by John Dowd
For those that visit the Lost Trail Ski Area, the red jackets of the Lost Trail Ski Patrol are a common and welcomed sight. These men and women go out of their way to volunteer their time and expertise to keep the area, and the public, safe while enjoying the slopes. For Eddie Olwell, a ski patroller for 24 years, and a board member with Lost Trail Ski Patrol, it is a true joy to do it. This is a big reason why he, and others with the patrol, hold their annual Lost Trail Ski Patrol Steak Fry and Fundraiser, and this year will be the event’s 40th anniversary.
Even after four decades, “it has only grown,” said Olwell.
Lost Trail Ski Patrol is a nonprofit organization, so they need to hold this fundraiser to help them raise money for their equipment and training. With 72 volunteers, that can be a big expense.
Lost Trail Ski Patrol. Photo courtesy Eddie Olwell.
The first steak fry was held in 1985 with the goal of raising money to improve the patrol’s radios. Before that, they tried selling firewood and other things, but the steak fry was such a hit they kept on doing it. In fact, that first year they sold about 100 meals. Fast forward to last year, and the patrol sold over 425 meals. However, according to Olwell, the event is “also a way to have a good time and put on a party, not only for the other employees of Lost Trail, but also the skiing public.”
For Olwell, and other ski patrollers, the Lost Trail Ski Area is a special place. Olwell described Lost Trail as a “family run ski area… They have maintained that family atmosphere,” said Olwell, “which is a unique place in today’s modern ski industry, and rare.” Olwell added that the feeling he described is a big part of why the ski patrol there does not have a lot of turnover among their patrollers. They love what they do and the place they do it for.
The Lost Trail Ski Patrol Annual Steak Fry will be held on Saturday, February 22. The event begins at 4 p.m. when the music starts. Steak dinners will start being served around 4:30 p.m.
The event will also include a raffle and a live auction. One of the raffle prizes is reportedly a $5,000 Temper-Pedic mattress that was donated. Music will be performed by the band, Love is a Dog, with Travis Yost. “They are a great local band,” said Olwell. Steak dinners are $25 and that gets a person a non-alcoholic drink, a steak, baked potato salad and dessert. Another option for those who do not want steak is a hamburger meal, which is $15.
Food will be served until 7:30 p.m., after which the ski patrol will hold their annual “torchlight” ceremony, where the patrollers all ski down the slopes with torches. There will also be a fireworks display. After the ceremony, the ski patrol will do their annual toast. The toast is a way to remember all ski patrollers who have come before. The toast itself was started several years ago by ski patroller Jim Whitlock, who was on the patrol for 50 years. “He lived and breathed for Lost Trail,” said Olwell. Whitlock died last year, and so the toast is especially important this year, said Olwell, because Whitlock will be remembered and toasted along with all the other past patrollers.
Olwell says the annual steak fry is a “fun event, and celebrates life and skiing.” He wanted to thank all the sponsors of this year’s event. According to him, without them it just would not be possible. He said their biggest sponsor was TrailWest Bank.
For more information about the event, and to get tickets ahead of time, interested parties can visit the ski patrol website, losttrailskipatrol.com. Meal tickets can also be purchased at the door on the day of the event. There will be a beer and wine bar at the event as well. Drink tickets are $5 and all the beer comes from local breweries.