Slack is here.
That time of year when the streets are empty, some restaurants close, tourists are few and far between, there is no nine o’clock movie showing at the movie theater, the grocery store shuts at nine sharp and we all head south, to places like Moab or Mexico.
Some ski towns call it “Shoulder Season” or sometimes “Mud Season.” Here in the Sun Valley the two slowest times of year are affectionately known as “Slack.”
This down time, usually taking place after the mountain closes until the middle of June for the spring and the end of September through the middle of December for the fall, is nothing new however. Slack is as much a tradition in Sun Valley as sleigh rides, après at Apple’s and the Wagon Days Parade. My parents have lived here for over thirty years and they still claim that I still have never experienced a real slack. They have stories of when grocery stores barely opened during slack, let alone stay open until nine o’clock and beach-themed block parties where truckloads of sand were carted in to literally create a beach on Main Street in front of what now is B. Restaurant. (Now that sounds like an awesome slack idea…)
Ski towns and resort destination towns are familiar to this changing of the seasons—this ebb and flow of visitors, business and activity. Many business adapt. Close for the season and reopen in their summer or winter location. Some close for a couple weeks. Others just for a few days, for spring-cleaning. Some change their hours and others stick it out, relying on the business of local loyal customers.
Most of us who have lived here a long time understand this fluctuation. We know that come July/August and Christmas time (peaks seasons here in Sun Valley), it is not time to sit back with an eggnog or a margarita and enjoy the fireworks, its time to work (a.k.a. hibernate).
Growing up in a family that works in the ski industry, we never went on summer or Christmas vacations. That is always the busiest time of the year. Then during a brief stint in the restaurant industry myself, I didn’t get to celebrate New Year’s Eve, Valentine’s Day or even friends’ birthdays. I was working. Don’t expect my family (or most of my ski town friends) to show up at your Fourth of July BBQ, we’re working. But come Slack, we are ready to party.
Locals quite literally head south for Slack. Many grab their surfboards and head to Mexico. Others tune their mountain bikes and head to the slick rock of Southern Utah. Another favorite is the not far, to City of Rocks with some climbing gear. I also know friends that have a standing date with Maui at the end of April every year.
And those of us that stay in town, we enjoy it too. Wheels turn slower. The mountains are empty. The grass gets to grow. And town seems to finally be able to catch its breath. Friendly faces are seen more often around town during Slack, at the bar or on the bike path you might run into an old friend you haven’t seen since… fall Slack. The trails start to dry out, it gets warm enough to hike, BBQ’s and backyard get togethers begin to pop-up on your social calendar and then wham… All of a sudden its summer!
