A Day on the Mountain with YES

In 1968, Bostonian Richard Williams takes his passion for skiing and launches Operation Ski Lift - a program designed to get low-income kids from the Boston area to the mountain to experience the joy and freedom of skiing.

Within the first year, 500 kids were able to access the mountains thanks to Richard's efforts. Drawing inspiration from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and driven by his firm belief in simply "giving youth a chance," YES Boston is born.

Today, YES is a model program across the country when it comes to under-resourced youth engagement through skiing and other sports. Richard’s extraordinary vision continues to break down barriers that exist to participation in the sports that kids truly love. The kids in the program are born skiers, a passion that is now a reality thanks to YES and organizations like Share Winter.

Alps & Meters was fortunate to be able to spend a day with YES and Share Winter - sharing in the laughs, swapping stories in the lift lines, and making a few turns with these skiers on a bluebird day at Wachusett Mountain, right in our own backyard.

Alps & Meters is a proud partner of the Share Winter Foundation. Support their work with a donation today (www.sharewinterfoundation.org/donate) and follow along as they create a more welcome and inclusive winter sports community: @sharewinterfoundation.