Words by James Tautkus for the 5B Gazette
Ski racing is its own community, with many layers obscure to outsiders. At last month’s World Cup Finals, our community had the privilege of hosting the world’s best athletes and witnessing their talent and grace both as skiers and personalities.
What is humbling is that they all started as young children full of dreams, trying to gain exposure. The layers of experience and small but growing successes that led them to the World Cup Finals did not come overnight and were not handed to them. Year after year, these layers were laced together for them to make it to Sun Valley.
One experience our community provided the World Cup athletes was direct exposure to Rotarun Ski Area in Croy Canyon. While most of us focused on the early racing on Warm Springs, the athletes aiming for technical events were training blissfully in Croy.
Notably, Mikaela Shiffrin reflected, “Rotarun reminds me of these little hills that I grew up skiing and training on in the East Coast. These magical little slopes have everything you need to drive passion for skiing. Training at Rotarun felt like a full-circle moment, going right back to my roots. It was even more special drilling run after run with my mom, who is still coaching me all these years later.”
Her mother, Eileen Shiffrin, echoed her daughter’s sentiment, adding that it’s “the perfect place for developing skiers of any level in a safe and friendly environment.”
The athletes appreciated the rare privacy Rotarun offered, often sharing the slope only with the mountain crew and dog-walking neighbors, far from the public exposure they are accustomed to.
American slalom skier Ben Ritchie was given lane space at Rotarun for the duration of his time at the World Cup Finals, allowing him to invite his pace-setting peers. Joining him were Britain’s Dave Ryding and Norwegians Timon Haugan, Henrik Kristoffersen and Atle Lie McGrath, enabling him to vibe off the best and catch the rub of their magic.
As Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation’s alpine director, Will Brandenburg, put it, “We have this unique opportunity in the valley — most major resorts in Europe have smaller areas near them that turn into private training grounds before races.” North American World Cups most frequently occur in Colorado, which means, in general, “the U.S. doesn’t really have that, so everyone knows and has access to where everyone is going to train, so there’s no real advantage for our U.S. athletes. Here, we were able to provide that home-soil advantage.”
Ritchie will likely leverage his invitation to Ryding and the Norwegians for training favors on the road. “For Ben, this will be huge going into next season. The effects are residual,” Brandenburg said.
The U.S. head men’s coach, Mark Tilston, was so excited about the opportunity that he repeatedly told SVSEF and the Rotarun staff that he’d like to return for a training camp leading up to the 2026 Olympics in Italy.
While it is heartwarming that the World Cup athletes and coaches were thrilled to discover a rare gem in the Gem State, SVSEF itself may have benefited the most. “The kids’ experience of training next to them and seeing the look in their faces is such a memory,” said SVSEF’s executive director, Scotty McGrew. In what other sport do developing athletes get to train next to their sport’s best? How many high school basketball players can say they shot hoops next to LeBron James?
Sun Valley’s developing athletes were so close to their heroes, immersed in their practice, that they could digest their routines, study their ski tracks in the snow and see that they are more alike than light-years apart.
McGrew continued, “We designed that place to appeal to a spectrum, from after-school programs to Ski Ed training, to Friday night lights, and the idea that it would be a world-class slalom laboratory. We manifested a spectrum and have done just that. We contributed to the ecosystem.”
Rotarun has always had the ability to deliver quality training at the highest level, and during the week of the World Cup Finals, it was affirmed — not just as a vital layer to Sun Valley’s ski racing community but also to the world’s. The results from the experience, just like for Ritchie, will be residual.
Read the full article at www.5bgazette.com
Beacon Park is Now Open!
The Rotarun Beacon Park is Now Open!
The park is free and open to the public. It is located on the uphill side of the green operations garage on the west side of the hill. It is open during daylight hours (roughly 9am-6pm) during our ski season (January 1-March 31).
The wireless beacon training park contains buried transmitters and targets that can be set up for single or multiple buried scenarios. Participants will use their own beacons, shovels and probes.
To begin your search, open the black BCA transceiver control box and follow the instructions on the inside. Begin your search from the control box and search the area to "lookers right" of the groomed service road. Please turn the box off when you have completed your practice!
Learn more about using your avalanche rescue equipment through the Sawtooth Avalanche Center or Backcountry Access (BCA) online education videos.
"Mightier than its stature"
Rotarun opens for the season with a celebration of its people and history
By: Gabe Bernard for Idaho Mountain Express
"Rotarun Ski Area opened for the season on Saturday with a nod to its nearly 80-year history and a celebration of the generations of people key to its founding and persistence against the odds.
