Holland

The daughter of an alpinist who disappeared in a climbing accident when she was 5, Laurel Holland was taught at an early age to love and honor the outdoors. She graduated from Harvard in 2006 with a degree in French Literature and Language and moved to New York shortly thereafter to pursue an acting career. Laurel relocated to Ketchum in September 2014 to complete “Spindrift,” a memoir about her late father, Bill Holland, whose body was recovered in 2010 at the base of the glacier that claimed his life.

Kate Hull

Kate Hull, a Texas native, moved to Idaho’s Teton Valley in 2012. She is the co-publisher and editor in chief for Powder Mountain Press’ Teton Valley Magazine. Her work has appeared in numerous Intermountain West and Texas-based magazines, including Texas Monthly, Texas Highways, Austin Monthly, Mountain Outlaw Magazine and Teton Home and Living. When not writing, Kate can be found exploring her surrounding Wydaho home with her husband, Kenny, and two cattle dogs.

Phil Huss

Phil Huss came to the Wood River Valley in 2000 to teach English at the Upper School at Community School.  He taught 10th-grade British and World Literature and Writing for a decade before becoming Upper School Head for three years. Now back in the classroom teaching 11th– and 12th-grade English electives, Phil also serves as the Upper School’s Teaching and Learning Coordinator. Among his many English electives—Interpretations in Law and Literature, American Literature of the South, Moral Philosophy and Literature / Film, and American Environmental Literature—Phil has taught a very popular course on the life and works of Ernest Hemingway since 2008. In this course, students research and create documentary videos on the local Hemingway stories as windows into understanding Hemingway’s texts.

Dev Khalsa

Dev Khalsa: From Santa Fe to Sun Valley, photography has taken local studio owner, Dev Khalsa, all over the map. During a ski vacation she and her husband took to Sun Valley in 2002, the two fell in love with the area and decided to make it their home. After four years as a staff photographer for the Wood River Journal, she launched her own business, Dev Khalsa Photography. Over 12 years later, the studio has become a Valley go-to for family portraiture and wedding photography. Dev credits her success to her roots in photojournalism and the lasting relationships she has built with each of her clients. For her, photography is an act of storytelling. It is, first and foremost, an exercise in observation and empathy.

McKenna Koon

Originally from Portland, Ore., McKenna spent the better half of a decade in Los Angeles before relocating to Ketchum in 2017. She is co-creator of the award-winning young adult drama series “Guilty Party” and has worked as a creative strategist for major commercial brands, including Netflix, AT&T, and Coca-Cola. She has written for outlets such as National Public Radio, The Fullest, and Fullscreen and serves as a creative strategy & insights consultant for entertainment, media, and advertising. She is also a meditation leader, having led workshops at Unplug and Knockout in California, and is the founder of LADY C/\MP, a modern outdoor company for women.

Jill Kuraitis

Jill Kuraitis has lived in Idaho for 32 years, most of that spent either running political campaigns or writing about them. She was the Boise publisher of the award-winning Rocky Mountain news site, NewWest.net, for six years, where she covered Idaho politics, environmental issues, and more. She now free-lances for magazines and news services, and, in her spare time, she raises squirrels, feeds birds, and rescues things. She and her husband live in Boise, near their two grown children, with two rambunctious dogs and a cat with a master’s degree.

Zach Kyle

Zach Kyle grew up in a commercial fishing family in the sticks outside of Bellingham, Wash. He worked for 10 years at three Idaho newspapers, most recently as a business reporter at the Idaho Statesman. He left the print business in June to begin a career as a freelance journalist and business communications specialist. He and his wife, Catherine, live in a tiny duplex in Boise’s North End.

Amy Story Larson

Amy Story Larson is a beautifier. She loves eloquent combinations of words, ingenious home improvement, unique form, and brilliant color. An author, editor, ghostwriter, and artist/art instructor, she and her Weimaraner, Gracie, tour Idaho in the chalkboard-covered compact bus named “Chalkie” seeking adventure, poignant things to capture in paint, interesting people, and unforgettable stories.

Jennifer Liebrum

Jennifer Liebrum is mother to twin girls, Devon and Gracie, 18, and is working as a special education paraprofessional at Wood River Middle School. She has worked for the Houston Chronicle, The New York Times, and, locally, as managing editor for this magazine, as well as Habitat, Sun Valley Guide and both the Wood River Journal and the Idaho Mountain Express.

Sarah Linville

Sarah Linville currently enjoys a seasonal life centered on the Idaho outdoors. She proudly spends her winters on Bald Mountain with the Sun Valley Ski Patrol. The summer time will find her floating somewhere on the Salmon River. Life is tough. She received her degree in journalism from Northern Arizona University and has since then contributed to Rock and Ice Magazine and locally to BIG Life Magazine.

