News Releases

WILMOT, Wisc. – Jan. 9, 2018 – Wilmot Mountain announced today that it will partner with the nationally acclaimed SOS Outreach organization for five weeks this winter to provide an outdoor avenue of adventure for young Chicagoans from Nicholas Senn High School’s STOKED mentoring program. The SOS Outreach program at Wilmot Mountain introduces at-risk and underserved youth in the Chicago area (9th through 11th grade) to the sports of skiing and snowboarding, while at the same time promoting the long-term success of participants through the life-changing aspects of achievement in outdoor recreation, positive adult mentorship, service learning and leadership development.
 
“The kids from SOS Outreach were genuinely thrilled to be here with the Wilmot Ski and Snowboard School,” said Taylor Ogilvie, vice president of Vail Resorts’ urban ski areas and general manager of Wilmot Mountain. “For many of them, it was their first time ever experiencing skiing or snowboarding and their enthusiasm, coupled with the knowledge of the struggles they have faced, truly warmed the hearts of our team. We are looking forward to welcoming them back next week.”
 
A pilot program at Wilmot Mountain will run for five weeks in January and February to engage inner-city Chicago-area youth. SOS Outreach operates a similar program in metro Denver that has served more than 2,000 young people. Currently, SOS Outreach offers programs across 20 mountain resorts and has full-time offices in Edwards, Colo., Frisco, Colo., Denver, Lake Tahoe, Calif., and Seattle, Wash. – with more than 5,000 at-risk youths across the nation involved.
 
SOS Outreach will also celebrate several milestones this season. The start of this year’s winter programs will officially mark more than 50,000 youth that have benefitted from SOS Outreach programs since the organization’s inception in 1993. Additionally, over the next seven days, SOS Outreach will launch its largest program week of the year - serving 1,541 youth across all locations! As excited as the organization is to report recent expansion and the exciting 50,000 participant milestone, their greatest satisfaction stems from the firsthand impact of the SOS Outreach curriculum.
 
SOS Outreach past participant “Mitzi” recently shared her experience: “SOS Outreach has changed my life in so many ways, but most importantly, it has expanded my family beyond blood.” Mitzi’s sentiment and the community surrounding SOS Outreach is a testament to the strength of the communities in which they operate. Without the support of like-minded community members, mountain partners, volunteers, and organizations, this level of impact would not be possible. SOS Outreach Executive Director Seth Ehrlich adds, “When you’re a part of SOS Outreach, you are a part of something much larger than yourself. In the past month, the strength of the SOS Outreach family has been reinforced through meetings with the team of adults, mountain contacts, schools and youth agencies who give so much of themselves to the success of our participants. The results of our programs are significant and can be seen in the stories of the youth we serve.”
 
For more information on the SOS Outreach at Wilmot Mountain, please visit www.WilmotMountain.com. 
 
About SOS Outreach
Here, we do one thing — help kids gear up for life. It starts by giving them a chance to learn how to gear up to experience all the mountains have to offer. We’re not just teaching kids to snowboard, ski, hike, climb and camp. We’re instilling life long lessons and skills that just happen to be disguised as sport.
Kids get the chance to connect with mentors who guide them through a curriculum that teaches and inspires them to pursue life with more gusto. In these moments, kids learn how to gear up for their adventure, muster the courage to try something new and discover a side of themselves they might not have known. A side that can do anything, especially overcome their circumstances and come out on top.
At SOS Outreach, our goal is to help kids gear up for life, ultimately changing their lives and the communities they touch.

Celebrating the 25 program season this year, SOS Outreach serves over 5,000 youth annually, SOS Outreach promotes long-term success through best-practice and progressive curriculum that focuses on service, goal-setting, life skills and core value development, alongside positive adult mentors. To learn more, visit  http://sosoutreach.org/ or call 970.926.9292.
 
About Wilmot Mountain?
For 80 years, Wilmot Mountain has offered its guests one of the Midwest’s premier destinations for snow sport activities. Situated in Kenosha County, Wisconsin, Wilmot Mountain is conveniently located between Chicago and Milwaukee, affording skiers and snowboarders quick and easy access to 23 trails, seven lifts, two surface conveyor lifts and progression terrain parks with a double, high-speed rope tow. Wilmot Mountain’s recent capital investment of more than $13 million for the 2016-2017 winter season delivered an entirely re-imagined guest experience – from new lifts and restaurants to significant snowmaking improvements, a dedicated children’s ski and snowboard school, enhanced beginner area and expanded terrain park. The ski area’s focus on families, learning and fun, combined with the opportunity for guests to take their passion and skills to Vail Resorts’ iconic western resorts, ensure Wilmot Mountain is truly the place Where Epic Begins. For more information, please visit www.wilmotmountain.com.
 
About Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE: MTN)
Vail Resorts, Inc., through its subsidiaries, is the leading global mountain resort operator. Vail Resorts’ subsidiaries operate 11 world-class mountain resorts and three urban ski areas, including Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone in Colorado; Park City in Utah; Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood in the Lake Tahoe area of California and Nevada; Whistler Blackcomb in British Columbia, Canada; Perisher in Australia; Stowe in Vermont; Wilmot Mountain in Wisconsin; Afton Alps in Minnesota and Mt. Brighton in Michigan. Vail Resorts owns and/or manages a collection of casually elegant hotels under the RockResorts brand, as well as the Grand Teton Lodge Company in Jackson Hole, Wyo. Vail Resorts Development Company is the real estate planning and development subsidiary of Vail Resorts, Inc. Vail Resorts is a publicly held company traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: MTN). The Vail Resorts company website is www.vailresorts.com and consumer website is www.snow.com.