This Season, Winter Park Resort, Colorado, Raised $80,000 for Local Outdoors Non-Profits
This season, Winter Park Resort, Colorado, has raised more than $80,000 for local nonprofits by donating all of its proceeds from uphill access armband sales.
Three nonprofits benefitted from the program: Grand County Search and Rescue (GCSAR), Colorado Rapid Avalanche Deployment (C-RAD), and Friends Of Berthoud Pass. These organizations rely primarily on volunteer work and community donations.
GCSAR is an all-volunteer organization that offers rescue services to outdoor recreationists in Grand county, Colorado.
Founded after the devastating 1987 avalanche near Breckenridge Ski Area, Colorado, C-RAD’s stated goal is to “cultivate, inspire, and produce dog teams for successful avalanche search and rescue.”
Friends Of Berthoud Pass provides free backcountry education resources and was a collaborator in the construction of the warming hut at the Berthoud Pass summit.
“We're thankful to you for helping to make it even better with meaningful contributions to these organizations,” Winter Park wrote on Instagram. “Here's to more community support and outdoor adventure next season and beyond!”
During its winter operating season, Winter Park charges $25 for uphill armbands that provide access to the resort’s piste from 4 a.m. to 8 p.m. for skiers and snowboarders with backcountry equipment. The $25 armbands are valid for an entire season. To read Winter Park’s current uphill access policy, click here.
Winter Park started selling uphill access armbands during the 2010-2011 ski season. The system began because, without armbands, the resort had no way of knowing if uphill users had read the uphill safety policies and procedures.
"Winter Park Resort welcomes and supports uphillers on its slopes, but uphillers not following our rules and guidelines put themselves, other downhill skiers and snowboarders, and on-mountain resort staff at unnecessary risk," noted a representative from Winter Park.
To purchase an armband and gain access to Winter Park, skiers have to read the resort's uphill safety policies and procedures, thus ensuring that everyone is on the same page. "The decision to require uphill armbands was ultimately driven by safety concerns," the representative explained.
Winter Park kept the price of the armbands low to ensure that people actually read the associated safety policies and agreed from the system's outset to donate all proceeds to the aforementioned non-profits.
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