Anna’s Story
“In the ski arena, Hazel shuffles, Jackson tumbles, and Emme plods around with a huge smile on her face. Isaiah is eating snow by the handful, and Lily is in fits of giggles that knock her over. None of these kids have been on skis before. They’re all nervous to go down the first hill, asking me what I will do if someone gets hurt. At this point in their six years of living, they have likely been told that skiing is challenging and that science is complicated. Our ski education program is more than just teaching children how to ski. It's about igniting their curiosity, nurturing their sense of wonder, and instilling confidence in their abilities.
I ski down the first hill with each child, telling them to bend their knees and to look up and to do a little whoop when they start to slide faster. Jackson makes train noises because he loves trains; Hazel’s scream turns into laughter and at the bottom of the hill, she looks at me with the widest eyes I’ve ever seen and says “This is the best day of my life.”
As we meander along the trails, our group becomes animal detectives, tracking the movements of wildlife and uncovering the hidden stories of the Crosscut biome. By lunch time, these six-year-olds are shuffling from snowshoe hare track to deer track to squirrel track and interpreting the stories that appear in the snow before us. The world becomes huge; the possibilities are endless. Together, we follow squirrel tracks to a perfect lunch spot in a cove of trees. Squirrels have run from tree to tree and we discover evidence of a squirrel lunch – a cache of discarded cones.
The kids bring me lichen and cones and bark and needles of trees and they remark about how special each small piece is. Lily is noticing how some needles are sharp and pointy and some needles are short and flat. Isaiah is scurrying around the remnants of the squirrel cones trying to figure out if the squirrel ate it all in one sitting or if it has the same spot to eat every day, like he does at his dining room table. Emme is rubbing lichen between her fingers and seeing spores fly into the sky. They are connecting with nature and making discoveries for themselves.
Your donation to our ski education program helps us reach more than 2,600 kids around the Gallatin Valley, providing unparalleled opportunities for wonder, exploration, and growth. With your support, we can continue to cultivate and grow a program where kids can leave with the confidence to embrace the world around them. Join us in inspiring the next generation of skiers and scientists.”
-Anna Johnston, Ski Education Instructor & Administrative Assistant
Give Big 2024
In our 2023-24 season, Crosscut’s Ski Education Program served 2,626 students through our School, Homeschool, and Global Snowsports Programs. We worked with 33 schools across three counties and welcomed homeschool, remote learning, hybrid student groups, and traditional classroom students.
Each one of our participants had the opportunity to explore Crosscut's trails on skis or snowshoes while building connections with nature and each other.
When you GIVE BIG, you help us provide year-round and meaningful opportunities for young outdoor learners through ski education, biathlon, summer camps, and mountain bike camps! To keep these programs affordable and accessible, we need your support during Give Big Gallatin Valley happening May 2-3! Help us foster healthy lifestyles, empower youth, and put smiles on faces for generations to come.
