Sunrise Rotary’s annual Shot Ski event is returning for the eighth time on Saturday, Oct. 12, and as per usual, Park City has a Breckenridge record to beat.What started in the Colorado ski town as an event for their rotary sparked a friendly competition when Connie Nelson, the fundraising director for the Sunrise Rotary Club, visited with her Leadership Park City Class of 21.“We went to Breckenridge as part of our leadership tour, and their rotary club there had closed down the street, and they said how they earn money for their rotary club was to have the longest shot ski in the world record each year,” Nelson remembers. “And I looked at another rotarian, and I said, ‘Well, Park City can beat that.’”Each year, the two mountain towns fight back and forth for the world record, she said. Last year, Park City hit its record with 1,363 shots in a 2,950-foot-long line down Main Street, made up of over 551 skis rigged together as one long ski. So, Breckenridge responded with 1,377 shots. Rising to the challenge, Park City plans to respond with 1,385 shots this year, and the tickets are already selling fast, Nelson said.Individual passes are $30 a person, and the money raised from the event goes back to the community through Sunrise Rotary’s grant programs, given to over 20 organizations in the Park City area.“It’s our only fundraiser now,” said Nelson. “It’s become such a signature for the Sunrise Rotary Club, just like the Running of the Balls is for the noon club.”Last year, they grossed $43,592 Nelson said, so this year’s goal is $60,000.A partnership with High West Distillery, now in its sixth year, is key to the event’s success, Nelson said. The whiskey producer gives their whiskey and additional funding to the club in order to cover almost all their expenses, costs like permitting to close down Main Street, purchasing the souvenir shot glasses and even renting bathrooms.“What started as a fun stunt to get the community together and support local businesses has turned into quite the spectacle,” said High West Distillery’s Brand Manager Caitlin Johnston. “Although the actual Shot Ski only lasts about 10 seconds, so much goes into the community coming together.”Someone, or someones, have to make sure the longest shot ski is topped off. Credit: Park Record file photo by David JacksonOther logistics are handled months in advance, said Nelson, especially preparing the skis. In order to make them safe to hold, rotarians meet for Shot Ski work parties to shave down the sharp metal edges, remove bindings and rig the skis to hold shot glasses.“Every single ski, all over 550 of them, have been groomed by us to not injure people,” Nelson said.Along with individual tickets, there are also VIP and sponsor packages that come with souvenir skis which attendees can take home as well, said Nelson.“You can get a VIP ski, which is wrapped in our Shot Ski logo, and on the bottom it says, ‘Drink High West,’” she said. For sponsorship skis, “you will have two skis, and you get to choose what wrap you want. Some people do their 50th birthday party for their husband or their company.” A VIP ticket is $250 and comes with three shots; the sponsorship package is $600 and comes with six shots.The whole event takes 150 volunteers, Nelson said, people to set up Main Street, connect the skis together with wing nuts and pour shots of High West’s Double Rye Whiskey, or apple juice. And the community turns out in force each year, she said.  “It’s such a buzz. And when we take down the skis, load them back into the truck, take down the barricades, the whole main street is just full of fun, everybody’s in such a good mood. And they go to the shops, and they go to the restaurants,” she said. “It definitely helps Main Street commerce because (people) come out of that, and they’re looking for something to do.”The friendly competition between ski towns, and between past Park City gatherings, is part of what keeps High West coming back to the event, too, Johnston said. And, scheduled during shoulder season, the timing is ideal from a business standpoint.“In a way, it also signifies the end of summer and beginning of fall, which is one of the most beautiful times of year here in Park City. Fall can also be a downtime for a lot of Park City businesses, so it’s a great way to encourage folks to stick around and support local shops, restaurants and bars following the event,” she said.Nelson, who retired earlier this year from her longtime role as executive director at the Alf Engen Ski Museum Foundation, said she’s had more time for organizing events like the Shot Ski, among other things.“I just have so much fun now,” she said. “I went out for a bike ride, and then I went to Costco, which I always used to hate, but I have time now, so I park the furthest away and take a deep breath and just enjoy it.”Learn more about the Sunrise Rotary shot ski event and purchase tickets on their website, parkcityshotski.com. Check in starts at noon on Oct. 12, and the shot is taken at 2 p.m.The post Sunrise Rotary will take another ‘shot’ at the world record appeared first on Park Record.