SkiDUCK Launches the 2011/12 Season at Squaw Valley USA!
What’s SkiDUCK? It’s a volunteer-based charity dedicated to enriching the lives of disabled and financially underprivileged children by teaching and sharing the joys of skiing and snowboarding. Yesterday, SkiDUCK kicked off its first of 50 Lake Tahoe events by bringing a group of disadvantaged Northern California kids for a free day of skiing and riding at Squaw Valley USA! In its third season hosting the program, Squaw Valley is hosting 18 of SkiDUCK’s 50 Tahoe events and donating a whopping 700! full lesson packages to SkiDUCK kids (including free lift tickets, rentals, and lessons). And in addition to the 700 full packages, once kids progress beyond beginner lessons, Squaw Valley also offers an unlimited number of tickets and rentals for SkiDUCK kids to further develop their love of the sport and the mountains.
SkiDUCK’s North Lake Tahoe Director Dave Westall told us: “Squaw Valley’s support of SkiDUCK has been absolutely amazing. Over the summer Squaw Valley also donated 500 pairs of skis and snowboards from their rental fleet, and another 300 nearly-new helmets to SkiDUCK kids who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford their own equipment. Having our own equipment is something we all take pride in. Now, not only are these kids learning to ski and ride for free, but they’ll really feel like true “skiers and snowboarders” when they go home with their very own equipment!”
“Now we just have to figure out how to get all these kids to the slopes!” Clint Lunde, SkiDUCK’s Executive Director told us. “Transportation and insurance are our two biggest expenses, averaging about $10-$15 per child/visit, and we’re shooting for over 2,000 visits this season… half of those at Squaw Valley alone! Figuring out how to take advantage of free days on the slopes is a beautiful problem to have.”
If you’re interested in helping support a disadvantaged child’s first days on the slopes head over to the SkiDUCK website you can also donate here skiduck.org/donations. As an entirely volunteer-based organization, all proceeds go directly to putting kids on the slopes!