Partnership will further Share Winter’s Mission to increase participation and diversity in snowsports.
Park City, UT – May 5, 2021 – Reinforcing the pillar of ‘Community’ within its broad-reaching Respect program, the Rossignol Group is proud to announce its support of the Share Winter Foundation.
A 501(c)(3) non-profit, the Share Winter Foundation works with local and regional programs to help foster efficient, effective, and sustainable winter sports programming through funding, thought-leadership, and community connections.
The Rossignol Group’s Respect platform is a key pillar of the Group’s long-term strategy, a wide-reaching CSR initiative addressing social and environmental responsibility through a combination of advocacy and action.
“Improving the lives, health, and fitness of youth through winter sports while creating a more diverse, inclusive, and welcoming community is Share Winter’s mission,” said Nick Castagnoli, Brand Marketing Director, Rossignol Group North America. “These goals couldn’t align more seamlessly with our own. Today’s kids are tomorrow’s life-long participants. Taking concrete actions that will expose more children to skiing and riding while creating a more welcoming, accessible, and diverse sport is critical to the long-term health of our industry.”
As a grant-making organization, Share Winter leverages its collective resources and influence to provide youth with skiing and snowboarding opportunities across the United States. Grantee partners including non-profits, schools, rec centers, non-profit ski areas, and clubs are vetted and then enabled to provide ski and snowboard programming to diverse groups of young people ages 5-18. These programs remove many of the financial barriers to inclusion by subsidizing or covering the costs of gear and/or instruction, providing free transportation to and from the mountain as well as having instruction take place during school hours so more kids can participate.
“Share Winter has quickly positioned itself as a leading organization in terms of growing participation and diversity in snow sports,” said Francois Goulet, President, Rossignol Group North America. “Their mission is one every brand, resort, and retailer in our industry can get behind. We’re grateful to Share Winter for the work they are doing and for the opportunity to work alongside them to help break down barriers and create the pipelines that will support and inspire the next generation of skiers and riders.”
In 2020 alone, the Share Winter Foundation reached 248 schools and 61 ski areas nationwide, helping more than 45,000 youth get on snow. With additional partners coming onboard in 2021 and a goal to reach 100k youth through its actions by 2028, the organization is already well on its way with its sights set on sustaining and expanding these programs for years to come.
For Media Inquiries Please Contact:
Emerald LaFortune
Communications & Community Manager – Share Winter Foundation
[email protected]
Become a Share Winter Partner: www.sharewinterfoundation.org/partners
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GROUP ROSSIGNOL: Headed by its new CEO Vincent Wauters, Group Rossignol designs, manufactures and markets a broad range of winter sports and outdoor equipment. The Group’s brands provide a continuous, year-round experience accompanying consumers in every moment of sporting effort and leisure, from elite-level athletes to amateurs, from the mountains to the city. The Group’s global headquarters is located in the French Alps near Grenoble with five different industrial sites (Sallanches, Nevers, Saint Etienne de Saint Geoirs, Artès, Montebelluna) across western Europe and a U.S. headquarters in Park City, Utah. The Group houses a strong portfolio of complementary brands: Rossignol – the iconic brand for winter sports, and ready-to-wear fashion and apparel; Dynastar – the specialist ski brand; Lange – the iconic ski boot brand; Look – the long-standing premium manufacturer of ski bindings; Felt – the premium bike manufacturer; Risport – the reference for ice-skating; Kerma – specialized in ski poles and technical equipment; and Dale of Norway, an iconic Norwegian brand known for its high quality wool-based knitwear. Each has built their own unique identity and draws their inspiration from the mountains. Rossignol is majority owned by Nordic Private Equity fund Altor since 2013.
SHARE WINTER FOUNDATION: Share Winter Foundation is a grantmaking organization working to improve the lives, health, and fitness of youth through winter sports. Share Winter funds youth learn-to nordic ski, alpine ski, and snowboard programs across the US, prioritizing youth traditionally denied access to winter sports. Through nationwide partnerships, Share Winter strives to create a more diverse, inclusive, and welcoming winter sports community, and share winter with 100,000 youth per year by 2028.
Ready to #sharewinter? Join in: www.sharewinterfoundation.org