Taos Ski Valley Raises More Than $27,000 for Women’s Cancer Support and Research
Taos Ski Valley joined forces with K2 and Studio Karina to host two fundraising events on February 23 that raised more than $27,000 for the Anita Salas Memorial Fund, a nonprofit organization that provides financial assistance for breast and cervical cancer services in New Mexico, and for Boarding for Breast Cancer (B4BC), a fundraising foundation whose mission is to increase awareness about breast cancer, the importance of early detection and the value of an active lifestyle. The ski resort’s annual “Breast Cancer Awareness Day” has raised tens of thousands of dollars for women’s health over the past several years and didn’t disappoint in 2013.
The first event of the day was the K2 Bumps Challenge – a race in which teams or individuals skied or snowboarded Taos Ski Valley’s famous “Al’s Run” as many times as possible, generating charitable donations from sponsors for each trip. The K2 Bumps Challenge generated more than $17,400 for the designated charities.
The wining team, named Soggy Brief, made 19 trips down Al’s Run in four hours and was awarded K2 skis, goggles, ski passes and more for their efforts. Three individuals: Michael Wagner, Cameron Gillen and Daryn Edmunds made 21 runs each, and another participant, Gayle Kennedy made 19 runs, raising more than $3,000 herself and winning first place in the costume contest dressed as the Energizer Bunny. A list of additional winners in the individual, team, and costume categories is available here.
Following the K2 Bumps Challenge was the Paint for Peaks art exhibit, which took place at the base of the ski resort in the Martini Tree restaurant and bar. The event exhibited spectacular handcrafted artwork by 18 local and national artists using snowboards as canvases, generously donated by K2. Their work generated another $10,150 for cancer research. In addition, a raffle during the Paint for Peaks exhibit in which ski passes and other valuable prizes were offered generated more than $500 in additional funds.
“Our women’s health and breast cancer awareness day have become so popular – and so much fun – that we plan to continue it year after year,” said Adriana Blake, administrative manager of Taos Ski Valley. “Our sponsors K2 and Studio Karina, as well as all the artists who donated their talents and the participants who skied their hearts out, deserve our utmost gratitude. We couldn’t be more pleased with the turn-out and the generous donations by all who attended.”
Taos Ski Valley also donated a portion of ticket sales on the 23rd to the Anita Salas Fund.
For more information about the Anita Salas Memorial Fund, please visit: http://www.cancernm.org/bcc/anita-salas.html
For more information about B4BC please visit: http://www.b4bc.org/
About Taos Ski Valley
With more than 305 inches of average annual snowfall and more than 110 trails, Taos Ski Valley is New Mexico’s premier skiing and snowboarding destination. One of the only remaining family-owned and operated ski resorts in all of America, Taos Ski Valley boasts a unique relaxed atmosphere, pristine scenery and unparalleled skiing and snowboarding. To learn more about Taos Ski Valley or to plan a vacation for the 2013 season, please visit http://www.skitaos.org
