April Newsletter: Winter and Spring Highlights from Coombs Outdoors
Dear Friends,
With winter in our rearview mirror (or so we thought), spring is a time for the staff and Board of Coombs Outdoors to reflect back on highlights and lessons learned from our robust Alpine, Nordic, and Snowboarding programs and to finalize plans for the upcoming summer. More than 340 participants were able to join us in programs this winter, some who made their first turns on skis in lessons at Snow King, some who have been skiing with Coombs for years and now confidently make their way down Rendezvous Bowl and the Alta Chutes at JHMR, some who live in Teton Valley, Idaho and attended our new after school Nordic program with Teton Valley Ski Education Foundation, and some who received their Jr. PSIA Instructor certification and taught younger Coombs participants to ski at Snow King as part of the Empower internship program. Regardless of age or ability, Coombs winter programs provide local youth with endless opportunities to get outside, challenge themselves, and build community.
Some of my favorite memories from the winter are cheering for the Ositos Nordic skiers as they raced the clock and each other in the Johnny Curtis Memorial Race at Trail Creek (I’m not crying, you’re crying), working with and learning from the Empower interns at a professional and personal development skill workshop, seeing many of our friends and supporters at our Annual Skiing with the Stars event, and gathering with hundreds of Coombs participants, families, and community members to celebrate and close out a fantastic season at the Panorama House on top of Snow King for Coombs Fest. Winter 2022 was our largest season yet and we are excited to grow our programs and offerings to help make sure that our cherished community pastimes are accessible to everyone who lives and works in Jackson Hole.
Looking to spring and summer, our new learn-to-swim program in partnership with Astoria Hot Springs is teaching elementary schoolers critical water survival skills. With water being a huge part of our recreation opportunities during the summer here in Teton County, Coombs has responded to a need expressed by parents and families for their children to have access to swimming lessons. Thanks to funding through the Community Foundation of Jackson Hole’s competitive grants program, we are able to teach 20 kids to swim this spring. Working with Astoria, we are excited to increase that number throughout our summer and fall programming. Our summer camps are already at capacity with 175 elementary and middle schoolers signed up to hike, bike, climb, camp, backpack, and paddle their way through the warmer months with us. Thanks to creative programming and thoughtful partnerships, Coombs kids will experience the best that Jackson has to offer from June through August.
Your support, friendship, and belief in the work that we do are instrumental in making these programs happen. The enthusiasm we hear on a daily basis from kids, parents, and community members is beyond fulfilling and motivates us to continue to grow, both as an organization and on a personal level. Thank you for all you do and thanks for reading our April newsletter.
See you on the trails!
Jenny Wolfrom Holladay
Executive Director
Making waves with swimming
"For my husband and I it is very important that Cami learns to swim. We know for a fact that swimming is not only a great sport to stay active and healthy, but also a basic survival skill that every person should have. This is especially true in a place like Jackson, which is surrounded by lakes, rivers, creeks, and so many water activities in the summer.
We are so excited about the Coombs programs and how they offer access to these skills for our daughters and for ourselves. The best is that they are financially attainable, and the program schedules work around our school and work schedules. Cami is so excited to start her swim classes this spring with Coombs Outdoors "
-- A testimonial from Paulina Munoz Ferndandez, mother of Coombs Participant Camila. Our swim programs were created in direct response to community need. We are so excited to continue offering swimming lessons this spring and create waves of change on our community! Big shoutout to our incredible partner Astoria Hot Springs and to the Community Foundation of Jackson Hole for helping us make this program possible. Photo by Zach Montes from our first ever swim lesson cohort this spring.
Spring Break Trip!
We spent our spring break with high schoolers on a trip to Lander and Riverton visiting Central Wyoming College. 11 students and 2 staff members spent 4 days learning the ins and outs of higher education.
Highlights from the trip included a Q&A with current CWC students enrolled in Outdoor Education, Outdoor Recreation, and Expedition Science, a tour of the Riverton campus, a chilaquiles breakfast, and learning to rock climb and mountain bike in Sinks Canyon. Participants received great advice from both enrolled students and professors about how to select college majors, schools, and more.
It was an amazing week where Coombs kids had the opportunity to learn, ask questions, and think about their futures, as well as enjoy some outdoor recreation (and Pizza!) outside of Teton County.
Coombs in the News: Making Winter More Welcoming
This season, Coombs was featured in Cross Country Skier magazine. This article discusses our partnerships with JH Ski Club and the Teton Valley Ski Education Foundation to create positive Nordic skiing experiences for our Activate participants.
"At the end of the day our goal is to help all youth feel like they belong to the community. The culture of Jackson is centered on outdoor activity; if you aren't able to be included, you feel like you don't belong" -- Jenny Wolfrom Holladay, Executive Director of Coombs Outdoors. Read the full article below!
Arc'Teryx Academy
This winter Coombs launched our first backcountry initiatives to introduce participants to the benefits of winter backcountry travel. With support from Jackson-based Exum Mountain Guides and the reimagined Arc’teryx Mountain Academy, participants were able to engage in a number of introductory activities throughout the season, including a family backcountry information night, an uphill skiing and splitboarding workshop, and two weekends of mini on-snow backcountry clinics at Snow King! Participants were able to dip their toes into the backcountry ski world and grow in their mountain safety knowledge, technical skills, teamwork and confidence. Together, we helped more than 100 Coombs participants foster a respect and appreciation for the winter backcountry!
Our participants were given the tools and resources to cultivate an incredibly positive backcountry experience. In fact, the kids loved skinning uphill so much they wished we had more time to hike up (something we have never heard them say before!). Big thanks to Exum and Arc’Teryx for supporting safe and inclusive access to backcountry spaces. Also, shout out to Hoback Sports and Backcountry Access for supplying important discounted and donated gear to make these events happen!
Below are some photos of our on-snow clinics including beacon rescues, probing, snow science, and pit digging.
Partner Highlight!
Stio continues to be our official outerwear sponsor and invaluable partner, providing warm, stylish and technical ski and snowboard jackets for all of our participants in winter programs. In addition to providing apparel for programs, Stio employees volunteer their time over the weekends to ski with our Powder Pals mentoring program at Teton Village. Stio also provides summer apparel for our camp participants and supports Coombs Outdoors events with generous product donations for auctions and raffles.
We are honored to have such extensive support from an amazing local brand. This partnership embodies our hope for a stronger and more integrated community, and creates a wonderful model for investing directly in our backyards and people. Look for our kids in their new Stio jackets next winter at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort and Snow King Mountain!