By Emilee Mae Struss
Rotarun Ski Area, located three miles west of Hailey, out Croy Canyon, will kick off the 2019 winter season with a New Year’s Eve party beginning at 4 p.m., Monday, Dec. 31.
The modest ski area has changed hands many times since its first opening in 1948, when it was using a tractor-and-pulley rope tow lift operation made out of used farm equipment.
Ann Janey Winn, a Winter Olympics-Switzerland participant, started the concept earlier that year at Hailey Elementary School and soon moved her lessons over to the location now known as Rotarun.
Since day one, Rotarun has been a labor of love for those who care deeply about the sport of skiing and making it accessible to everyone. The Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation has come in as an advisor to help Rotarun not just survive in the South Valley, but also thrive for both the kids and the general community.
“We all bleed for Rotarun,” Scott McGrew, general manager of Rotarun and executive director of the SVSEF, said. “It’s an entire community project and we rely on the community to keep it running.”
Rotarun hosts two main programs for kids and open ski times for everyone. Learn To Alpine Ski and Race, or LASAR, is for kids who are in grades K-5. The LASAR team trains on Wednesdays and Fridays, 3:30-5:30 p.m. The program runs for the months of January and February. LASAR tuition is $250 and the group is capped at 60 kids.
Rota-Rippers is an entry-level ski and snowboard program designed for first-generation learners ages 5-9 years old. Rota-Rippers trains Tuesdays and Thursdays, 3-5 p.m., and runs for six weeks starting in January. Tuition for Rota-Rippers is $200 and the group is capped at 50 kids.
Open ski is free with a suggested donation and planned for Wednesdays and Fridays from 5:30-8 p.m. and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Open ski is for anyone hoping to learn to ski or just practice.
“All of our programs we hope to offer for free and we have scholarships available for kids that may not be able to afford the tuition,” McGrew said.
McGrew encourages anyone and everyone that desires to learn how to ski or to practice in the evening hours to come out to Rotarun. Open ski times will expand as the demand from the community rises.
Support for Rotarun has continued to grow with program development. This year, some of the standout sponsors include Friedman Memorial Airport, Cox Communications, POWER Engineers, Horizon Foundation, Johnson Foundation of The Rockies, William Carey Hay Foundation, St. Luke’s Wood River Foundation, Kelly Brush Foundation, Johnson Foundation of the Rockies, Cooper-Tache First Tracks Fund and Webb Nursery.
Rotarun partners include Blaine County Recreation District, Wood River Women’s Foundation, The Hunger Coalition, Kids Mountain Fund, PK’s Ski and Sports, Sun Valley Ski Patrol, Board Bin, Kelly Brush Foundation, Papoose Club, Syringa Mountain School, Hailey Ice, Galena Backcountry Patrol, Wow! The Generosity Project, Sun Valley Lift Mechanics, Baldy Sports, Blaine County School District, B C Builders, and Rixon and Cronin Real Estate.
The list continues with individuals that have volunteered their time to build Rotarun, maintain it, and make it better. This year, 25 volunteers met to work on the Rotarun property to clean up the building and make it shine before the reopening this season. Hailey City Councilwoman Kaz Thea, with Kids Mountain Fund, helped with equipment acquisitions and the Striders First Tracks Fund, with Christin Cooper and Mark Tache, has provided scholarships for the kids.
Baldy Devo and LASAR head coach and owner of BC Builders, Brian Caulkins, said that an inspiring aspect of Rotarun is the role reversal of parents and children. A lot of children are bringing their parents out to Rotarun to learn how to ski after the kids learned how to ski by the highly skilled and professional staff.
“These kids are being trained by the same coaches as the competitive athletes of SVSEF,” McGrew said. “They are getting a very high-quality content of instruction.”
Many Olympic athletes, including snowboarder Chase Josey, have visited Rotarun and increased local interest for snow sports. In the next couple of years Rotarun hopes to have an artificial snowmaker and keep growing in community involvement, passion and support.
Rotarun is always looking for volunteers to help with operations of the building and the mountain. If interested, contact Caulkins at bcaulkins@svsef.org or call (208) 720-0128.