Chinese
Dutch
Search
Skiing News
Skiing News - February 2008
Display Mode:
Feed
Thursday, 28 February 2008
Summit County, CO – SOS Outreach, formerly Snowboard Outreach Society, will celebrate the graduation of 99 Summit County participants this weekend. Participants are graduates of SOS’s introductory Learn to Ride cur
riculum. SOS Outreach is a not for profit organization that builds character and self-esteem in at-risk youth through snow sports.
SOS expanded to include skiing during the 2007/2008 season to begin a new chapter in their programs for youth development.
“This season, we experienced 100% growth. We’re really excited about the opportunities that were created for SOS participants locally and nationally,” Executive Director Arn Menconi said.
SOS Outreach mentors and teaches at-risk youth valuable life skills and core values through three programs: Diversity, Learn to Ride (LTR), and University.
The LTR curriculum features five days, where the youth get professional instruction and all necessary gear. The LTR program focuses on one of the five core values each day: Courage, Discipline, Integrity, Wisdom, and Compassion. Two hundred fifty-two participants will complete this curriculum at Breckenridge and Keystone during the 2007/2008 season.
The University program is part of a 4-year curriculum, which incorporates community service and life skill workshops. The youth also have mentors called Sherpas. Eighty-four kids are registered for this program and will graduate on March 22.
Graduation ceremonies will take place at Breckenridge and Keystone on Saturday, March 1 and Sunday, March 2. The 99 participants completed SOS’s second session of programming locally. Across all programs, Breckenridge and Keystone served 911 youth, 350 of whom are Summit County youth.
For more information or to get involved today, please call 970-926-9292 or visit www.sosoutreach.org.
Thursday, 28 February 2008
PORTLAND, OR – SOS Outreach, a non-profit organization that works to build character and self-esteem in at-risk and underprivileged youth through snow sports instruction and an associated curriculum, is pleas
ed to announce a new partnership with Mt. Hood Skibowl. Skibowl joins Mt. Hood Meadows and Timberline as the third resort on Mt. Hood to donate lift tickets, equipment rentals, and snowboard instruction to Portland-area students participating in SOS Outreach programs during the 2007-2008 ski season. The combined dollar value of this critical support from all three resorts exceeds $35,000.
“Experiencing the mountain environment is especially valuable to youth who haven’t had the opportunity to get out and about and explore all of the options that surround them,” says Troy Fischer, Terrain Park and Assistant Operations Manager at Mt. Hood Skibowl. “Skibowl is very excited to provide that opportunity for all those involved in the SOS program and to watch them grow and learn new skills and life lessons with their peers,” Fischer adds.
“Skibowl provides the perfect atmosphere to escape from the normal daily routine and allows visitors to enjoy the serenity and simplicity of the mountains,” says Malee Lucas, National Program Coordinator for SOS Outreach. “Our work would not be possible without the generous participation of our ski area partners,” Lucas adds.
Founded in Colorado 14 years ago, SOS Outreach continues to grow and is now entering its eighth year of operation in Oregon. During that time, more than 350 young Oregonians from the metro area have participated in the popular SOS Outreach ‘Learn to Ride’ program, which features five days of professional instruction, lift tickets, and all necessary gear. ‘Learn to Ride’ students also complete an associated curriculum that focuses on five core values: courage, discipline, integrity, wisdom, and compassion.
This season alone, more than 45 students from metro-area schools, including Portland Youth Builders, Mt. Scott Learning Centers, and Reynolds Learning Academy, will join SOS Outreach on Mt. Hood. For many of these students, this is the first time they have had the opportunity to try a snow sport, and the experience can be truly life changing – both on the hill and in everyday life. In fact, several ‘Learn to Ride’ graduates from the Portland area are now continuing to work with SOS Outreach through its ‘University’ program, which includes a four-year continuing curriculum and also incorporates community service and life skill workshops.
Megan Barrett, a teacher at Mt. Scott Learning Centers, speaks to the positive impact she has observed during the school’s three-year partnership with SOS Outreach. “SOS encourages my students to support one another, and also teaches them self-reliance and discipline. It's incredible to watch students go from worry and doubt to happiness and pride when they make it down the hill for the first time without falling. At the end of the five days, there is a bond between the kids and their teachers that lasts far beyond the mountain. Through SOS, for the first time in their lives, many of these kids are experiencing the pride and confidence that come from personal success. Through SOS, these kids learn that they are the type of people who are capable of anything.”
About SOS Outreach
SOS Outreach, formerly Snowboard Outreach Society, is a non-profit organization that builds character and self-esteem in at-risk and underprivileged youth through snow sports. Headquartered in Colorado’s Vail Valley, SOS Outreach offers multi-day snowboarding and skiing programs at 30 resorts in eight states. More than 2,500 kids will participate in SOS programs during winter 2007-2008 – the organization’s 14th year.
In Oregon, SOS Outreach is entering its eighth year. During winter 2007-2008, SOS is offering Portland-based Learn To Ride (LTR) and University snowboarding programs on Mt. Hood – at Mt. Hood Meadows, Mt. Hood Skibowl and Timberline resorts. SOS also offers programs in Central Oregon – at Hoodoo Mountain Resort and Willamette Pass.
For more information about SOS Outreach and its range of programs, visit www.sosoutreach.org.
Wednesday, 27 February 2008
Finland’s ski jumper Harri Olli was banned Tuesday for the rest of the season for breaching team rules and unsportsmanlike conduct at the ski flying world championships.
According to the Finnish Skiing Association, Olli reportedly disappeared late last Friday and just turned up on Saturday, three hours before the second day of jumping at the worlds in Germany.
The association also stated that Olli may only be allowed to return in the national team if the ski jumper changes his behavior and follows the rules set for the team.
Olli finished sixth at the worlds last week and ranked second last year.
For more details on this news, please visit canadianpress.google.com.
Tuesday, 26 February 2008
Skiing journalist and anchor Paul Robbins passed away on February 23 at the age of 68. Robbins served as a primary writer of the U.S. Ski Team for more than 20 years and anchored CBS and NBC Olympic telecasts and t
he public address system at world-class races.
Friends describe him as “the older guy with the bigger-than-life personality and the trademark Scottish tam perched jauntily on his head”. Aside from an extraordinary character, the American skiing community agrees in his expertise in the sport.
Robbins made life easier for generations of ski journalists and shared his passion for skiing with fans of all ages. People say the picture of Robbins smiling at them and his word of advice available for many will always be part of a skiing race.
For more details on this news, please visit bangornews.com.
Monday, 25 February 2008
SkiGreen Tags can be used by skiers and snowboarders who wish to actively show their support in reducing the associated environmental impacts of skiing and snowboarding. Initiating the said campaign in Eastern Unit
ed States is the Loon Mountain ski resort in New Hampshire. Loon recently teamed up with the Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF) in making SkiGreen Tags available to skiers and snowboarders.
Each tag represents about 100 kilowatt hours of wind energy and offsets about 140 pounds of global warming pollution. The tags are available at $2 each and can be bought together with the lift tickets.
The proceeds of this campaign will provide support for renewable energy through BEF on behalf of the skier or snowboarder who purchased the tag.
For more information on this news, please visit www.firsttracksonline.com.
For the latest news, tips, trivias and special offers, sign up to the ABC of Skiing newsletter.
advertisementadvertising info
advertisementadvertising info
Latest Skiing News
For a complete list of all discount coupons with our merchants, subscribe to our Discount RSS Feed: 
MySpace
Squidoo
Scribd
Facebook
Twitter
© 2003-2008 ABC of Skiing, part of MaxLifestyle International Inc. All rights reserved.