The nonprofit ski hill, with a vertical drop of less than 500 feet, is often referred to by its champions as “the little mountain with a big heart.” It’s known for its mission to unlock the thrill of skiing and snowboarding for kids and families by providing free or cheap education programs and lift tickets. It hosts free night skiing for all on Wednesdays, complete with a taco truck parked in the dirt lot at the base.
It’s also known for what many have described as its deep sense of community. Decades of efforts by ski area staff, volunteers and snow-sports enthusiasts to preserve the ski hill, just 3 miles west of downtown Hailey, have enabled it to thrive even as similar “mom and pop” ski areas across the U.S. have disappeared in droves, forced out of business by ski industry consolidation and decreasing snowfall.
Saturday’s opening festivities were designed to memorialize the efforts of those many mountain stewards and safeguard Rotarun’s history. The events began, fittingly, with a free pancake and sausage breakfast prepared by the Hailey Rotary Club, from which Rotarun’s name is derived. Breakfast was followed by the main event: the unveiling of a new permanent, multipaneled history exhibit that uses a written timeline, photos and historical mementos to chronicle the story of the ski area from its opening in 1948 to present day."
Read the full article at https://www.mtexpress.com/news/recreation/mightier-than-its-stature/article_46fcaac0-c0cc-11ef-a612-231ce287a4b5.html
Celebrating Rotarun's Legacy in the Wood River Valley
STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK
Levon Blatz was just 1 when he began skiing at Rotarun Ski Area. Now 5, he says he can ski downhill from the third tower no sweat.
“I know how to ski from the top, but it’s scary so I can stop at the third tower,” he said. “And I love the night skiing.”
Blatz, who attended the Hailey ski area’s opening day Saturday with his father Nick and 3-year-old sister Remy, knows it’s a special place. And Scotty McGrew, the volunteer director of Rotarun thinks other children will buy into that, as well, thanks to five history panels that were unveiled Saturday at the “little mountain with a big heart.”
“When kids walk off the blue bus that brings them here, they’re going to feel like they’re part of something. And, when you feel like you’re part of something, you own it and you want to protect it,” he told a small crowd that gathered for the unveiling and a flapjack feed hosted by the Hailey Rotary Club. “They’re going to feel like they’re part of something bigger than themselves. This will become their story, and there are a lot of stories left to be told on this small but mighty mountain.”
The Rotarun History Preservation Project, constructed with a grant from the Wood River Women’s Foundation and volunteer labor by the Savaria family, Carl Rixon Jr. and Skip Merrick, tells the story of Rotarun Ski Area from its founding in 1948 through today.
It’s the brainchild of Heather Foster, a Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation planner who became fascinated with the stories her husband Jesse Foster told her about the ski hill while serving as Rotarun’s board president.
“Whenever I take a road trip, I love to pull over on the side of the highway and read the signs about Sacajawea or the headwaters in Montana,” she said. “One reason to preserve history is so people who come here can understand how it came to be. So many people have their fingerprints on this area and so many have stories. Jesse and I were even married here on Dec. 12, 2019--the first day they turned on snowmaking.”
Read the full article at Eye on Sun Valley
Watch the History Installment Ribbon Cutting Here
"A Collective Effort of Many"
Idaho Mountain Express SNOW EDITION - December 4, 2024
Words by: Gabe Bernard
Just a few miles west of downtown Hailey, “a little mountain with a big heart” rises roughly 400 feet from the valley floor.
A single Poma lift pulls skiers and riders young and old to the peak of this little mountain, from which they can begin their descent down one of just seven named ski runs.
There are no trees. There are no opulent lodges. There’s hardly any trail signs.
But Rotarun Ski Area doesn’t need the trappings of a typical ski resort to flourish. In fact, it’s the utter lack of such apparently superfluous extras that reveals what leaders of the nonprofit community ski hill recently described as its greatest strengths: purity and nostalgia. Rotarun, which has recently run on a grand total of about $300,000 in annual operating income, has been on a simple mission since 1948 to stoke within the snow-sports pupils who flock to its slopes the fundamental joy of skiing and snowboarding.
“It’s like the anti-resort,” Rotarun Ski Area Executive Director Scott McGrew said. “This place belongs to all of us.”
Rotarun unlocks the thrill of skiing and snowboarding through its accessibility. Its most expensive day pass is $15. A season pass covering a family of up to five people is $300. It boasts a free ski school for kids ages 5-11, as well as multiple other programs. Kids under 5 ski free at all times. Everyone skis free—yes, free—on Wednesday nights. During the 2020-21 ski season, Rotarun gifted 3,688 tickets to kids and logged 11,195 skier days, according to its annual report for the year. During the 2021-22 season, Rotarun gifted 3,782 lift tickets to kids and logged 12,073 skier days.
