March Newsletter: That's a Wrap on Winter Programs!

Another Successful Skiing with the Stars!

We are still smiling from all of the skiing, and community gathering to celebrate Coombs Outdoors at Skiing with the Stars and CoombsFest. We want to give a special thanks to our Stars, MSS Instructors, Volunteers, parents, participants, and friends for joining us to celebrate; we would not be here today without you. We are grateful for our hosts and Legend sponsors, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, Snow King Mountain Resort, The Mangy Moose, First Republic, and Stio for providing incredible support for our celebrations.

Skiing with the Stars was a magical event, but don't just take it from us, listen to what one of our Stars, Jeff Leger had to say about the event:

"Corbet’s Couloir is about as classic a run as you will find anywhere. Collecting gargantuan quantities of snow over the course of the winter it calls to the adventurous spirit of skiers worldwide to take the plunge. It is a prominent test piece directly from the summit of @jacksonhole that has created dreams (and nightmares) in the minds of powder lovers for over 50 years. Have you been in? How did it go? I was introduced to this legendary spot through the mentorship of Jackson Hole Air Force members as a wide eyed teenager and it remains one of my favorite spots on the planet to this day.

Last week I had the honor of passing on that torch by participating in the Coombs Outdoors “Skiing with the Stars” fundraiser. Coombs Outdoors is a fantastic organization that empowers local JH kids to grow and thrive by breaking down barriers to outdoor recreation through programs, mentorship and community building. The stoke exuded by the kids as we ripped the classic runs on Rendezvous Mountain was infectious. It was an incredible reminder of the magical power skiing has to provide not only amazing entertainment but also a lifelong foundation of personal confidence that reverberates beyond the slopes and into every aspect of life. These experiences trump any commercialized nonsense promoted by our current toxic culture. Take any chance you get to detach from the madness of Madison Ave. and rediscover the joy of pure natural pleasures. And if you have ever had a personal breakthrough moment in the mountains, please consider supporting Coombs Outdoors in any way you can. Skiing is notoriously expensive but the benefits of participation for today’s kids is priceless. Everyone should have the chance to enter the realm of self discovery it affords whether they have empty pockets or a silver spoon in their mouth." - Jeff Leger

That’s a Wrap on Winter Programs

Just like that, our winter programs have come to an end. Last week we wrapped up our Nordic Ositos programming, Learn to Ski programs and Coombs Club at Snow King and Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. With over 400 participants in Winter 2022/2023 programs, it has been a busy and exciting season. 

In addition to getting more kids out on the snow, Coombs hosted weekly evening workshops for middle school participants. Our second winter cohort of our Empower internship program provided 8 high school students with competitively paid positions at local businesses including Black Tie Rentals, Teton Literacy Center, Coombs Outdoors/Jackson Hole Ski Club, and Snow King where 2 interns received their Jr. PSIA certifications and were employed as Jr. Instructors teaching younger Coombs participants how to ski. The Empower program also hosted monthly workshops for participants that focused on professional and personal development. 

We celebrated the end of our season with our participants and volunteers competing in an exciting scavenger hunt and costume party at the mountains last weekend, and a pizza party for our Ositos and their families! Special thanks to our staff, volunteers, and participants who showed up to ski every week with a smile on their face. 

Coombs hits the water

We are continuing our second spring of swim lessons! After working closely with Coombs parents and understanding their needs, we learned that access to swimming lessons has been a big need for our community. In response to this we have partnered with Astoria Hot Springs to organize two cohorts of swimming lessons which will bring 13 kids 8 days of swimming lessons over 4 weeks! 

This is a significant achievement not only in the individual lives of our participants, but also in the breaking down of barriers that have kept people of color from having access to swimming historically. Many of Jackson’s summer activities take place on or near the water and knowing how to swim is a critical component of being able to participate in outdoor recreation during the warmer months. Here’s to creating safe, positive, and long lasting experiences in the outdoors.

Coombs wins big during the BTACF Spring Month of Fun Raffle!

The B-T Avalanche Center Foundation was so proud of their board for donating raffle tickets to deserving members of the community. The fact that these skis went to a Coombs Backcountry student is truly what this is all about, keeping the culture of winter sports alive and helping our community to be safe in the backcountry.

"Learning to backcountry ski has been a great experience. I didn’t only get to learn how to backcountry ski, but also learned about myself and other people. I have learned how much I love trail mix and how much I can eat. I learned how much more fun there is outside of the resort, you can go back country skiing without avalanches, you get to meet new people, and you can build a car by digging snow. Winning these skis means a whole lot to me. I've never had a new pair of skis, these will allow me to enjoy skiing when I get older.” - Joe, Coombs Backcountry Club participant