Hillary Maybery

Hillary Maybery is a SoCal girl at heart, her early days spent entertaining her competitive spirit as a surfer and equestrian rider. She fell in love with photography after discovering the darkroom in high school but put that dream on hold to pursue her passion for sports. At 23, she became one of the first female professional snowboarders and spent the next 10 years traveling the world competing in various events (including the X Games) and making a name for herself as an athlete. Eventually, she invested in photography school, bought professional gear and took time off to shoot. After spending three years earning her chops as an assistant for photographer David Stoecklein, she made a home for herself in Idaho and began shooting anything she could: kids, weddings and, her personal favorite, portraits. She lives in Sun Valley with her best friend and boyfriend of 13 years, Mark, and her rockstar daughter, Presly. (Cover photo)

Todd Meier

Todd Meier has a passion for telling other people’s stories. He has spent the last 17 years trying to pass on his subjects’ stories through photographs. He immerses himself in their world, taking the viewer along for the ride. From knee-deep powder in the backcountry, to a downtown office in the middle of any city, Todd finds the connection between himself and his subject. Not incidentally, Todd created the cover shot for Territory’s inaugural issue, one that won the Maggie Award for Best New Publication, 2017. Living life in Boise and beyond with his wife, Lorie, and daughter, Ella, Todd is always looking to the next adventure.

Jonathan Mentzer

Jonathan Mentzer, originally from Olympia, Wash., graduated with a B.A. in journalism from Central Washington University. He is an Idaho Press Club Award winner who has written for the Wood River Journal, Idaho Mountain Express, and the Durango Herald along with numerous magazines. Jonathan enjoys photography, poetry, writing fiction, and has a great love for sports and the outdoors. He lives in Ketchum with his wife where he is a freelance writer.

Patti Murphy

Patti Murphy is an award-winning writer who has covered topics from architecture to wildlife; crime to travel; food, history, pets and more. She comes from a long family line of journalists and writers, and luckily inherited the helpful gene of being keenly inquisitive about the world around her. Born and raised in the tropics of Miami, Patti moved to the desert of Phoenix, and then settled in Boise in 1997. She now enjoys traveling and hanging with family that includes her spouse, two dogs and two cats. She happily writes from her home office situated perfectly between the amazing Boise Foothills, beautiful Boise River, and dynamic downtown.

Glenn Oakley

Glenn Oakley has documented and explored the people and landscape of the American West as a photographer, writer and filmmaker over a span of 40 years. A three-time winner of the Banff Mountain Film Festival’s Photo Competition, his photography has appeared in hundreds of publications, including Smithsonian, Outside, Life, Time, and Sunset. His ability to portray people in the landscape has led to numerous advertising assignments for clients like LL Bean, Yakima, Giant Bikes and resorts from California to Florida. Glenn Oakley has written and photographed several books, including “The San Luis Valley,”  “The Snake River Plain,”  “Wolf!” and two Frommer’s bed & breakfast guides (Rocky Mountains and New England). Glenn plays outdoors on skis, bicycles, boots and boats, and plays Dobro and mandolin in the band Slackline. He lives in Boise.

Diane Josephy Peavey

Diane Josephy Peavey writes about life on her family’s Idaho sheep and cattle ranch—its people, history and the changing landscape of the American West. These stories aired weekly for 18 years on Idaho Public Radio. She is the author of “Bitterbrush Country: Living on the Edge of the Land.” Her other writings have appeared in numerous magazines, journals and western anthologies, and she completed two librettos for the Caritas Chorale on Lewis and Clark and the Nez Perce Indians.

Paulette Phlipot

Sharing recipes and adventures from her kitchen helps professional photographer Paulette Phlipot stay connected to friends and family across the country, no matter how many miles separate them. Her passion for plants and fresh, real, healing foods inspires wellness worldwide through her FoodAsArt® commercial, editorial and fine art photography. Check out more of her work at FoodAsArt.com or PaulettePhlipot.com.

Nick Price

Nick Price is a fly fishing guide and photographer specializing in fly fishing, travel, and outdoor lifestyle. His editorial work has appeared in publications including: The FlyFish Journal, The Drake, Anglers Journal, Condé Nast Traveler, and others. He lives in Hailey with his wife and two sons.

Diana Price

Diana Price is freelance writer and editor who has spent nearly 20 years creating content for lifestyle, healthcare, education, and corporate publications. For the last 12 years, she has specialized in health and wellness topics for consumer audiences. Diana lives in Hailey with her husband, two sons, and geriatric English setter.

Margot Ramsay

Originally from the East Coast, Margot Ramsay moved to the Valley in 2003 after graduating from the University of Virginia. She’s been a mountain guide and has lived in Australia and Costa Rica, but Margot’s favorite place is at home with her two little boys. When she is not actively engaged in being a mama, wife to a business owner or a Registered Nurse, you’ll find Margot running, skiing, writing and generally enjoying the mountain town life.