“We’ve removed all the barriers to entry,” Rotarun Mountain Manager Julian Tyo said. “There’s so much ski equipment here. … If you’re cold, we’ve got some extra coats. We’ll keep you warm.”
Yet Rotarun’s success is far from guaranteed. It’s a member of what McGrew calls “an endangered species” in the winter recreation industry. More than 160 “mom and pop” U.S. ski areas similar to Rotarun have shut down in the last 30 years, according to Rotarun, driven out of business by industry consolidation and the climate change-driven decrease in the likelihood of consistent snowfall.
“They’ve got the boot on their necks,” McGrew said. “It’s really too bad, so we’re trying to do it differently.”
A series of snowmaking infrastructure developments on the mountain in recent years has been key to Rotarun’s sustainability in this challenging climate, ski area leaders said. Now, Rotarun is in a transition between mountain managers who steward its slopes. It’s welcoming a new mountain manager, Tyo, and saluting former Mountain Manager Riley Berman, who helped shepherd Rotarun through its snowmaking evolution. In Rotarun’s moment of transition, these ski area leaders during interviews with the Express reflected on Rotarun’s development and looked to the future.
“[Berman] pulled together family and friends and people who have a really strong heartbeat for this small ski hill thing,” McGrew said. “It just felt like you were part of something bigger.”
Read the full Idaho Mountain Express article here.
Thank You to the 100 Men Who Care: Wood River Valley
Rotarun receives $6,200 through Men Who Care’s January grant cycle
HAILEY, Idaho – February 26, 2024 – At the January meeting of the 100 Men Who Care: Wood River Valley, Rotarun was voted as a grant recipient in the amount of $6,200. This generous gift will support the learn to ski and ride programming along with general operating expenses, to ensure the community can continue to enjoy this special gem in Hailey, ID.
Rotarun offers free learn to ski and ride programming to children ages 6-11 and middle-schoolers through the Rota-Rippers and Rota-Ravens programs, along with free public skiing on Wednesday nights from 6-9 p.m. Lift tickets are $10-$15 on additional public skiing days including Friday 6-9 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 12-4 p.m. Children five and under always ski for free. Family “Tribe” season passes and “Freddy’s Pass Program” make skiing for the entire family accessible in a sport that often comes with a cost barrier for entry.
Marty Lyon of Lyon Landscape Architects founded 100 Men Who Care in 2013. inspired by a quote from Margaret Mead. We couldn’t agree more with what Mead said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed individuals can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
“We feel truly honored that our cause and our mission resonate with this incredibly impactful group,” said Scott McGrew, Rotarun’s volunteer Executive Director. “Since 1948, Rotarun has been the little mountain with a big heart for the kids and for the community, and while the landscape continually evolves, it is the collective effort of individuals like the 100 Men Who Care and others that help make the magic happen at Rotarun.”
Since its founding, the 100 Men Who Care have donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to local charities. To learn more about the 100 Men Who Care, please visit: https://www.100menwhocarewoodrivervalley.com/
For more information about Rotarun, visit rotarun.org
Photo courtesy of Rota-Rippers Volunteer Coach Jonna Mendes.
This Fully Non-Profit Ski Hill Restored My Faith In The Ski Community
by
When you hear of a ski hill with 475 feet vert and serviced by a single Poma lift you might not get your hopes high for a great ski experience but let me tell ya, next time I’m in Hailey, Idaho I’m 100% returning to Rotarun aka “The little mountain with a big heart.”
CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL STORY!
Alta Questad Repeats and Walker Gove Claims First Win at the 2024 Arkoosh Cup
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
HAILEY, Idaho – Feb. 19, 2024 - More than 200 skiers registered to race in the 2024 Arkoosh Cup at Rotarun Ski Area, where boys and girls raced head-to-head within their age groups on the dual giant slalom course on Monday. Family members and friends cheered on their kids, and the competitive spirit was high. Age-class awards were presented at the conclusion of the event for the U8, U10, U12, and U14 categories, and the Arkoosh Cup was awarded to the winning girl and boy of the U10 category. Their names will be etched into the Arkoosh Cup trophy, which has a permanent home in the base lodge at Rotarun.
The overall fastest times for girls and boys in the U10 category and winners of this year’s Arkoosh Cup were, Alta Questad crossing the line in 23.70 and Walker Gove in 23.75. Questad, a member of the SVSEF U10 Travel Team, also won the Arkoosh Cup in 2023 as an eight-year-old (first-year U10) in the U10 category.
