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All Rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Express Publishing Inc. is strictly prohibited. Contact Us The Sun Valley Guide magazine is distributed free four times a year to residents and guests throughout the Sun Valley, Idaho resort area communities. Subscribers to the Idaho Mountain Express newspaper will receive the Sun Valley Guide with their subscription.

the guide
Gear Up

Big Agnes Tumble Mountain
Take only pictures, leave only footprints and sleep in an eco-friendly bag. The Big Agnes Tumble Mountain is a 20-degree mummy bag with 725-fill goose down insulation and a shell made of recycled polyester ripstop and taffeta. Like all other Big Agnes bags, the Tumble Mountain is half of a sleeping system that replaces insulation on the bottom of the bag with a sleeve for a foam pad. The system saves weight and prevents rolling off the pad at night.
$290, Backwoods Mountain Sports, Ketchum

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Vibram Five Fingers
Like the feel of running barefoot but not so thrilled about thorns or shards of glass embedded in your feet? Try Vibram’s new Five Fingers brand shoes. The unorthodox-looking footwear allows each of your toes to function independently. Vibram claims the shoe will “stimulate the muscles in your feet and lower legs to build strength and improve range of motion.” Users report “an increased sense of balance, greater agility and visibly improved posture.”
From $80, Elephant’s Perch, Ketchum

KHS Pump Track Bike
Bicycle “pump tracks” in Hailey and Ketchum are the newest additions to the valley’s outdoor recreation amenities, and bike shops now have the gear to handle these tracks’ rollers and jumps. A lot like mountain bikes, they have lower top tubes and shorter wheelbases. KHS (Knowledge, Health, Strength) version comes in single-speed and 14-speed models.
From $550, sales and rentals at Sturtos and Formula Sports, Ketchum

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rsSteripen Adventurer
This high-tech alternative to water filters and chemical tablets uses ultraviolet light to kill DNA in bacteria, viruses and protozoa. Weighing a barely perceptible 3.6 ounces, Steripen sterilizes one liter of water in 90 seconds (for comparison, the MSR Hyperflow filter purifies one liter in 20 seconds, and weighs 7.4 ounces).
$100, battery-powered version, $80 solar-power add-on,
at local outdoor-gear shops

Patagonia Riverwalker
Trout Unlimited has asked all states to ban felt-soled wading boots by 2011 to prevent invasive aquatic species from hitching rides on fishermen’s boots. Whether that happens or not, local fishermen can help keep harmful species out of the Big Wood River and Silver Creek (invaded by the highly destructive New Zealand mud snail) by switching to rubber-soled boots such as the Patagonia Riverwalker.
$169, Silver Creek Outfitters and Lost River Outfitters, Ketchum