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SheJumps Launches Second Season of Teaching Utah Teens to Ski
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Published on Sunday, March 07, 2010 - 08:00 AM






Alta, UT - SheJumps, a Salt Lake City-based non-profit, is launching its second season of (S)heJumps Into the Canyon: Empowering SLC Teens in the Wasatch. SheJumps is working with Salt Lake City Boys and Girls Clubs to teach 20-plus teens who wouldn’t have a chance otherwise how to ski over four weekends this March.

The program's goal is to introduce participants to a long-term relationship with skiing as a healthy lifestyle. With help from SheJumps’ network of athletes including big-mountain skiers Lynsey Dyer, Rachael Burks, Claire Smallwood, 2009 Ski Jumping World Champion and freeskier Lindsey Van, and PSIA ski instructor Vanessa Pierce, the teens will be gaining the best possible knowledge about skiing, safety on the slopes, skiing as a career, and more.

An added benefit of the four-day camps at Alta Ski Area is to offer the SheJumps “network of athletes” a chance to give back to their community, and to give the kids heroes to look up to.

Last year, SheJumps brought ski magazines for the kids to look through. “No way,” said Toria O’Hearn, 16, after seeing a profile of her coach Rachael Burks in Powder magazine. “That is so awesome!”

Although the mission of SheJumps is to increase participation of women in outdoor sports through mentorship and coaching from female outdoor athletes, the Utah-registered nonprofit is tailoring this program to also serve male teens. In memory of the late Billy Poole, SheJumps has teamed up with the Billy Poole Ski Foundation to once again offer skiing to males. The goal is to bring the joys of skiing to all teens and help them find their passion for skiing in their nearby mountains.

Starting today, (S)heJumps Into the Canyon has four consecutive Sunday sessions, the last of which will be held on March 28.
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