Inclusivity at Pats Peak
Martin Luther King Weekend at most resorts means an extra day of skiing and riding (yeah!), some fireworks or other special events and — as we always hope — great snow and weather.
But at Pats Peak Resort in Henniker, New Hampshire, the weekend takes on more meaning than that. This year the resort celebrates its 19th annual Diversity Day Goes POP, an event that works to get everyone — and mostly folks who never imagined skiing or riding was a good match for them — on the slopes and embracing the ski and ride life.
“Diversity Day Goes POP gives us an opportunity to celebrate the fact that anyone can to come to the slopes of
New Hampshire,” said Jim Wall, Director of Services at Pats Peak. “It is not decided by a person’s ethnicity, social, or economic background. Our dream for Diversity Day is to provide the atmosphere and a program that will encourage others to bring individuals skiing, snowboarding and tubing who may believe that this is a sport out of their reach.”
The program, which has won national acclaim over the years and brought thousands of new and diverse folks to the ski and ride world, does so with a combination of actions: they reach out to inner city groups and other diversity hubs, offer deeply discounted programs and best of all, make the event a celebration of all kinds of cultures melded into one afternoon and evening of fun. Diversity Day Goes POP offers skiing, snowboarding, snowtubing, rentals and lesson tips from 3 to 9 p.m. for just $52. Groups of 15 or more can get even lower rates by contacting the resort ahead of time.
The idea, said Walls, is to bring people to the snowsport world who may have yet considered it. “Our dream for Diversity Day is to provide the atmosphere and a program that will encourage you to bring individuals skiing, snowboarding and tubing who may believe that this is a sport out of their reach,” Wall said.
The event teams up with groups like Boston’s Youth Enrichment Services (YES), a private, nonprofit organization that has been providing affordable and impactful sports-based youth development and leadership programming for Boston children and teens since 1968, serving Boston youth with a targeted focus on reaching low-to-moderate income children and teens in Dorchester, Roxbury and Mattapan.
This year YES is bringing 130-plus kids for skiing and snowboarding in the afternoon and then taking part in the festivities in the early evening.
The event doesn’t just make newbies feel comfortable via great lesson tips, excellent and well fit rentals (Pats Peak is heralded for providing quality rental gear), but also by bringing the entire mountain resort alive with the sounds, sights and tastes of cultures of all kinds. A DJ Dance party in the lodge will showcase world music.
Any individual is welcome to attend — be it to try out the sports or to share your love of it with a fun, diverse group, and any group can set up an even sweeter deal for the event. With 15 or more folks, you get all that for just $45 per person — as well as a 1 p.m. start time instead of 3 p.m. Information on planning for a group can be found at www.patspeak.com/ Groups-Weddings/GroupRates/Diversity-Day.aspx
The idea is to welcome all to the slopes. Said Wall, “This winter fun event commemorates the importance of diversity, nondiscrimination and freedom. We want to make the message loud and clear that the opportunity to come to the slopes of New Hampshire is not decided by a person’s ethnicity, social or economic background.”
You can learn more at www.patspeak.com