It's no accident that the Wood River Valley produces a steady stream of Olympians and Olympic hopefuls for the Winter Games. There are four members of the 2010 U.S. Ski Team from the Wood River Valley.
The success of local winter athletes is directly related to the 45-year-old nonprofit Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation. Each year, the foundation works with 450 kids in all categories of ski and snowboard competition.
"We start them young and have a strong development process," said Executive Director Don Wiseman. "They have goals and they develop their skills. We also have extremely strong academic challenges for those who travel for competition."
The foundation's annual Ski Swap this weekend will help to raise some of the $500,000 the foundation raises annually through donations and fundraisers to help cover a $2 million annual budget.
Beginning at 11 a.m. today, Oct. 22, a vast selection of winter sports equipment will be sold at the Sagewillow Barn in Elkhorn to benefit the ski foundation. Prizes will be given hourly to those in attendance, including a free day pass to Baldy every hour on Friday and Saturday. The event lasts through Sunday.
Ski Swap
What: Annual Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation Ski Swap—offering a wide variety of alpine skiing, Nordic, snowboarding and other winter sports gear for sale.
Where: The Ski Swap is at the Sagewillow Barn in Elkhorn in Sun Valley. If driving up from the south or on Elkhorn Road, follow the signs to the Sagewillow Campus.
When:
- Friday, Oct. 22, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Saturday, Oct. 23, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Sunday, Oct. 24, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.