History

It was my last run of the day (in Whistler) on my last day and I thought, ‘My Mentee should see this,’ then the next thought was, ‘I should start a snowboard mentoring program.’

–Steve Larosiliere, Founder

I was thinking, if he saw these mountains he would lose his mind! You see my mentee was a 17 year old kid from the Bronx who had never left his neighborhood, never been outside the city. In fact we never really left the group home where we would meet weekly. I had been a strong advocate for mentoring for years prior since I worked for Mentoring USA as a Recruitment Manager. The thing is that most mentoring programs do traditional (boring) activities like eat pizza, go to the movies, sit at a table and do homework. There were no programs that took kids out of their comfort zones.  I originally thought it would be great if the mentor and mentee learn the sport together so they can see each other’s strengths weaknesses, and share the joy and thrill of snowboarding together. It wasn’t enough just to learn snowboarding, but there were actual life skills that I learned as a snowboarder that I wanted to pass on to my mentee. Skills such as goal setting, overcoming obstacles, and how to think and dream big for your future. As soon as I came up with the idea, I was possessed and determined to make “Snow Mentor” happen. After coming up with a mini plan, I quit my job, ended a relationship, sold my possessions and moved in with my family. I begged all my friends, family, contacted everyone I knew to help me. I even contacted brands with no success. Luckily, I received a donation of snowboards and bindings that I was able to sell on eBay and Craigslist. Meanwhile I was recruiting kids, mentors, and managed to find a fiscal sponsor. I was also planning a fundraiser during that time. That’s when I thought I needed help and reached out to Sal Masekela.

Co Founder’s Story

“I kept getting calls from my agent and he said, “Steve from the program keeps calling. Do you want to call him back? Or Do you want me to tell him to blow off?’ Steve had been calling my agent once a week for 2 months’”

Mission

Our mission is to promote personal development, academic achievement, and healthy living to under-served youth through action sports culture.

Vision