Alterra Foundation Makes $1M Commitment To U.S. Ski & Snowboard Mental Health Services & Return-To-Performance Program
The Alterra Mountain Company Community Foundation announced a $1 million commitment to U.S. Ski & Snowboard to support athlete mental health services and return-to-performance programming.
Alterra Mountain Company Community Foundation (AMCCF) is a public charity established to provide support to communities in which Alterra operates, including Park City, Utah — home of the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team. This new collaboration enhances a longstanding partnership between U.S. Ski & Snowboard and Alterra Mountain Company and highlights a notable shift towards embracing mental health and encouraging outreach for services among elite athletes.
The Alterra Mountain Company Community Foundation was created to provide financial support to members of the communities in which Alterra operates. Founded in 2020, the Community Foundation started by providing emergency relief and hardship assistance grants to those in need within the communities surrounding Alterra’s North American destinations. Grants are available to individuals who live or work in any of Alterra’s communities, and to local community foundations. Moving forward, the Community Foundation is expanding its programming to include support for mental health initiatives in our mountain communities. This work includes initiatives to reduce the stigma around mental health; providing specialized psychotherapies for first responders; and establishing a platform to convene mental health leaders in mountain communities to foster collaboration toward long-term strategic planning and holistic solutions.
All people face challenges throughout their lives and world-class athletes are no different. As the National Governing Body for ten ski and snowboard sports, U.S. Ski & Snowboard is committed to offering comprehensive mental health services and education to athletes at every level. The Community Foundation’s investment in mental health and performance recovery resources is unprecedented for U.S. Ski & Snowboard and its impact on the more than 240 athletes named to the national team will be significant.
“The Alterra Mountain Company Community Foundation is proud to support the dedicated work that U.S. Ski & Snowboard is providing toward mental health initiatives for their athletes,” said Meegan Moszynski, AMCCF’s Executive Director. “This aspect of the sport is such a crucial component of success before, during and after competition, and we are grateful for the partnership in this space.”
This $1 million commitment will markedly increase the scope of services provided by U.S. Ski & Snowboard, including specialized sports psychology and wellness programming, athlete mental health and performance training, and return-to-sport performance programming for athletes who are recovering from injury.
“As someone who has benefitted from existing mental health resources at U.S. Ski & Snowboard, this commitment from AMCCF makes me incredibly excited,” said Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team athlete Alice Merryweather. “It’s a big step forward for current and future athletes to have access to a more robust set of mental health and wellness resources for all stages of their careers.”
“We are extremely grateful for this Alterra Mountain Company Community Foundation commitment, which was spearheaded by Rusty Gregory, Vice Chairman, partner and former Chief Executive Officer of Alterra Mountain Company and a U.S. Ski & Snowboard Trustee,” said Sophie Goldschmidt, President and CEO of U.S. Ski & Snowboard. “This helps to further bolster our organization’s commitment to making a lasting impact on the lives of our athletes, fostering a culture of well-being, resilience and high performance. We are now able to increase our investment in mental health services and return-to-performance programs, to continue to help our athletes holistically.”
