SKI TOWN ENTREPRENEURS
JH SKIS
Bob Woodall
Eddie Woodard’s ski-rental and delivery business is effective, efficient, and constantly evolving.
JH Skis owner Eddie Woodard
How did you know what was needed to start and run this service business? I grew up ski racing and worked at a ski shop throughout high school, so I learned early on the dynamics that go into renting skis. JH Skis is consistently evolving; we are always learning how to be more effective and efficient each year. Does it allow you to ski most days? Unfortunately, not every day as we are extremely busy. But I get out every chance I can. What’s your perfect work day? Powder days are the best. Everyone is stoked to be out on the mountain.
What has been the biggest challenge? Starting the company. We began running JH Skis out of my garage and now we have five locations – Jackson, the Aspens, The Lodge of Jackson Hole (exclusive to hotel guests), Snake River Lodge (exclusive to hotel guests) and of course the delivery service. Biggest reward? To see the company continue to grow. What tip would you like to give visiting skiers? On your day off from skiing go on a wildlife tour with Backcountry Safaris.
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The next event, three ski patrollers from another ski area skied into a zone above M&M that they didn’t know anything about. Sucker tracks everywhere. Easy skiing. Until it’s a cliff band. There have been a lot of incidents there. And these three knocked off a slide and it took them down. One blew his knee and was heli-ed out. They were really lucky. They went over a pretty big rock band. I was up on the top of the mountain. I always check in with the patrol, see what’s going on. Right when I was walking out the door, the incident was called in so I got there first, spotted it, told everybody which way to come in, and stabilized the guy. Towards the end of the season came the next event, a film crew. I saw them at the top and knew where they were going. When they dropped into Breakneck they knocked off a huge slide and one guy got buried. Rob Hess called it in. He was on the Green River traverse towards the 4 Pines hike. He saw it. Said (over the radio), “Man down.”
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The heck of it was, I’d just clicked into my skis. The day before we had told the patrol that we couldn’t find the sled on 4 Pines. We’d had so much snow it was buried. I went up there with the patrol and they had their skis off, probing around, finding the sled, digging it out. When the call came in. I took off from the top of 4 Pines and hauled ass. I got there first, saw a snowboard on top of the snow pile, grabbed it and there were feet attached to it. That’s what saved the guy’s life. The snow for the photographers was chest deep. They were trying to get to their guy but it was impossible to do quickly. It was lucky that I was above the site and could ski to it. Good timing on their part. And my part, everybody’s part. Talk about being at the right place at the right time. The ski patrol, though, saves lives every week. Snow-control, first response and evacuation on in-bound injuries – it’s all in a day’s work for the ski patrol. They are the true rescue pros. —Dave Miller w w w. f o c u s p r o d u c t i o n s . c o m