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Ski bars have never claimed to be tame, but Squaw Valley hopes its brand-new Rocker@Squaw may just be a one-week old legend in the making. Considering Squaw local JT Holmes and two other members of the Red Bull Air Force parachuted in to kick off the grand opening party on Friday night — well, it could be business as usual at Squaw. But since so many of the Squaw crew are a little nuts, no one really knows what that means. So, we can just go with the assumption that Rocker will be setting a pretty high bar for post-shred debauchery.
The scene at Rocker@Squaw. Photo by Gary "Kiwi" Moore / Squaw Valley.
The grand opening mayhem on Friday night saw many skiers from the community as well as Squaw’s ski celebrities in attendance. The bar was built as a celebration of the athletes that call Squaw home. Huge posters and ski shots of the likes of Jonny Moseley, Shane McConkey, and Julia Mancuso, to name a few, adorn the walls. Rocker is also going to be providing an avenue to support the Shane McConkey Foundation.
Celebrity bartenders Daron Rahlves, JT Holmes and Scott Gaffney. Photo by Gary "Kiwi" Moore / Squaw Valley.
The foundation donates to philanthropic causes in Shane’s name and works to keep skiing ridiculous by holding events such as the Pain McSchlonkey Classic.
“The name 'Rocker@Squaw' is itself is a tribute to Shane and the rocker technology for skis and snowboards that he helped to pioneer,” said Amelia Richardson, PR manager for Squaw Valley.
But the point is not to be all about the official pros, Richmond said. In a techie new twist, anyone will be able to upload helmet cam footage right at the bar to Rocker’s iMacs. It’s a brave new world for the classic apres spraying session. So if you’re proclaiming your awesomeness, you might have to back that up with some footage, bro.
JT Holmes parachutes in to his bartending gig. Photo by Gary "Kiwi" Moore / Squaw Valley.
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There’s the five pound, $50 GNAR burger and 38 beers on tap, but since it is a full-on apres-ski bar, it also has cocktails — with a purpose. For five extra dollars, imbibers get a commemorative Shane McConkey glass donated by Rocker and Red Bull. One hundred percent of glass sales will be given to the Shane McConkey Foundation.
“Squaw has been amazing — they miss Shane, too. It’s been a hard loss for everyone. He was such a legacy here,” Sherry McConkey said, when speaking on the decision by Squaw to partner with the foundation.
The bar, which is owned by Squaw Valley, was originally slated to be named “McConkey’s” but the resort decided to expand the focus to all its athletes instead, Sherry said. Plans are also underway to partner with HighFives Foundation, a nonprofit that helps severely injured athletes, Richardson said.
It isn’t often that a bar is kind enough to donate the proceeds from your headache to a good cause. So go ahead and get after it, after you get after it, on your next trip to Squaw. After all, as Sherry McConkey predicts, Rocker is going to be “insane.”
Shane McConkey commemorative glasses. Photo by Gary "Kiwi" Moore / Squaw Valley.