Nils Ribi

Nils Ribi is and entrepreneur, business executive and recovering elected official. A passionate amateur photographer since childhood, Nils became a professional photographer by accident. His love for travel and the outdoors has allowed him to photograph everything from cityscapes to wilderness landscapes. His photos have been published in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Travel + Leisure, Forbes Magazine, Outside Magazine, duPont Registry, and numerous regional publications. He has also photographed for Associated Press articles with worldwide distribution. In addition, Nils uses his passion for photography as an opportunity to help local nonprofit and governmental organizations with their photography requirements.

Hayden Seder

Hayden Seder is a full-time freelance writer and editor based in her hometown of Ketchum, Idaho. Since graduating from Sarah Lawrence College in New York in 2010, Hayden’s work has been published in numerous publications including SVPN, The Weekly Sun, Idaho Press, Boise Weekly, Visit Sun Valley blog, Sun Valley Magazine, Taste, The Source, Western Home Journal, and more. When not putting pen to paper, Hayden loves rock climbing, snowboarding, mountain biking, and traveling.

Kirsten Shultz

Kirsten Shultz doesn’t remember a time when she didn’t love photography. As a professional photographer for more than half of her life, most of those years have been spent photographing in and out of Sun Valley. Published in many publications, including The New York Times and Martha Stewart Weddings, her work is driven by her love of the arts, music, travel and food. When not shooting weddings or assignments on location, she enjoys working from her studio and chasing the light with her husband, daughter, and dog.

Angie Smith

Angie Smith is a photographer based in Los Angeles, Calif. She was born in Eugene, Ore. and studied photography at Bard College in upstate New York. Angie works with publications and companies such as The New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, WIRED, ESPN The Magazine, Travel and Leisure, Nike and Booking.com. In 2015, Smith founded Stronger Shines the Light Inside, a multi-media project documenting the lives of refugees in America through photographs, film and interviews. In September 2016, Stronger Shines the Light Inside was exhibited on the streets of downtown Boise, and a photo essay on the project was published in the New York Times Magazine, the New Republic and National Geographic. The exhibition is slated to travel to several locations in the U.S.

Greg Stahl

Greg Stahl has made Idaho his classroom for nearly 20 years, and writing about the state’s colorful people and places has been his favorite way to learn. He’s written extensively about Sun Valley skiing, ski culture and Idaho outdoors as a local reporter and is author of “Paddling Idaho,” a Falcon Guides guidebook to canoeing, kayaking and rafting in Idaho. He also enjoys applying his project management and wordsmithing skills on copywriting and editing projects for entrepreneurs in the Gem state and beyond. Read more about his work at westernperspective.com.

Kira Tenney

Kira Tenney grew up in Sun Valley and works as a freelance writer, researcher, and international adventure ecotourism consultant and trainer. The focus of her work is mindfully connecting people with the outdoors in order to grow benefits for local communities, wilderness conservation, and women’s empowerment. Kira is hard to pin down, but she always circles back to a place she considers to be one of the best in the world, and that’s home sweet Idaho.

Jamie Truppi

Jamie Truppi, MSN, CNS, is an integrative nutritionist on a mission to connect people through meaningful food experiences inspired by nature. In her private practice, she focuses on family nutrition, functional foods, gut microflora, and the endocannabinoid system. An edible educator, she’s creates and teaches nutrition programming for early care, elementary, middle, and high school students. A food systems advocate, she volunteers with nonprofit organizations in the Wood River Valley. A mom, she beckons her kids into from-scratch cooking experiments.

Woods Wheatcroft

I am a light chaser. Quick thinker. Traveler.
I like to make people laugh. Humor me.
I search for the in-between moments.
I am a lifestyle shooter. I shoot the life I am living.
I was born and bred in the Pacific Ocean … well, San Diego to be precise, but now I live in the splendor of Northern Idaho.
The mountains call me.
I still have a love affair with the ocean.
Surfing soothes my soul.
I have a magnetic attraction to water.
Deserts and open space feed me.
I love what I do.
I shoot what I do.
Simple.

Nancy Whitehead

Nancy Whitehead grew up woodcock and grouse hunting with her dad and two brothers in the woods of New Hampshire. She knows her subject matter intimately and, in a former life, while raising her own two sons, she was a dog breeder. Her love of photography and the outdoor lifestyle began more than 30 years ago and her fine art photography and field portraits of sporting dogs of all breeds has led her on assignment to hunting clubs, ranches, plantations and exclusive kennels throughout the world. Her work has appeared in books and on the covers of numerous magazines, including Shooting Sportsman, Sun Valley Magazine, the Staffords catalog, the Orvis Catalog and in her celebrated book In The Field: Sporting Dogs at Work and desktop Sporting Dog Datebook calendars.