Watching from a picture window on the top floor of the lodge at Sleeping Giant, Rori Wright watched her son Elijah Hernandez doing flips off the big jump in Saturday’s terrain competition. She used to worry more.

“I only get scared if he doesn’t get back up,” she said after watching him essentially jump off a cliff on a couple sticks, shred down a steep hill and launch himself into the air head over heels.

The ski facility is a popular attraction for her clan, including five children. She said downhill skiing and snowboarding provides a “wholesome activity” for families and they travel to the North Fork from their Riverton home frequently.

Hernandez, who is looking into working in the backcountry professionally after school, was one of the most acrobatic skiers in the competition, scoring a tie for first place in his age group on the final day of skiing for the season at the facility, lovingly referred to as Sleepy G by the kids.

Some questioned the timing of the closing date, but few remember the weather from this time last year.

“Last year this time we had no snow, it was a muddy mess,” said Elizabeth Wells, who stepped in to the facility manager position this season.

Due to the number of employees and multiple considerations that must come months before the final day, the Sleeping Giant team opted to play it safe, rather than going through the financial hardships that come with paying a large staff with no snow on the ground. They also have major improvement upgrades coming this year that will require months to accomplish.

Wells has worked at the facility for six years, but only took on a leadership position after being recruited by owner Nick Piazza for the past three seasons. Her leadership style helped stabilize the operation and, for the first time in years, they started and ended with the same management team.

“This is our first season since it was purchased that we’ve been able to maintain our management team. And they’ve all, except two of our managers, have worked a full season. And they have already signed on for next season,” she said. “Getting that management team secured means things run so much smoother up here.”

Having Wells at the helm also means the zipline will be open this coming summer, which was closed the past couple of years.

“It is my favorite thing out here. I actually started up here to work the zipline,” she said with a wide grin.

She was an unlikely candidate, originally hailing from southern Oklahoma.

“I’d never really even seen snow before,” she confessed.

The area is now making headlines for their alligators. The large reptiles are now being found in Red Slough Wildlife Management Area and the Little River National Wildlife Refuge, just east of her hometown of Ardmore. 

Wells started on the mountain making minimum wage and worked her way up from the bottom. Employees said they’re thrilled that she’s staying.

The facility has seen a lot of new faces this year and had a “great turnout,” she said, explaining that a combination of quality snow and, possibly, an increasing population base has helped the bottom line.

“It’s been an incredible year, we’ve actually had so many people that we’ve never seen before,” she said.

The company is rebuilding the Bighorn lift, beginning almost immediately after closing. They already have the equipment and are looking forward to yet another major improvement to keep the business moving in the right direction into the future, she said.

Competition Winners

Senior: Mike Christiansen

Expert: (Tie) Elijah Hernandez, Wesley Law

Women: Callie Christiansen

Boys 17-18: Maddox Growney

Boys 15-16: Aidan Gallagher

Youth 8-13: Lane Proffit