Taos Ski Valley Raises More Than $29,000 for Women’s Cancer Support and Research

TAOS, NM – March 7, 2011 – Taos Ski Valley joined forces with K2 Skis and Studio Karina to host two fundraising events in February that raised more than $29,000 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.
 
February 25 was officially designated “Breast Cancer Awareness Day” at Taos Ski Valley and the day included a range of activities all designed to help raise money for and awareness of women’s cancer. The day began with excitement as local radio station KKIT broadcasted live from the base of the ski resort pumping up the crowd for the first ever K2 Bumps Challenge – a race in which teams 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 wining team, named Straight Line, made 18 trips down Al’s Run in four hours and was awarded K2 skis, goggles, ski passes and more for their efforts. A list of additional winners in the individual, junior, fundraising and costume categories is available here. The K2 Bumps Challenge generated more than $14,000 for the designated charities.
 
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 15 local and national artists using snowboards as canvasses. In the evening, the snowboards were sold in the annual Paint for Peaks silent auction. Lucky winter sports enthusiasts and art lovers took home these valuable works of art and helped generate another $13,600 for cancer research. In addition, a raffle during the Paint for Peaks exhibit in which ski passes and other valuable prizes were offered generated almost $1,500 in additional funds.
 
“Supporting the Anita Salas Memorial Fund has become an annual tradition at Taos Ski Valley and we were thrilled to also add support to B4BC this year,” said Adriana Blake, administrative manager of Taos Ski Valley. “We are extremely grateful to our sponsors including K2 and Studio Karina, and to all the people who participated or donated their time and money to support this important cause. We plan to have a breast cancer awareness day and fundraiser each year, and we hope to continue to grow its popularity.”
 
Taos Ski Valley also donated a portion of ticket sales on the 25th 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 2012 or 2013 season, please visit www.skitaos.org

Contact Information

Claire Mylott

Media Relations

Stefanie Jones Public Relations

(1) 303-455-0933

cmylott@sjonespr.com