“We want to give the biggest thank you possible to Riley Berman and the staff at Rotarun for providing an impeccable venue for the race, to the coaches and volunteers for their hard work, and to all the families who support their kids and help share the love of ski racing,” said Chuck Harris, Arkoosh Cup Chief of Race.
The Cup is named for the Arkoosh family from Gooding, who in 1957 gave Rotarun a 99-year lease for $1 per year. In 1993, the property was deeded over to Blaine County, with the underlying lease from the Arkoosh family intact.
“The Arkoosh Cup is a truly special day for us to celebrate and remember the family who made this place possible, and for us to continue to foster a love of ski racing among the youth in our community,” said Wally Limburg, Rotarun’s Board President. “The healthy competitive spirit and camaraderie among the kids, whether they’re new to the sport or more experienced, is just a great thing to see, and it’s an opportunity for the families to connect around something their kids enjoy and are excited to share with their parents and siblings.”
Since the mid-1960's, the Arkoosh Cup has seen winners like Picabo Street, who won the Cup in 1983 and eventually went on to become an Olympic and World Champion. Winners from more recent years are currently racing at the FIS elite level including Paige DeHart (2017), Jessica Blackburn (2016), and Haley Cutler (2009). Others have gone on to become SVSEF Alpine coaches, such as Sage Rheinschild (2012), Haley Cutler (2009), KJ Savaria (2008), Charlotte Gourlay (1999), and Amanda Stelling and Connor Farrow (2007).
TOP FIVE PER AWARD CATEGORY RESULTS
U8 Men:
- Ford Rixon
- Werner McNamara
- Ronan Currie
- Nathan Sattler
- Samuel Sattler
U10 Men:
- Walker Gove (2024 Arkoosh Cup Winner)
- Asa Sattler
- Evan McGregor
- Dylan Smiley
- Ridge Crist
U12 Men:
- Hunter Gove
- Kelby Harris
- Evan Logsdon
- Lachlan Hollis
- Logan Snell
U8 Women:
- Quinn Woodward
- Lark Johnson
- Palmer Burwell
- Ruby Rogers
- Isla Young
U10 Women:
- Alta Questad (2024 Arkoosh Cup Winner)
- Marie McNeal
- Kayla Kloster
- Dylan Spengler
- Sophie Robins
U12 Women:
- Nina Viesturs
- Sophie Kanowski
- Piper Gerald
- Avery Logsdon
- Sara Stevens
Complete 2024 Arkoosh Cup results are posted at https://rotarun.org/arkoosh-cup/
Photo of Alta Questad by Heather Foster
Opening Day for Rotarun Ski Area Set for Sunday, Dec. 31
Rotarun to provide free day passes for all on New Year’s Eve Day
HAILEY, Idaho – December 28, 2023 – Public skiing at Rotarun Ski Area will officially open for the season on Sunday, Dec. 31 from 12-4 p.m. Skiers and snowboarders are encouraged to come take a few turns with free one-day passes valid for Sunday provided at the ticket window.
The local La Parilla food truck will be onsite with tacos, enchiladas, burritos, burgers, and more for sale—the makings for a perfect tailgate afternoon with family and friends.
“We are excited to open the hill for free public skiing this Sunday afternoon,” said Riley Berman, Rotarun’s Mountain Manager. “While we’re not quite ready for night skiing with the limited snowpack, the hill is in great shape to come out with the family and make some turns to welcome the new year.”
Rotarun Ski Area is open to skiers and snowboarders of all ages and abilities and hill access is via one surface platter lift. Free parking is available at the base area. Public skiing hours are Wednesdays and Fridays from 6-9 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays from 12-4 p.m. Public skiing is FREE on Wednesdays from 6-9 p.m.
Individual and family season passes for 2023/24 are available at rotarun.org. Day tickets are available in-person at the Rotarun ticket window and children 5 years and younger ski for free. Rotarun also offers the opportunity to host birthday parties on-site.
For more information about Rotarun, visit rotarun.org
About Rotarun
Located just three miles west of downtown Hailey, Idaho, Rotarun Ski Area has been a community hub for local snow sports enthusiasts since 1948. Rotarun offers affordable youth snowsport programming and public skiing throughout the winter season. Since 2017, Rotarun and the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation (SVSEF), separate 501c3 organizations, have worked together to collectively further learn-to-ski and ride programs and advanced training opportunities for the youth of the Wood River Valley. For more information, please visit www.rotarun.org.
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