The Californer - Christy Sports donates K in new gear to SOS Outreach to help kids hit the slopes

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Seth Ehrlich and Dawson Quint unload winter gear

Christy Sports team delivers gear for SOS Outreach

LAKEWOOD, Colo. - Californer -- Christy Sports donated over $56,000 worth of brand-new skiing and snowboarding gear to SOS Outreach, helping remove financial barriers and expand access to outdoor experiences for underserved youth. The donation includes 712 units of jackets, pants, helmets, and goggles, totaling three pallets of product, and arrives during the heart of the winter season, when SOS Outreach was facing a critical shortage of essential cold-weather gear needed to keep youth safe, warm and fully engaged on snow.

The donation builds on Christy Sports' long-standing partnership with SOS Outreach, grounded in a shared commitment to making snowsports and the mountain lifestyle more accessible, inclusive, and welcoming. By providing essential equipment at no cost, Christy Sports is helping SOS Outreach continue offering free or low-cost skiing, snowboarding, and outdoor programming to young people who might otherwise be unable to participate.

"When youth have the gear they need, everything changes," said Seth Ehrlich, CEO of SOS Outreach. "This donation ensures young people can step onto the mountain feeling prepared and supported, and that sense of readiness opens the door to confidence, growth, and connection."

Christy Sports' support of SOS Outreach extends beyond product donations. In 2024, five SOS Outreach alumni partnered with Nordica and Christy Sports to learn the full commercial process of bringing a ski to market — from design and manufacturing to marketing and sales. Building on an initial collaboration launched in 2022, the alumni helped refine a limited-edition Nordica Enforcer ski, preserving the performance of Nordica's top-selling model while incorporating design elements that reflect the mission and values of SOS Outreach. All proceeds from the ski benefited SOS Outreach programs.

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Over the course of a year, the alumni met monthly with industry leaders, gaining behind-the-scenes exposure to career pathways rarely accessible to young people entering the outdoor industry. The collaboration reflects a shared belief that mentorship, access and real-world experience are critical to building a more inclusive future for snowsports.

"At Christy Sports, our vision is to welcome everyone to the joy of mountain life and sport," said Lindsay Goszulak, CFO and COO of Christy Sports. "Our long-standing partnership with SOS Outreach reflects our belief that access, mentorship and confidence-building are essential to growing the outdoor community. We're proud to support SOS not only through gear donations, but by helping open doors to education, careers and lifelong connections to the mountains."

Founded in 1993 at Vail Mountain, SOS Outreach began by introducing 15 kids from Denver to snowboarding. Today, the national nonprofit serves more than 3,000 youth annually across 15 locations in 10 communities, delivering year-round programs that combine skiing, snowboarding, hiking and biking with positive adult mentorship, leadership development and community service — helping young people build resilience, belonging and leadership skills that last far beyond the mountains. This winter alone, SOS Outreach has nearly 3,000 youth registered across its programs, with mentoring participation more than doubling over the past five years.

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To learn more about SOS Outreach or how to support its mission, visit sosoutreach.org.

About Christy Sports
Christy Sports is the largest specialty ski and snowboard retailer and service provider in the Rocky Mountains, with more than 50 locations across Colorado, Utah, Montana and Washington. Founded in 1958 by ski instructors Ed and Gale Crist, the company began as a single storefront in Lakewood, Colorado, and a yellow bus full of skiers.

Rooted in mountain-town communities and fueled by a passion for outdoor life, Christy Sports offers premium rentals, expert boot fitting, tuning, patio furniture, and year-round outdoor gear and services. Its family of brands includes BootDoctors, Sturtevant's, The Alpineer, Leisure Living and Powder Tools. Christy Sports exists to help everyone experience the joy of mountain life — because Outside is Better.

https://www.christysports.com/