Don’t let the facts get in the way of a good story
If you’ve ever skied at Brundage on a powder day and heard a group of silver-haired skiers laughing louder than the wind howling off Lakeview, you’ve probably stumbled upon The Liar’s Den.
No, it’s not a secret bar tucked beneath Smoky’s or a forgotten outpost on Hidden Valley. It’s a brotherhood—part ski club, part comedy troupe, part retirement plan—that meets daily at first chair and occasionally at last call.
“The Liar’s Den started about 10 years ago,” says founding member Blake Hanks, who moved to McCall 13 years ago and somehow turned casual lift-line chatter into a full-blown institution. “A bunch of us just kept showing up early, coffee in hand, waiting for the lift to spin. We started skiing together, telling stories, and pretty soon we had a sign and a reputation.”
The sign—crafted by Jerry Johnson—still sits proudly atop a table inside Smoky’s Bar & Grill. It simply reads The Liar’s Den, like a neon badge of honor (though without the neon, because this is McCall, not Vegas).
First Chair, Last Laugh
What began as a handful of skiers has snowballed into roughly 24 members, all of whom share two things in common: a love of Brundage powder and the wisdom that comes from a few laps around the sun.
“The prerequisite is basically that you have to be at least 60-something,” Hanks laughs. “They’re all retired guys. We ski hard in the morning, then come in for a beer and a burger. That’s when the lying starts.”
Like most tall tales, the stories grow with each retelling. The face shots get deeper, the runs steeper, the skis lighter, and the knees somehow younger. The Den’s motto—borrowed straight from a moment of self-awareness during our conversation—is: “Don’t let the facts get in the way of a good story.”
“It’s perfect,” Hanks admits. “That’s exactly what we do.”
A Band Of Powder Hounds
If there’s one thing the group agrees on (aside from the benefits of good wax and bad memory), it’s that groomers are just highways to the real fun. “Groomers are great,” Hanks says. “They get you to the powder and the trees. That’s what they’re for.”
