Salt Lake City, UT – SheJumps, a 501c3 nonprofit based in Salt Lake City, is in the midst of its third season of (S)heJumps Into the Canyon: Empowering SLC Teens in the Wasatch (SJIC). SJIC brings inner city teens from Salt Lake into the mountains to experience skiing with help from passionate professional and recreational female athletes for four sessions in March, plus one in April. The goal of SJIC is to introduce these teens to an otherwise out-of-reach, affluent sport and to share the stories of local skiers who have chosen to make skiing an everyday part of their lives.n“(S)heJumps into the Canyon is an opportunity expand what these teens know — just an untouchable mountain backdrop — into a wonderful playland where they can find the joy that we mountain lovers experience daily,” says Lynsey Dyer, professional big-mountain skier and co-founder of SheJumps.

Besides “dryland” training that was led by SheJumps coaches in February to encourage fitness, injury prevention, and dedication to the program, four on-snow sessions were held at Alta Ski Area this month where local and professional skiers coached the teens how to ski. In the SheJumps’ spirit of giving back, this year the Boys & Girls Club teens decided to “pay it forward” and organized and participated in a Ski-a-Thon at Alta last weekend, skiing as many laps as possible in a day. The top fundraising teens were rewarded with a bonus fifth day of skiing at Solitude Mountain Resort this Saturday, marking the first year the SJIC program has expanded to a different resort.

(S)heJumps into the Canyon is sponsored by Alta Ski Area, a North Face Explore Grant, the Billy Poole Memorial Foundation, Solitude Mountain Resort, The Deep Powder House, Alta Ski Shop, and The Alta Peruvian Lodge.