STORY BY KAREN BOSSICK

PHOTOS BY THOMAS SMILEY PHOTOGRAPHY

The Jetsons swooped into second place, even though they were without their flying saucer-like aerocar. They were eclipsed only by the SuperNova Search and Rescue team made up of Sun Valley patrollers.

This year’s 2025 Janss Pro Am was out of this world.

The SuperNova Search and Rescue team made up of ski patrollers won the event when handicaps were figured in.

The 12 teams competing in the annual fun-raiser fundraiser for the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation last week may not have equaled the speed that the world’s top skiers recorded in the 2025 Audi FIS World Cup Finals on Sun Valley’s Bald Mountain the week before.

But they had a blast.

“It’s a blast,” said KJ Savaria, a SVSEF alum and member of the Janss Pro-Am’s Intergalactic Protectors of the Fall Line team, which won the Speed Cup. “Nothing better than some dual slalom races to support a good cause. The SVSEF provides good structured community and it teaches perseverance. For instance, you learn how to keep going while battling the weather conditions, what the weather gives you.”

The Janns Pro-Am is one of two fundraisers for the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation, which has grown to a thousand youth on 31 different teams, including alpine, Nordic, freestyle, Big Mountain and snowboard. The SVSEF employs 150 coaches and lines up tutors for the traveling teams.

Darth Vader and R-2 D-2 took their place with others on the Space Balls team.

“I was part of a team of 18 girls this year,” said Maddie Vieara-McCarthy. “We spent the winter training hard and pushing each other, cheering each other on. I love ski racing because I get to work towards a goal every day and travel to lots of cool places.”

Realizing that Sun Valley Resort would host the Alpine World Cup Finals this year, Heather Foster and her team conceived the out-of-this-world theme for the Janss Pro-Am.

They challenged 12 teams of seven racers each to race in space costumes over two days on lower Warm Springs, with handicaps given each racer to even things out.

The space cadets had lunch at Roundhouse Restaurant one day before retiring to the Cinimo property on Saturday where they played games, tossing flying saucers into black holes (tires provided by Les Schwab) and launched air-powered rockets toward targets.

The Far Out Solar Sisters stood ready to protect Baldy skiers from the universe beyond.

La Cabanita provided a lunch of space food that day with Grand Margaritas and Aperol spritzes at the Janss international Space Station capped by Milky Ways and Mars Bars. The two-day event was topped by a gala dinner and disco dancing at the Sun Valley Inn Limelight Room where, it was rumored, aliens dropped in.

“It’s so fun to be involved in such a high-energy event with such a high-energy program to teach kids life skill,” said Tracy Lee, who skied on the Far Out Star Sisters team.

Janet Appleton has taken part in nearly every Janss Pro-Am fundraiser since it started. Her team always comes up with lavish costumes, and this year the Space Goddesses had five costume changes.

In addition, Appleton won the Spirit Award.

The Intergalactic Protectors of the Fall Line were among 12 teams taking part.

“It’s exhausting all the costume changes but so fun, and the weather couldn’t be better,” she said. “Two glorious days, everyone having fun. I love the costumes, the games--I think my favorite theme was ‘Wizard of Oz.’ ”

Kyan Gandhi, a SVSEF alum, came back from California where he is studying mechanical engineering to participate on the Rocket Jockeys team.

Gandhi said he loved skiing with SVSEF every day while going to school: “And I loved going to Snowbird, Tahoe and a bunch of other resorts with my team.”

Alpine racer Zoe Stern-Pre, who spent her first year as an FIS racer, said she loves ski racing “because I love the feeling of arcing a great turn and throwing down.”

And, given the choice, which would the junior pros prefer? Moon, Mars or Earth?

“I’d stay here because I don’t want to die,” said Sydney Nelson, XC ski racer and junior pro for the Minions.

“Earth because I feel more comfortable on my own planet,” agreed August Williams, an alpine racer and  member of the Supernova Search & Rescue Team.

Henry Flynn, an Alpine ski racer on the Space Balls team, said he would love to head to Mars to mountain bike in Martian gravity. But Ford Rixon, a member of the Intergalactic Protectors of the Fall Line, begged to differ: “I’d rather stay on Earth…there’s better skiing.”

1st Place - Supernova Search & Rescue (Sun Valley Ski Patrol Team)

Matt Curci

Sarah Linville

Jackson Swenke

Ben Strine

Ted Tuma

Pro - Reed Stokes

Junior Pro - August Williams (SVSEF U10 Home Team)

2nd Place - The Jetsons

Curtis Pepin

Lori Cooley

Gordon Smith

Jeff Oak

Rich Hogan

Pro - Wally Rothgeb

Junior Pro - Maddie Vieara McCarthy

3rd Place - Far Out Solar Sisters

Ashley Briggs

Heather Flood Daves

Tracy Lee

Adele Savaria

Claudia Stern

Pro - Jordan Powell

Junior Pro - Zoe Stern-Pre and Jesse Foster (sub)

Speed Cup - Intergalactic Protectors of the Fall Line (SVSEF Alumni)

Carl Rixon, Jr.

Jack Smith

Austin Savaria

KJ Savaria

Teagen Palmer

Pro - Haley Cutler

Junior Pro - Ford Rixon

Best Costumes (TIE between the following two teams):

Space Balls

Mike Pfau

Ginger Lingard

Tor Jensen

Josiah Rosser

Mat Arnold

Pro - Wes Powell

Junior Pro - Henry Flynn

Space Goddesses

Liz Brown Davis

Julie Daniels West

Paige Lethbridge

Christy Johnsen

Janet Appleton

Pro - Charlotte Gourlay

Junior Pro - Bria Smiley

Spirit Award

Janet Appleton, Space Goddesses

Best Crash

Reed Stokes, Supernova Search & Rescue