The Little Ski Hill is not a ski hill! It’s a community recreation and development center with a ski and snowboard habit. For over 80 years, The Little Ski Hill has been a place where fears are overcome, life-long friendships develop, and new skills are learned.
This ski hill serves our community in countless ways, and serves a growing number of participants each year. I cannot imagine putting a limit on how many children can participate, simply because the after school program has reached its current capacity. In an effort to ensure The Little Ski Hill can continue accommodating all area youth who wish to participate in the ski hill programs, I am excited to lend my passion for the hill to complete big improvements.
The Lift, Lights Little Hill campaign will usher in a new era of T-bar riding experiences with the much-needed replacement of our nearly 50 year-old T-bar. Existing ski area lights will be replaced, and additional lights will be installed on two unlit runs. These improvements will allow the ski hill to better serve our community by providing increased uphill capacity of a new T-Bar, new night time skiable terrain, and new opportunities for evening ski and snowboard programs. Most importantly more children will be able to participate in the shared experience of our community at The Little Ski Hill.
This campaign is asking for substantial community support and is the largest campaign in ski hill history. I have accepted a leadership role in this campaign because I believe these much needed improvements will ensure decades of continued joy and growth for our community.
Please join us in continuing the legacy of The Little Ski Hill.
Sincerely,
Mike Maciaszek
Past Campaign Chair (2019-2022) | Lift. Lights. Little Hill.
~ Payette Lakes Ski Club graciously thanks Mike Maciaszek for his service and dedication to the project and future of Little Ski Hill. ~
Let’s meet and discuss opportunities to support the Lift, Lights, Little Hill campaign.
Please reach out to Campaign Director Jennifer Dummar to schedule an appointment.
About Our Little Ski Hill
Little Ski Hill has served as a gathering place for the McCall community for generations. It is one of the only options for the community to come together for healthy, fun, family-friendly evening activities in the winter.
The community involvement and support is what makes Little Ski Hill stand apart from other ski hills. A deeper connection is formed when one participates on this level, whether it’s helping a child put on ski boots or helping with construction and maintenance. You become part of the heritage that keeps our ski hill alive, and join the ranks of volunteers, that have contributed thousands of hours to giving back. For 82 years, community support has allowed a child to stand on top of the hill, and experience the sensation of being the master of their own destiny as they choose where and how they will make it down the hill; a chance to experience pure freedom.
Payette Lakes Ski Club
Payette Lakes Ski Club is the 501 (c) 3 organization responsible for operating The Little Ski Hill and Bear Basin Nordic Center. Each year we strive to make improvements to our facilities and programs. Though a state highway separates the two operations, they are united under one organization with the goal of providing world-class winter recreation to our community. We are able to continue on with our mission thanks to members of our community who are passionate about winter recreation. Your support of PLSC ensures we are able to continue making improvements at both facilities.
After School Program
In McCall, what do 250 kids aged 5-18 have in common? They all participated in, or were instructors for, our After School Ski and Snowboard Program and our Saturday Ski and Snowboard Program in the 2018-19 season.
The after school program serves students in McCall, Donnelly, and New Meadows four days each week for seven weeks. After the program is over, our ski buses continue to run for approximately three weeks until spring break.
We have seen a trend of increasing participation among our middle and high school students, not only night skiing, but becoming ski instructors in our after school program. Nearly all of these young instructors participated as students in the after school program. Each year we add new elements of instructor training to build skills of our volunteer and paid staff. For many instructors, this is their first job. The experience and skills in leadership, teaching, and patience help our youth as they venture out into the world.
We are embarking on a journey to stay true to our mission of being an affordable, accessible and sustainable community facility. In partnership with the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Family Foundation, we are pursuing a project that will help us increase our capacity to serve our community and help us achieve a more sustainable operation while keeping our program and pass prices accessible to our community.
The project includes replacing our nearly 50 year-old T-bar with a modern T-bar, updating our existing lighting with new, more energy efficient lights, and adding lights on Race Run and Outback Terrain Park. We hope to complete this project in three phases. Phase one will see the replacement the existing lights; phase two will replace our current T-bar with a newer, more efficient T-bar; phase two will be adding even more new lights to
the hill.
Of course our wish list of needs
is long, we have settled on pursuing these improvements after conducting a feasibility study, and many conversations about what projects hold the most value and highest priority.
The T-bar, though legendary in status, has reached the end of its useful life. Some parts are not being made anymore, and the cost of all parts is increasing due to scarcity. In addition, the notoriously difficult to ride lift is limiting our uphill capacity. This is a problem during our After School Program when over 100 children are trying to get up the hill. A new T-bar will remain true to our surface lift heritage, but will have features, which will greatly improve our uphill capacity.
Our current lighting is limited to Main Run and The Lodge Face, and is of the old generation of High Intensity Discharge lighting. We can increase the skiable acreage with similar operating cost to existing conditions. Additional lighting is a key component in helping stay true to our mission. Expanded night skiing terrain will allow for new programs to be offered, allowing more children to participate. Newly lit runs will allow for improved ski race training and use of the full terrain park during all operating hours. Lights will provide new options for evening events, programs and activities which will help us better serve our community.
THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR CURRENT DONORS
✩ those who donated to multiple phases will be noted with a star ✩
LEAD GIFTS $15,000 OR GREATER
Anonymous (3)
Allen Family
City of McCall LOT Funds ✩
Corwin Ford
Daniels Family
Gilbert Family
Laidlaw Family
Little Ski Hill Alumni Family
Laura Moore Cunningham Foundation ✩
Richard J Sabala Foundation
Rotary Club of McCall
Ryberg Family
J.K. and Kathryn Albertson Family Foundation
MAJOR GIFTS FROM $5,00 – $14,999
Anonymous (4)
Stokli & Osha Ashcraft
Batchelor Realty
Bitton Family
Jonathan and Jessica Currey
Doug & Nancy Dammrose
DeLuna Family
Jim & Alicia Harrison
Hometown Sports ✩
Jordan Family
Dave & Carol Eckert
Sue Lovelace
Maciaszek Family
Ron & Mary Nahas
Jean Odmark
Payette Lakes Ski Patrol
Ed & Erin Roper ✩
Roper Family Foundation
St. Luke’s Health System
In Memory of Jürgen Hawkins
In Memory of Mack Miller
In Memory of Richard H. Holm Sr.
SUPPORTING GIFTS FROM $1,000 – $4,999
Pat & Kim Allen ✩
Tor Andersen and Caitlin Gustafson
Berg Family
Peyton Christo
City of Donnelly LOT Funds
Cox-Walker Family
Dummar Family
Carol and Jeremy Griffin
Hurlbutt Family
Klind, Arbach, Miller & Holm Families
Warren & Connie Kline
Krahn’s Home Furnishings
Dean & Deb Martens
Mountain Central Association of Realtors
John & Paula McCarvel
Paul & Jackie Miller
Shannon and Cory Nelson
Sally Nutt
Old Town Market
Patti Primmer
Payette Lakes Progressive Club
Salmon River Brewery
Mike & Betty Schoenecker
Bill & Betty Weida
Tom & Edie Welty