“It was the best decision I’ve ever made,” says Adele Savaria, of the 1981 move with her mom from Alpine Meadows, California, where she raced for the Squaw Valley Ski Team, to the Wood River Valley and the Sun Valley Ski Team, when she was 16 years old. Her successful racing career flourished with the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation (SVSEF) coaching efforts, propelling her to a six-year span as a member of the US Ski Team, racing World Cup and competing in the 1987 World Championships.
That decision would land her in the lap of a family legacy steeped in the SVSEF organization and an unfolding chapter of Wood River Valley skiing history. At the 1988 Copper Mountain National Championships slalom event, she made her most daring race move yet with a spontaneous and uncharacteristic landing in Pat Savaria’s lap to make her introduction.
The two have been together ever since.
Their relationship was long distance at first. Adele, then 24, attended the College of Idaho, maximizing her final year of ski eligibility, where she was an Academic All-American, NCSA Slalom, Giant Slalom and Overall Champion. She also played three years of tennis, reaching NAIA Nationals each year in women’s doubles, and was inducted into the College of Idaho Athletic Hall of Fame in 2003. Her coaching career with SVSEF began in 1990 and continues to this day.
Pat had grown up racing on the Sun Valley Ski Team, raced in Jr. and US Nationals, Nor-Ams, and a year for the University of Colorado Boulder before attending Boise State University. Following this, he began his long coaching career with SVSEF in 1983. Pat also coached the Men’s US Alpine Tech Ski Team, the Albertville Olympic Men’s Alpine team and the World Championship Men’s Alpine team. In 1993, Adele finished college, and the two got married.
The Savaria family legacy began with Pat’s father, Jim Savaria, a name synonymous with the early days of Sun Valley Skiing and SVSEF’s origins. Founded in 1966, Jim was the foundation’s first coach. He helped coach many of Sun Valley’s great ski racers on Baldy and Rotarun, was a member of the Sun Valley Ski Patrol, and groomed Baldy’s runs. In 2019, he was inducted into the Sun Valley Winter Sports Hall of Fame.
Two generations later, Pat and Adele’s two sons, KJ and Austin, began their skiing careers on Dollar Mountain’s magic carpet. They raced for over a decade on the Sun Valley Ski Team. Both won a Mini World Cup Overall Championship, raced Junior Olympics and Nationals, and also excelled at football for Wood River High School. Adele lured both into SVSEF coaching part-time during their college years at BSU. KJ still coaches part-time for SVSEF. He and his wife, Dani, look forward to the day their son begins his own journey in the program.
Austin is the US Ski Team Men’s World Cup Assistant Speed Coach. His wife, Anika, is also an accomplished ski racer and is SVSEF Head Women’s FIS coach. Says Austin, “Ski racing has been a part of my life since before I can remember. It’s more than just a sport; it’s in our blood. Racing taught me countless life lessons, from navigating the world to the benefit of hard work and dedication.”
Adele continues to coach U12 and is also the SVSEF Communication and Events Manager. This additional role has allowed her to digitally compile, organize and preserve the historical nature of all SVSEF races, awards, and disciplines. “I feel very fortunate to have the experiences I’ve had in skiing,” she says. “Through SVSEF, I have really enjoyed sharing with the kids what I know about alpine skiing and racing over the past 34 years. My number one goal is to make sure they love skiing because it’s a lifelong sport; racing is just a bonus.”
Pat has coached at all levels for 41 years and still coaches FIS. When asked why, he says, “I love working with the other passionate coaches and helping athletes find their perfect turn.” The couple furthered Jim’s passion for the sport by starting the free L.A.S.A.R. (Learn to Alpine Ski and Race) Program at Rotarun in 2003. “We wanted to do something for our community whereby no family had to pay for their child to learn to ski and race,” says Adele. “We did the fundraising ourselves to ensure it would happen. SVSEF now runs the program through scholarships.”
Pat and Adele have both received the Intermountain Coach of the Year Award, and Pat has twice received the SVSEF Lifetime Achievement. Says KJ, “Growing up in the program, we got to be around our parents in some capacity at the different age levels. Even after being an athlete, I’ve been privileged to share the hill as a coach alongside them and continue to see their passion for the sport. I wouldn’t trade anything for the time spent together over the years.”
Austin’s reflections capture the family heritage. “When looking back on my family’s connection to the sport, the opportunity to give back to the community that helped shape us means the most. Helping athletes grow on and off the hill is something special. I’m grateful for the opportunity to pass down the life lessons and passion for the sport, and I am giving it my all to honor their work and build on their legacy.”