Photos by Sofia Jaralmillo
At Stio we believe that outside is for everyone and we are excited to donate 1% of sales on Giving Tuesday to our partners at Coombs Outdoors. Based in our community of Jackson, Wyoming, Coombs Outdoors empowers children and youth to reach their full potential through the life-changing power of outdoor recreation.
Jackson Hole is known for its incredible access to world class skiing and outdoor recreation, but not everyone in this town has the means to participate. The immigrant workforce, who make up over one third of the population in Jackson, are the backbone of this community, yet most have never set foot on the ski slopes or local trails. Coombs Outdoors provides year-round opportunities for outdoor recreation for kids from low-income families in Teton County to help break down socioeconomic and cultural barriers to the outdoors. Since Coombs Outdoors was founded in 2012, the organization has grown to offer year-round outdoor programs including skiing, hiking, rock climbing, rafting, mountain biking, and camping.
This winter, Coombs Outdoors will provide winter programs for over 200 local kids from K-12 in Teton County. The elementary school program will meet at Snow King for weekly ski lessons, with small groups led by professional instructors. Groups ski on the weekends as well as after school, where the activity bus takes them right to the ski hill.
The middle and high school participants ski in the Powder Pals program at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, with small groups led by volunteer adult mentors. The goal of the Powder Pals program is to help skiers who have been skiing with Coombs for a few years learn to become self-sufficient and confident on the mountain.
In partnership with Fischer Nordic, 22 Nordic, and Teton County Parks and Rec, Coombs will also offer an after school Nordic program for kids and families to learn the basics of cross-country skiing in the evenings.
