Big time improvements to the "little mountain that can" in Hailey this past fall bring a wider range of on snow opportunity to our community. Update and content provided by Scotty McGrew, Executive Director of SVSEF and Rotarun.
SNOWMAKING UPDATE
After months of toil, problem solving, and orchestration, we were able to turn the guns on for the first time last Saturday, November 7th. Naturally, there were some surprises along the way. Riley and I were on sight at all hours of the night troubleshooting, tweaking, and learning the system. Watching the guns turn on for the first time, was an emotional moment. On that note, we have a wonderful new machine coming, a Super Silent snowmaker, that was caught up in quarantine for the past few weeks and will be arriving later this week. We are SO excited to bring this online to provide the quietest, most efficient technology available. We Love you Richard! I know the neighbors, and broader community, are very grateful for our efforts on that front.
THE SNOWCAT
I cannot express my gratitude enough to those of you who rolled up your sleeves to help Rotarun acquire this beautiful piece of equipment. There is NO way we could be properly building this ski hill without it. This 2016 Prinoth winch cat, formerly from Deer Valley, is changing the game for us as we are finally able to tackle the challenge of building the steep and challenging terrain that Rotarun offers. It is safer, more efficient, and incredibly valued. Huge thank you to Carl Rixon for digging the holes and Skip Merrick for driving up the cement truck to the top of the hill and pouring the the attachment points! That was quite the feat. We were able to pay for half of the cost of the snowcat upfront, but still have work to do pay the balance due next summer ($100,000). If anyone is interested in investing in a snowcat, let me know!
NEW HAUL ROPE ON THE POMA and OTHER ROPE NEWS
A few weeks ago, we received unfortunate news – our wire rope on the Poma chair had sustained significant damage from lightning and needed to be replaced before operating. WOW. At first, I did not appreciate how difficult this project would become. Turns out all wire ropes ARE NOT created equally, and getting the right people, with the right tools, at the right time was a very challenging orchestration. We were, through the grace of the universe, able to find a wire rope in Switzerland and have it shipped out in time for the coming season. We were also able to find some talented wire rope gurus to help hang the rope. The picture above was taken this morning as the final splice is underway. Of all the things I have lost sleep over with Rotarun, this project takes the cake. The blessing at work is that we were able to identify the issue and fix it before running the risk of a rope failure during operations. The original rope came over from Austria with the Poma lift 25 years ago. We should be good to go for a while…
We have reinstated the Rope Tow! I am SO excited to have this classic piece of equipment up and ready in the original rope tow line (760’ long). For me, the rope tow is the ultimate symbol of grassroots skiing and ‘mom and pops’ outfits. I have vivid memories of holding on to the original rope with every shred of determination and desire to get to the top. So many kids these days have only had experience with detachable high speed quads. We, at Rotarun, LOVE the idea that we can introduce the rope tow back to the community and the kids. Best thing about it – YOU CAN’T CHECK YOUR SILLY PHONE WHILE ON A ROPE TOW. It keeps you engaged and in the moment (remember the Reverse Grip?). A true gift to these children.
LET THERE BE LIGHT!!!
I’ve been working with our electricians, a passionate new donor, and the operations crew to upgrade the ‘dirty’ metal halide lights that are currently on site to a newer LED and dark sky friendly setup. We are hoping to start testing the new lights in the next few days as we progressively work our way up the hill and create a smarter, more efficient, more respectful, ski hill. I’m very excited about this project and, simply put, it’s the right thing to do for myriad reasons.
Every part about this project has been an exercise in problem solving, collaboration, and ingenuity. I appreciate everyone’s support and passion for helping re-kindle this gem of a place. In a time of COVID, there is no better place. Its simple, it’s singles line only, and we have a strong plan in place to help keep our community safe while providing an outdoor place to play, train, and connect.
PROGRAMS AND PROGRAMMING
From the time I’ve been involved, this has been a labor of love focused on bringing the community together around the virtues of a small ski hill, and creatively designing a multifaceted organization that works for all. The vision for Rotarun has been about re-establishing the grassroots of skiing as a core value of our winter community. It is about making sure that we invite children and families into the sport of skiing in the most authentic and disarming way. It is about partnering with the community to add value, compliment the offerings that Sun Valley Company provides, and creating a new model focused on keeping our ski hill sustainable and thriving. A few bullets on programs:
- Our LASAR and Rotaripper programs are nearly FULL for the coming season (over 150 children!). We have been working with the school district, the local hunger coalition, and with the Rotarun network to spread the word to every corner of the community to make sure that our programs are inclusive, diverse, and create opportunity for families and kids who otherwise have none. Rotarun and SVSEF’s Cooper Tache fund work together to help support the grassroots of skiing and riding, by providing tuition free programming for families in need. In a time of COVID, we are optimistic and grateful that we have this option for the children. They need it in the most essential way. Those programs will launch just after the New Year.
- SVSEF is planning an early season camp starting this next weekend. Due to the uncertainties with COVID, this is a great opportunity for SVSEF athletes to get the focused skiing they need, without overloading SV Company’s cart as they open their resort. It is also a great opportunity for Rotarun to jump start its operations for the coming year as we work through the inevitable kinks. SVSEF athletes are paying a ‘camp fee’ to Rotarun for the training, which helps with Rotarun’s operational costs and snowmaking expenses. A great partnership at work.
- Due to COVID, we are looking to open the ski hill for public session in early to mid-December. We are also excited to create opportunities for local kids and families a place to ski over the Christmas holiday. The calendar will be updated and posted on the new rotarun.org website, courtesy of Leif Jensen and Galactic Ideas. Thanks Leif for making such a beautiful website for Rotarun!
- As community demand is growing for Rotarun, we are building a season pass program to help offset the added hours of operations. The basic framework is such:
- Children 10 and under – FREE
- Children 11-18 - $50 for a season pass, $5 for a day pass.
- Family season pass $200. Family day pass $25
- Individual season pass - $100. $10 day pass.
- In addition to scheduled times for ticket holders, we are going to continue offering Free skiing on Friday nights throughout the season. We absolutely LOVE those sessions, and the community does as well. The vision is to strike a balance between having pass sales support the cost of operation, but making sure that we continue to offer free programming and skiing for the community as we work to inspire participation for all.
For more information visit Rotarun.org