HAYDEN — It wasn’t easy for a woman to open her own business in 1976 — but Carolyn Lyden did it anyway.

And she did it well: so well that she and her family recently celebrated the business’s 50th anniversary.

Lyden is the matriarch behind Ski Shack, a full-service ski and board shop that has served North Idaho’s snow sports enthusiasts for five decades.

Though Ski Shack’s log cabin exterior and cozy ambiance feels as though it was designed for a snow sports shop from the start, the building once housed her husband Gene’s place of work, Hayden Lake Barber Shop.

Ski Shack only occupied half the building in its humble beginnings after the couple bought out Gene’s neighboring tenant.

“You’d walk in, and you could either get a haircut from my dad, or go into the ski shop,” recalled Lyden’s daughter, Julie Vucinich.

Though Lyden was born and raised in Idaho, the motivation to start her own business grew from someplace a bit more exotic.

“The kids had sent us to Hawaii, and I realized I needed to do something so that I could get back to Hawaii,” Lyden said. “And that’s what I did.”

Lyden decided to make a deal with her husband: if she didn’t make enough money in Ski Shack’s first season for another trip to Hawaii, she’d close the business.  

Now 89 years old, she’s been able to return to her paradise every year for the past 50 years.  

But the success of Ski Shack doesn’t mean it was always easy for Lyden.  

“Men would come in to get their skis tuned or mounted and would say they didn’t want her working on them because she’s a woman,” Vucinich said. “She’d tell them that her techs were coming in the afternoon, and after they’d leave, she’d do the work.” 

Lyden added that some industry leaders also cast doubt on a woman’s ability to run a ski shop. 

“Well, here I am,” Lyden said with a laugh.  

Through it all, Ski Shack has remained family-owned and operated with the help of her children and 18 grandchildren. Eventually, her 31 (going on 32) grandchildren will continue the legacy of true small-town service.  

It’s no surprise that Lyden has created a lifetime of memories at Ski Shack — but her favorites involve the community that made it possible.  

“Having the same people come in each year is really special,” Lyden said.  

Ski Shack’s patrons feel the same.  

“I’ve been getting my stuff there since I was 4 years old,” said Zach Wilson of Athol.  

“I got my first ski outfit from Carolyn when she started selling out of her home,” Patti Gleason Colter of Hayden shared. “I was in fifth grade.” 

Lyden and her family, as well as around 300 community members, marked the milestone with a celebration at Capones on the Green on Friday. 

“So many people knew her,” Vucinich said. “She’s just amazing.” 

Ski Shack is located at 9437 N. Government Way, Hayden. The shop is open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

    This undated Press advertisement showcases the barbershop of Carolyn Lyden's husband, Gene. The building would become — and remains — Ski Shack.