JACKSON, Wyo. — Those hip to the town ski scene might have noticed that the community cup series race at Snow King has a little less tequila in it and a bit more rum.
A few years ago, Pica’s Mexican Taqueria passed off the torch as sponsor of the beloved race series, and this year, local business Pirate Ship is all hands on deck to fire up the community. The race, which began in 2010 as a partnership between Pica’s and the Jackson Hole Ski and Snowboard Club (JHSC), has been named the Margarita Cup since its inception. When local shipping company Pirate Ship recently took over sponsorship, the crew wanted to infuse the race with its own cheeky style of fun. And so the Rum Cup was reborn.
“Pirate Ship came on last year as a [race] team,” JHSC Events Director Jesse Knori told Buckrail. “The owner of the company grew up in this area, and he approached me and said, ‘I want to make this awesome.’ So they came on board with a ton of excitement that kind of reignited our flame for it.”
The series started as an idea between the owners of Pica’s, Andy Parazette and his wife Danielle, and Bridger Call, who was the Alpine Program Director for JHSC around that time. Parazette told Buckrail that, at the time, they had children who participated in the Ski Club, and they felt like helping organize and sponsor the race was an extension of that involvement. To them, the town ski hill was underutilized, and they thought a town race series would bring together friends to enjoy what the community had to offer.
“Giving back to the community — it’s been a great fundraiser for the ski club,” Parazette said. “In its heyday, there was a lot of hanging out and drinking margaritas and eating tacos at Snow King. A lot of good stuff that happened from it.”
Pirate Ship’s Commodore of Community and Social Responsibility Hailey Levinson told Buckrail it would be easy for a shipping company to be boring, but fun and playfulness are woven into the fabric of the sails. The locally based team of “pirates” are adventure-oriented and often tuned into local competitions like the Pole, Pedal, Paddle. Last year, they fielded a Margarita Cup team, and this year the company is steering the ship as title sponsor along with a tiki mug mascot named Rummy.
“This event has always been about the Jackson community,” Levinson wrote in an email. “We’re excited to carry it forward as the Rum Cup and wrap it up with a tiki party on the final race day. See you on the slopes!”
JHSC’s Knori said that, since the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s been a challenge to drum up support and participation: “It’s more of a fun raiser than a fundraiser,” she said. This year, about 110 people are signed up, and races will take place on Friday afternoons in February. The last day of the series will also include a tiki party with a DJ and scavenger hunt activities for kids. Knori stressed the fact that this is a community event, and all are welcome.
“I think there was this stigma for a couple of years that you had to be a racer, so I’ve really been trying to recruit,” Knori said. “Our team is all nordic skiers and we’re terrified, but it’s so fun. … Even if you’re not racing, you’re out there looking at what this town hill can do and what this community does together.”
