Celebrating SnowSchool’s Milestone Year Reaching Half a Million Students
Reflecting on the successes and growth of SnowSchool 2023-24—the impact is undeniable.
Another successful SnowSchool season has concluded, introducing thousands of students across the U.S. to snow science and the joy of exploring their local winter wildlands!
Thanks to your ongoing support, SnowSchool has now engaged over 500,000 students since the program launched just over two decades ago. This incredible milestone would not be possible without you; thank you!
Photo courtesy of Bogus Basin
Photo courtesy of SnowSchool
What was SnowSchool’s impact during 2023-2024?
After completing our annual survey of SnowSchool sites, we estimate that SnowSchool engaged over 35,000 participants across 72 active SnowSchool sites spanning 17 states! This winter, approximately 53% of participating students qualify as underserved, including students from Title 1 schools and many diverse, underrepresented populations. Over 68% of students were first-time snowshoers.
What did the participants have to say?
“I loved snowshoeing, when can we do this again?”
-5th grade SnowSchool student
“For the majority of my students, this was their first experience snowshoeing and for some it was their first experience doing any outdoor activity in the snow besides playing at recess. I am so grateful we got to give them this adventure today!”
–Elementary teacher
How Are We Increasing Support for Underserved Kids?
At Winter Wildlands Alliance, we believe every child should have the opportunity to take in the beauty of a wild winter landscape and experience the sense of wonder it inspires.
However, snow and cold weather can magnify barriers to experiencing the outdoors. To counteract this, we have worked with our SnowSchool partners at MSR to provide hundreds of discounted snowshoes, hands-on snow science learning tools, and winter clothing for kids in SnowSchool site communities across the country. We have also bolstered fundraising support for local SnowSchool programs, worked to offset transportation costs, and provided cutting-edge NASA snow science resources for our educators.
Photo courtesy of SnowSchool
Thank you for helping build a thriving national SnowSchool program that is on track to introduce generations of kids to the wonders of wild winter exploration. With your ongoing support, we can achieve that vision and work to enhance the experience for every child. We could not do this without you!
