Corey Engen was one of the first ski instructors at Sun Valley, Idaho, and later moved to McCall, Idaho, first teaching at the Little Ski Hill, then known as the "Payette Lakes Ski Area." In the late 1940s, Engen had initiated the ski school at Snowbasin, near Ogden, Utah, and also coached the Weber State College ski team. In 1951 he returned to McCall, and ten years later was instrumental in the development of the new Brundage Mountain ski area, managing it until 1970.