Keeping Kids on the Slopes

Keeping on the kids slopes

NIMSEF BENEFITS LOCAL YOUTH

By Dig Chrismer

Let’s face it, skiing and snowboarding are expensive. From lift tickets to gear, cost can be an issue for anyone who wants to get out on the mountain. It’s challenging to find ways to promote the benefits of skiing and snowboarding to the local community when often, those families don’t have the extra financial means to get their kids involved in the sport.

Working as a ski instructor for Schweitzer, Jeff Rouleau has experienced this dilemma firsthand. Over the years, he’s worked with Schweitzer’s Snowsports School outreach programs and has met tons of local kids who were thrilled to get a day on the mountain with their school classes. But it was heartbreaking when he realized that many of those kids wouldn’t get more than just that one day. “Back in 2010, we got thank you cards from some of the fourth-graders who had skied with us the week before. One of the cards said ‘Greatest day of my life. Too bad I’ll never see you again.’ And that just killed me.”

Inspired by this glaring gap in opportunity, Rouleau hit upon an idea to find a way to get these kids back on the slopes. Working closely with Schweitzer and the local community, Rouleau founded North Idaho Mountain Sports Education Fund (NIMSEF) with the goal to get kids who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford skiing and snowboarding out on the slopes.

NIMSEF’s primary function is to work with the local community in securing donations to pay for season passes and rentals as well as registration for the six-week Funatics program. Rouleau’s original intention was to promote the program to the local schools and social workers in the area, hoping to connect kids who come from challenging socioeconomic situations with an outlet that provides critical physical and mental health benefits.

“In our first year, we helped 22 kids,” Rouleau said. “This past winter, thanks to word of mouth, we were able to help about 100 kids get access to the mountain. It’s incredible.”

Community support has been key for NIMSEF to continue growing the program with their annual fundraiser, the screening of the Banff Mountain Film Festival at the Panida Theater. The three-day festival provides the bulk of NIMSEF’s fundraising efforts every year. “We have five board members who do so much to help raise the money we need to keep the program going,” he said. “Plus, the support we get from Schweitzer’s rental manager Kirk Johnson and his crew is just amazing. Everyone really believes in the value of what we are doing and that buy-in is key.”

As much as the program relies on donations from the community, Rouleau also asks that each child who participates have a stake in making the program work, too. “The kids have a responsibility to raise $50 towards our annual raffle at the film festival fundraiser,” Rouleau said. “They can sell raffle tickets to friends and family or do what they can to earn the money by raking leaves, babysitting, you name it.”

One Bonners Ferry family even launched a whole new business to cover their portion of participating in the program. “My parents weren’t skiers, but I really wanted to

Left, Malia Steffen on the slopes at Schweitzer. Right, Malia and her brother hit the slopes last winter. Below, Smalltown Kids’ vendor booth at Northwest Wine Fest in July 2021.

ski,” said Malia Steffen. “I started making candles and bath confetti at home so I could pay off the $50 and use any extra profit to help my brothers get to ski, too.” Six years later, and Malia not only is covering her siblings’ NIMSEF requirements but her Smalltown Kids products are sold in local stores in Bonner and Boundary counties. “It started out to get us skiing but NIMSEF taught me about the value of money, how to pay your way, and get to do what you really like doing.”

Malia’s father, Jason Steffen, agrees. “The scholarship through NIMSEF made skiing more affordable for us and gave us connections we never imagined,” he said. “NIMSEF not only helped introduce our family to skiing, but it also provided us, as parents, a tool to help inspire our kids beyond the slopes. Now they run their own business, annually donating part of their profits back to NIMSEF so other kids may have the same opportunity.”

Two other underserved sections of the community have also benefited from NIMSEF’s efforts – veterans and adaptive skiers. “We purchased adaptive equipment and worked with the Snowsports School to get more instructors involved with these skiers,” Rouleau said. “NIMSEF’s focus is to get anyone who wants to get out on the slopes and has a true need for help, be it financial or physical, out there.”

“The needs of our community aren’t going away and it’s only going to get more challenging for those workers who keep our community functioning,” continues Rouleau. “It’s the least we can do to help keep our entire community connected to something they really enjoy doing. Skiing and snowboarding shouldn’t be exclusive.”

For more information about NIMSEF, visit their website: www.nimsef.com.