<I>The Eagle/David Heldreth</I><BR>Darren Frazier takes a jump at the Dixie Mountain rope tow on Sunday.

The Dixie Mountain rope tow is famous – well at least the warming hut is.

It had a minor role in the movie “Napoleon and Samantha,” which was filmed in the John Day area in 1971 and released in 1972.

The movie, which featured Michael Douglas and Jodie Foster, is about a child named Napoleon who runs away with his friend Samantha and a lion. During one scene the action takes Napoleon and Samantha through a gas station.

That gas station was the Dixie Mountain warming hut.

“Napoleon and Samantha” is available for rental at area shops including Prime Time Video and John Day Video Shoppe.

Starr Ridge Winter Sports operates the rope tow. Alton Rapp, president of the club, said the film crew made a slight mistake when they used the building.

“People used to ski on the other side of the tow, but now they ski on the north side,” Rapp said. “They had the movie up here, and rented the building so they moved it down to the highway (US 26) and filmed. Then they put it back on the other side where it is now.”

The hut’s lifetime goes back farther. At one time it was used by a gun club. The rope tow itself is around 50 years old, and it has origins at another site, Starr Ridge, about 15 miles south of John Day on US Highway 395. It was there that the operating club got its name.

Rapp said after a few years of operating at Starr Ridge the U.S. Forest Service asked them to get insurance, but it became more and more expensive. The club was fortunate enough to be given the land the tow now occupies.

The club moved the old car that powered the first incarnation of the rope tow to the new site. Later, the club upgraded first to a four-cylinder gasoline engine, and then to electricity.

“It was nice when we changed over to electricity,” Rapp said. “Then we didn’t have to worry about lugging gas up the hill in the snow.”

Amid all of the changes affecting the rope tow, one thing has remained constant – the effort of the club to keep the cost low. They charge $5 a day, $35 for an individual season pass or $75 for a family season pass.

Local snowboarders Walker Erickson, Brandon Cross and Darren Frazier said Dixie Mountain is cheaper than anywhere they’ve been.

“It’s the closest and it’s affordable,” Cross said. “Anthony Lakes is like 100 miles away, and it costs $30 just to get in. Then if you want to rent a board, it’s like another $80.”

The club is able to charge a low price because it’s a non-profit organization and try to only cover their expenses such as taxes, electricity and maintenance. Rapp’s son, Gary, said it costs about $1,000 a season to operate if nothing goes wrong. This year the club spent an additional $1,800 to replace the rope. They were able to raise the money through a rifle raffle they held late last year.

The rope tow is operated on Saturday and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on most weeks, but Gary said special arrangements can be made. He can be reached at 820-3694 for more information. The club also hosts birthday parties and other celebrations at the mountain. Skiers, snowboarders and sleds are welcome.

“There’s usually only two or three kids up here at a time now,” Gary said. “There used to be more people. We’d love to have new people come up this season.”

The Dixie Mountain rope tow is about 10 miles east of Prairie City, on the north side of Highway 26. Watch for the Snow Park signs at the summit.