SOS Park City Alumni Vicente Flores, Jamie Rosales and E Romero gathered upstairs in Legacy Lodge during the SOS Outreach First Tracks event Tuesday morning at Park City Mountain. The three had been invited to speak during the breakfast for supporting attendees, and they were giddy following a serene morning on the mountain.

“I keep thinking of the word miraculous,” said Rosales, now a fourth-year University of Utah nursing student who got involved with SOS in 2015. This was her first time skiing a first tracks event. “I was getting emotional. … To see the sun come out, being alone on the mountains, it’s truly a unique experience.”

This was the second annual SOS Outreach First Tracks, an event designed to educate people in the community about the organization’s work, and to provide a coveted taste of corduroy grooming and untouched powder.

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SOS Outreach, a nonprofit that aims to eliminate barriers to participation in on-mountain snow sports for kids, began in Vail, Colorado, in 1993. They have since expanded to 15 mountain communities across 10 states, and have been operating in Park City since 2015. 

Through introductory programs, mentorship programs and career programs, SOS Outreach opens the doors to an otherwise exclusive industry by eliminating cost and intimidation factors. Now celebrating their 30th anniversary, they serve over 3,000 kids annually. This year, 525 of those kids are here in Park City.

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With a few inches of fresh snowfall the night before, and flurries that morning, a record-breaking turnout of skiers gathered at the base of Payday at 7:30 a.m. to ski before the usual crowds. As the sun rose, light glittered off the snow-covered trees and sent a blue cast over the empty runs. 

For a suggested donation of $100 toward SOS Outreach programming, people were given a day lift ticket to Park City Mountain, free parking and a buffet breakfast, where the organizers talked more about the mission of the organization.

After a few runs, the group met at Legacy Lodge. SOS Executive Director Seth Ehrlich stood on the fireplace and addressed the crowd. 

“It’s not only 30 years of SOS, but that’s 30 years of impact on thousands of kids across the country,” said Ehrlich. In honor of their anniversary, he asked the room to sing “Happy Birthday” to SOS, and he blew out some candles.

The three alumni joined Ehrlich at the fireplace and spoke about their experience with the organization and how it made a difference in their lives.

“Being in Park City, you always have friends talking about skiing …, but my family didn’t have enough money for me to go skiing just by myself,” said Romero. “So SOS definitely opened up that opportunity. I didn’t even know I liked skiing until (SOS).”

Now a first-year student at Salt Lake Community College, Romero credited the organization for her decision to go to college and study civil engineering.

“I didn’t even understand what me being a first-generation was. I didn’t even think I was going to go to college,” said Romero. “But once I actually started going and building my career development with SOS, I actually had a passion of understanding how the world works and then applying myself to it.”

Rosales and Flores, both at the University of Utah, also said their time with SOS Outreach influenced their career path.

“I’m doing mechanical engineering at the U, but it wasn’t until maybe a year and a half ago or two where I was like, ‘I can combine snowboarding and my engineering stuff,'” said Flores. “I want to engineer snowboards and snowboard gear. … If it wasn’t for SOS, I don’t think I would have thought of combining these two worlds together.”

Through SOS, Flores earned an internship with Armada, a ski brand inspired by the skate/surf/snowboarding culture. His time there inspired his desire to engineer his own snowboarding brand, he said.

Rosales had a similar experience when a career day with SOS helped bring her lifelong dream of being a ski patroller closer to reality, leading her to pursue nursing.

For all three, born-and-raised Parkites of color, participation in SOS pushed them to step out of their comfort zones and gain more confidence in themselves. Flores, now a mentor for younger kids in the program, said this confidence is what he hopes to develop in his mentees.

“(My mentor) helped me build courage without even realizing. I’m a very shy, reserved person, but he really helped me come out of my shell and be courageous,” he said. “I just want (my mentees) to not forget to keep believing in themselves. … If you don’t believe in yourself, it’s a little tough to get where you want to.”

This is especially true for the younger generations, he said.

“Nowadays kids, they have a lot of stress going on with their lives. The world’s changed a lot, with social media, and kids have a tough time with mental health. So I just want to be able to get them out there just to have fun,” said Flores.

The three expressed their gratitude for the way SOS helped them individually, and their confidence in the way it is a necessary support for others like them.

“It takes a lot for people to get out of their comfort zones and actually go and try something new,” said Romero. “To have these opportunities where you never could have and always having people reach out for you — as much as that sounds positive, a lot of kids are scared of that. A lot of kids are scared to get help, and it’s especially something SOS helps with.”

For more information about SOS Outreach and their work in Park City, see sosoutreach.org/park-city.