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