When Tye was seven years old, he moved from the warm, sunny city of Sacramento to the mountains of South Lake Tahoe. This shift was a major adjustment and his mother looked for ways to make it easier on him and his siblings. Through his elementary school, she heard of SOS Outreach, a nonprofit that was providing mentorship through skiing/snowboarding, and thought it was the perfect fit.
Tye’s mother, Tammy, shared “I always wanted to ski or snowboard growing up, but my dad always thought it was too dangerous. I didn’t want my kids to miss out, so we signed up right away. After the first year of learning to ride, I was more sold on the core values they were teaching on the mountain that would in turn help to keep my kids engaged and provide a healthy outlet.”
When reflecting back on those early days, Tye laughs “I was a whiny kid and it didn’t help that I didn’t have any friends.” When he met his mentor Soloman, or “Sol” as he calls him, things got better. Sol went out of his way to ensure Tye felt comfortable surrounded by his new peers and in this completely new environment.
“My first impression of Sol was that he was very tall,” Tye shares. “But pretty quickly, I realized he was a gentle giant. He always had a lot of energy that he brought to our ride days to make them more enjoyable and to keep us engaged.” One memory that stood out was the early days when they were all struggling to learn and kept falling on the easier runs. At one point when they were all down, Sol started a spontaneous snowball fight “It was awesome,” he recalls. “Just a simple, fun moment to get us distracted and laughing.”
Sol moved to South Lake Tahoe 15 years ago for the winter season and never left. He was working as a ski instructor and was recruited to get involved with SOS by friends who were mentors. “It was different working with the kids at SOS Outreach than the kids I had worked with as a ski instructor,” shared Sol. “At SOS, we were working with local kids, building relationships, and supporting them throughout the season. It made the work so much more meaningful.”
Tye credits Sol as being a big part of the reason he stuck with SOS throughout the years.
“He’s been more than just a mentor to me, he’s been someone I can lean on outside of SOS. He even brought me a wheelchair when I broke my leg.”
Now 17 and a senior in high school, Tye has come full circle. Not only is he still involved with SOS, he is a junior mentor alongside Sol. “It’s wild to have watched Tye grow all these years, he’s matured a lot and his shredding ability has also gone up. I am really looking forward to spending more time together for his last season of SOS,” said Sol.
Tammy shared that Tye has always been shy, but because of SOS and his relationship with Sol, has really come a long way in meeting new people. “Sol and Tye had an awesome bond from the time they met. Sol met Tye where he was at like Tye tries to do with the younger kids he is mentoring now. I truly believe that came from Sol. When Tye was injured, Sol was the first person to come and see Tye after getting out of the hospital. They are so excited to ride again together this season.”
After his final year of SOS, Tye plans to attend welding school in Texas to continue his growth journey.
