The following was printed in the New Jersey Herald on January 20, 2016. For the article on NJHerald.com, click here.
January 20, 2016
By Eric Obernauer
VERNON — A new educational ski center, which includes more than $12 million in upgrades and renovations, has opened at the 140-acre former site of the Hidden Valley Ski Resort off Breakneck Road.
The nonprofit venture, which opened last weekend as the National Winter Activity Center, is targeted to improving the lives, health and fitness of youth through participation in winter sports activities.
Schone Malliet, CEO of the National Winter Sports Education Foundation, which coordinated funding and planning for the venture, said he envisions the center transforming the lives of children within a 70- to 100-mile radius who might not otherwise have access to winter sports like skiing and snowboarding.
“We’re aiming to cast a very wide net,” Malliet said. “It’s for all youth. We don’t want money, location or access to be a limiting factor to (their ability to enjoy) winter activities.”
Among the upgrades to the site, he said, are a new, fully automated snow-making infrastructure. The lodge has also been renovated, and two brand-new ski lifts have been installed.
Additional funding for these upgrades was provided by other community-oriented nonprofits including the Boston Foundation and Community Foundation of New Jersey, as well as by individual contributors and family foundations.
To read the full article on NJHerald.com, click here.