Whaleback Mountain Fundraising Challenge for West Side Project

Locally owned and operated Whaleback Mountain in New Hampshire continues its effort to raise additional funds for the Westside Project. This 2016 Challenge and Westside project includes - Whaleback will add a used surface lift on the lower West Side of the mountain, where one previously existed. The existing Learning Center will be reconfigured. We will also install a dedicated snowmaking loop using mostly existing infrastructure and improve the lighting on Lower Face, Blubber and Lower Ivory, all this summer & fall. This will reduce the acreage required to open from the current 25 acres to just 5 acres, meaning that we can open in 3 days of optimal temps, rather than the current 10 days it requires. This will allow us to get on snow earlier in the year and remain open throughout a terrible winter such as the one we just endured.

This challenge has been extended for 3 more weeks and here is a status update as well. To accomplish this we need to raise $100,000 from the community, in order to receive the (drumroll, please!) $200,000 Challenge Grant pledged by a pool of Whaleback supporters! Your $100,000 will cover the cost of the surface lift and installation; the $200,000 from the Challenge Grant will cover improvements to snowmaking, new lighting, required summer maintenance to the chairlift, needed machinery repairs, upkeep, operating expenses, etc.

That's right, 2:1 Match for Every Dollar of Your Gift

We are down to 3 weeks left in our Fundraising Challenge and we are at $60,480 of our $100,000 requirement to see the West Side project through to completion. The T-bar will be delivered this week and we are chomping at the bit to proceed with full engineering and permitting.

Be part of Whaleback history and consider making a tax deductible donation to your community mountain and help UVSSF continue to provide a safe, affordable and convenient snow experience for children, families and individuals. Donations can be made online at www.whaleback.com/donation or by mailing your gift to UVSSF, 160 Whaleback Mountain Road, Enfield, NH 03748.

2nd annual Spokatopia Outdoor Adventure Festival July 9th in Spokane, WA

The Inland Northwest’s Biggest Bike Demo & Sales Event of the Summer is Coming to the Spokatopia Outdoor Adventure Festival Saturday, July 9

We are always pleased to promote events that encourage more participation outdoors. This event in Spokane clearly fits the bill. 

This weekend's events in scheduled for Saturday July 9th. At the 2^nd annual Spokatopia Outdoor Adventure Festival on the Spokane River at Camp Sekani Park in Spokane, you can try stand up paddleboarding, rock climbing, kayaking, slacklining, canoeing, geo-caching, SUP yoga, disc golf, mountain biking, yoga and other outdoor activities. Hang out in a fun, festive atmosphere that includes 40 outdoor recreation-related exhibitors, live music, a beer garden and food trucks, mountain bike jump jam, free MTB shuttles to the top of Camp Sekani Park, and the biggest bike demo and sales event of the year. Local bike shops, including Wheel Sport, North Division Bicycle Shop, This Bike Life, The Bike Hub, Velofix, and Coolwater Bikes will be set up at Spokatopia offering demos and selling bikes and gear from Specialized, Pivot, Yeti, Trek, Norco, Santa Cruz, Ellsworth and other brands. Come check out full suspension, front suspension, hardtail, and downhill mountain bikes; fat bikes; hybrids; 29ers; and road and commuter bikes.  Kick the festival off with the 5k or 1.5 mile Up Chuck Challenge trail run or walk or a free yoga lesson. General admission, bike demos, paddleboard demos and many other activities are free, although there is a cost to sign up for the outdoor adventure clinics offered through Spokane Parks and Recreation. Spokatopia runs from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on Saturday, July 9. Find all the details at www.spokatopia.com

NY Outdoor Expo hosted at Plattekill Mountain in The Catskills

Longtime Mountain Sports Club partner resort Plattekill Mountain is hosting the first NY Outdoor Expo on July 9th, 2016 (rain date of July 10).  This event will promote tourism and recreation in the Catskill Mountain region and showcase a multitude of outdoor recreation opportunities throughout New York State. Vendors and exhibitors from all fields of the outdoor community will be represented:  biking, hiking, trail running, paddling, archery, fly fishing, hunting, wildlife rehabilitation and more and will be leading workshops, demonstrations and displaying and selling their wares. Stewardship and Conservation organizations will be presenting on topics ranging from invasive species to folklore and cultural history.

Last October, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a series of actions to promote tourism in the Catskill Mountains, including holding the first annual Catskill Challenge (modeled after the Adirondack Challenge launched in 2013), which is to be launched this summer as well.

“The Catskills Region is home to some of the most beautiful mountains, views and attractions in the world and through these initiatives, we are once again putting the spotlight on this state’s unparalleled outdoor recreational opportunities,” Governor Cuomo said. “Our tourism industry plays an integral role in this state’s economy and we will continue to invest in our natural assets to support local businesses, grow our regional economies and generate new economic opportunities statewide.”

The NY Outdoor Expo will have a focus on activities for the whole family with demonstrations of all kinds, on-going trust and team building activities for kids by The Cliffs, Survival School Workshops with Destination Backcountry, mountain yoga, outdoor photography workshop, and an archery range sponsored by Kenco, to name a few.  

For more information on this event, please visit: www.plattekill.com

Look for summer and winter 2016.17 Plattekill Mountain discounts to post for lift ticket savings.