On Sunday, March 3, Sugarbush Resort hosted the FAT Ski-A-Thon from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Seventy High Fives Foundation supporters gathered donations on a per lap and flat rate basis to raise over $40,000 for the foundation.
The High Fives Foundation partners with like-minded companies and foundations to further increase fundraising while increasing awareness for athletes that suffer a life-altering injury in the winter sports community.
“Thanks to amazing support from Wells Fargo, GoPro, Vermont North Ski Shops, SnoCru, Sugarbush Resort, bigtruck Brand, Ski The East, Justin’s, Cabot Cheese, Pop Chips, Vermont Peanut Butter Co., Smith Optics, Dynastar Skis and Rome SDS Snowboards, the FAT Ski-A-Thon weekend was a great success,” said foundation founder and spokesperson Roy Tuscany.
“The High Fives Foundation takes pride in putting the fun in fundraising. This marquee event was no exception to that emphasis on fun. With an exuberant field of 70 participants sporting FAT skis and ear-to-ear smiles, the Summit Quad lift at Sugarbush Resort, Mount Ellen, served as the catalyst to get skiers to the top of the mountain,” he explained.
Brooks Curran barely edged out last year’s FAT Ski-A-Thon champion (Johnny Egan) for most runs by a male with an impressive 34 runs. Maddie Lowe took the crown of most runs by a female this year with an impressive 32 runs for the second year in a row. The Murphy sisters, Rubi and Mae, earned top honors as the most successful fundraisers with over $3,000 raised between the two inspirational young daughters of Heidi Witschi and Jesse Murphy. Liz Harris raised $2,000 and Ethan Wood raised $2,500 to round out the top adult fundraisers.
The FAT Ski-A-Thon event weekend kicked off in style on Saturday night at Sugarbush Resort’s Castlerock Pub with an informative presentation by the nonprofit High Fives Foundation at 6:30 p.m. followed by après food specials and live music from The Grift.
On Sunday, FAT Ski-A-Thon participants tracked their lap count on the SnoCru mobile app along with the standard punch card every time they skied through the start corral and refueled with food donated and prepared by the Localfolk Smokehouse in Waitsfield.
(The SnoCru mobile app is available at www.snocru.com, in the Apple App Store and at the Google Play store.)
The FAT Ski-A-Thon weekend concluded at the Wrap Up Party presented by Vermont North Ski Shops on Sunday, March 3, from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Localfolk Smokehouse. A new pair of Dynastar Cham skis and a new Rome SDS snowboard were raffled off at the Wrap Up Party while The Professor DJ provided the soundtrack.
High Fives Foundation is a Tahoe-based 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to raising money and awareness for athletes who have suffered a life-altering injury while pursuing their dream in the winter action sports community. Formed as a way to "pay it forward" by the founder from his own recovery to help injured athletes, the foundation has helped 40 athletes to date since its inception in 2009.
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