With these intentions for enhancements in mind for all of our locations, The Hailey Store Manager, Jeff Davis and I have agreed that his purchase of the Hailey Store is the best way to ensure the highest level of quality Customer Service, at that location, today and in the future. This decision was very difficult for me as I love the town of Hailey and feel Sturtos Hailey has a great staff, customer base, and location. But, I am also realistic that as a Ketchum resident, and owner of three Ketchum storefronts, I would not be able to give The Hailey Store the personal attention I feel a service oriented, small business, owes its customers. Further, Jeff Davis; a long time Hailey resident and local, Sturtevants Manger, and The Sturtos Hailey Staff are excited and extremely capable of delivering that service, particularly without worrying about out of town ownership.

So, the store will be named ‘Sturtos Hailey,’ and ‘Sturtevants’ will refer to the Ketchum and Warm Springs stores. Although similar in name and certainly the same heritage, the two stores will now be separately run businesses with no franchise ties.

On behalf of the teams at both Sturtevants and Sturtos Hailey, we thank you for all of your past patronage, and we look forward to providing you with the best services and products available for many, many years to come!

Thank you!
Olin Glenne

Sturtevants seeks an energetic responsible individual for shipping/receiving, inventory control, and distribution of goods between 3 shop locations. Computer aptitude, teamwork, reasonable physical fitness, attention to detail and problem-solving are key to success.

Full-time weekdays, competitive wage, health insurance allowance, corporate ski-pass, and other benefits indexed to experience. Email resume or mail to P.O. Box 5300 Ketchum, ID 83340

Stop by and see the latest and greatest from your favorite bike brands, get a tune up or new hiking boots, and return any remaining junior lease packages!  Happy Spring!

Please remember Sturtevants and Sturtos in the following categories:

48. Best Outdoor Gear Shop
49. Best Ski Shop
51. Best Bike Shop
52. Best Fishing Shop
55. Best Place to buy Eyewear
80. Best Customer Service (retail)
81. Best Overall Retailer

Thank you for your continued patronage!

But for most fly fishers the greatest variable of all, the one that separates us from the worm and bobber hordes, is the fly.  Beginner fly fishers start with only a few flies in their box, go-to’s they know, maybe the pattern they caught their first fish on.  Quickly that box grows and grows.  I’ve yet to meet a fly fisher who adds less flies to their repertoire as time goes on.  Most end up like me; boxes upon boxes, filled with back up plans A to ZZZ.  Entropy increases.

No fishermen are more vulnerable to this malady than fly tyers.  It’s not that the universe needs another emerging Pale Morning Dun pattern, it’s that every fly tyer has the ability to create one, and, inevitably, does. Sitting in front of the vice, I think fisherman tend to block out most of fly fishing’s complexity.  Instead, they revert to the original simple equation; (fisherman + fish), with the fly the only thing standing between the two.  The underlying urge the fly tyer feels goes something like this – “without the right fly, the new fly, my fly, there is no way on God’s green Earth I’m going to catch that fish”.  And so we put thread to hook and create anew.

A few times in my career as a fishing guide, I’ve been lucky enough to stand beside someone as they caught their first fish on a fly they tied.  It’s an electric moment, a combination of “I can’t believe that worked” and endless possibility.

More often though, it’s the other way around, my clients catching the first fish on a fly I invented.  This is the great dirty secret of fly fishing guides; we experiment more than you’d think, with the fish and fisherman as the unwitting variables, and the fly the continuously modified constant in the middle.

All guides start with something they know will work, after all, it’s a pass/fail job.  You clients catch fish or they don’t.  But that experimental urge, the “what if” gets strong, and at some point the guide quietly ties on their latest creation and experiments.  If the experiment fails, the new creation is cut right back off.  But if it works, I let my client name the new fly; my creative urge is justified, and ideas for new versions start to spin in my head.  And I go home and add one more new pattern to the universe.

By Paddy McIlvoy

Our Main Street Ketchum store will close around April 15th for our BIG interior / exterior remodel.  The sale will run until the doors close but shop early for the best selection!!

Sturtos in Ketchum and Sturtevants – Hailey will remain open during the Main Street closure.

The 57th annual Papoose Club Kindercup this Sunday will honor 25-year Sun Valley Ski School Instructor and Children’s Program Supervisor, the late, beloved local character Alice Schernthanner!

The Papoose Club is encouraging all participants and the audience to dress up in fun (maybe Austrian?Vintage ski?) attire to celebrate!

The pre-registration form for the race is still available online.  Fill it out, dress up the family, show up early (it will be busy!) and celebrate Alice and the amazing legacy of children’s ski programs she helped build!

For more information and the registration form visit the Papoose Club website.

BIG savings on all insulated ski & board jackets and pants, winter sportswear & footwear, skis & boots – from the best brands on the planet!!