3,591 Young People. Thousands of Mentors. One Incredible Winter: The Impact of SOS Outreach in 2025–2026
What happens when a young person is paired with a caring adult mentor and given the opportunity to experience the outdoors?
At SOS Outreach, we see the answer every winter.
The 2025–2026 season was our largest and most impactful yet, with thousands of young people building confidence, leadership skills, and a sense of belonging through mentorship, skiing, snowboarding, community service, and social-emotional learning.
As we look ahead to another season, we’re reflecting on what our community of mentors, volunteers, donors, mountain partners, and families made possible together.
By the Numbers: A Record Year of Impact
This winter, SOS Outreach achieved milestones that reflect both growing demand and the incredible commitment of our community.
During the 2025–2026 season, SOS Outreach:
Served 3,591 youth across 10 states, 15 communities, and 23 mountain resorts
Exceeded our participation goal by 107%
Increased total youth and family participation by 6%
Grew our multi-year Mentor Program by 13%
Engaged 698 volunteer mentors, a 5% increase from the previous season
Achieved 69% mentor retention, meaning more caring adults returned to support youth year after year
Awarded 1,047 program scholarships
Re-engaged 135 alumni as mentors, volunteers, staff members, and participants
Every one of these numbers represents a young person discovering what’s possible when they have access to opportunity and someone who believes in them.
Mentorship Creates Belonging
At SOS Outreach, skiing and snowboarding are only the beginning.
Our programs are intentionally designed to help young people build positive relationships, develop leadership skills, strengthen emotional resilience, and feel connected to their communities.
This year’s results speak for themselves.
Among youth participating in the SOS Mentor Program:
96% report having adults in their lives who care about and support them.
96% feel included by their peers.
95% feel connected to others through community programs.
94% say they have places where they belong in their community.
94% say adults listen to and value their opinions.
Belonging has become one of the most important indicators of long-term well-being for young people. These outcomes demonstrate the lasting impact that trusted adult mentors can have on a child’s life.
Building Life Skills That Last Beyond the Mountain
Outdoor experiences create the perfect environment for learning resilience.
Every season, youth are challenged to step outside their comfort zones, overcome setbacks, work as a team, and accomplish goals they once thought were impossible.
Those experiences translate into skills they carry into school, work, and everyday life.
This year:
94% of youth reported using healthy coping strategies when feeling down.
93% said they make plans for achieving their goals.
93% reported looking at challenges from different perspectives.
90% said they actively work to regulate their emotions during difficult moments.
These social-emotional learning skills are essential for helping young people navigate an increasingly complex world.
Developing the Next Generation of Leaders
Leadership isn’t taught through lectures.
It’s developed through experience.
SOS Outreach combines mentorship with community service, leadership development, and opportunities for youth to practice empathy, responsibility, and courage.
Participants reported:
94% try to be kind and care about others’ feelings.
92% actively work to understand other people’s perspectives.
90% try to overcome fear when facing difficult challenges.
89% regularly volunteer to help others.
When young people learn to serve their communities, they become leaders who strengthen those communities for years to come.
Mentors Continue to Change Lives
Behind every participant is a caring adult who chooses to show up consistently.
This season, 698 volunteer mentors invested their time, energy, and encouragement into the lives of young people across the country.
Mentors overwhelmingly reported positive experiences:
98% said volunteering with SOS Outreach was valuable.
99% want to return next season.
98% would recommend volunteering to others.
94% said the program exceeded or met their expectations.
Even more importantly, mentors observed meaningful growth among participants throughout the season.
92% saw improvements in youth relationships.
92% saw stronger emotional regulation.
90% observed better decision-making.
98% saw increased social responsibility.
Mentorship changes young people’s lives—but mentors often tell us the experience changes theirs, too.
Outdoor Access Shouldn’t Depend on Income
For many families, skiing and snowboarding remain financially out of reach.
That’s why scholarships are such an important part of our mission.
This season, SOS Outreach awarded:
1,047 scholarships
More than $71,000 in scholarship assistance
These scholarships ensure that cost never becomes the reason a young person misses out on mentorship, community, and transformative outdoor experiences.
Expanding Opportunities for Families
This year also marked continued growth in family programming.
Across several communities, SOS welcomed 118 parents and guardians onto the mountain through family ski and snowboard days.
For many participants, it was their first time ever skiing or snowboarding.
Among participating parents:
65% had never been on skis or a snowboard before.
The most common barriers were cost and lack of opportunity.
94% said they want to ski or snowboard again.
When families experience the outdoors together, the impact extends far beyond a single season.
None of This Happens Without Community
The success of SOS Outreach isn’t measured only by statistics.
It’s measured by thousands of individual moments:
A mentor celebrating a participant’s first run.
A teenager realizing they belong.
A parent experiencing the mountains for the very first time.
An alum returning years later to mentor the next generation.
Every one of these stories begins with a community that believes every young person deserves access to opportunity.
Looking Ahead
As we prepare for another winter season, we’re inspired by what our community accomplished together.
But we also know there’s more work to do.
More young people are waiting for mentors.
More families are hoping for access to the outdoors.
More communities need leaders.
This fall, supporters will once again have opportunities to help create that future through campaigns like Live PC Give PC, Colorado Gives Day, Give Back Tahoe, and our year-end giving campaign.
Together, we can ensure even more young people discover confidence, belonging, and leadership through the power of mentorship and the outdoors.
Thank you to every mentor, volunteer, donor, family, mountain partner, and supporter who made this remarkable season possible. We can’t wait to see what’s next.