Chill Foundation

Chill Foundation

Jake Burton Carpenter and his wife Donna made a visit to the Chill Day during the Burton US Open.

Snowboarding means something different to all of us, but since 1997, a foundation has used the power of snowboarding to take underserved youth and give them the opportunity to look at life through a different lens and learn some of life’s most important lessons. The Chill Foundation, Burton Snowboards’ non-profit, brought 12 remarkable individuals from all over North America to attend the Burton US Open presented by MINI in Vail, Colorado this past week.

Chill offers a six-week course where they provide their participants with everything they need to learn how to ride while simultaneously teaching weekly life themes. The Chill community encourages its participants to apply these lessons, which include respect, patience, persistence, responsibility, courage, and pride, not only to snowboarding, but also within their everyday lives.

This week, I had the opportunity to get to know a handful of these individuals on more of a personal level. Below are their faces, their thoughts on Chill, and a small reminder that the Chill Foundation is truly extraordinary for what they do.

Chill Foundation

Gianmichele

Toronto, Canada

“Chill is an amazing program that helps us learn how to snowboard. You get to hang out, learn something new, and you start to understand and apply different quality life lessons to everyday situations. My favorite theme that has been taught through the Chill program is responsibility because everyone has responsibilities in life and to be responsible is a very important life skill to have.”

Chill had such a busy schedule during the US Open and Gianmichele was the last individual that I got to speak with. Though our time was short, he was outgoing, excited, and had a likable and witty charm about him. As his Chill mentor hurried him to his next event, Gianmichele turned back to me with a big smile, held up his hand for a high-five, and thanked me for speaking with him. With that positivity, I knew how important it was for him to be in Vail with Chill, enjoying the snow to the fullest.

Chill Foundation

Gabriel

Seattle, Washington

“One of the main people who inspired me to become a part of this program was a person who knew me at the time. Through him and through my counselor, I was introduced to Chill. I was anti-social and I had a lot of depression and they both said, “Well, this could be for you.” So I got out there on the first day and it was rough because it was really hard to do, but you definitely have people that care about you. It’s one of the best things because if you don’t have people who care about you in school, or maybe they don’t show it, this is the environment to come to because everybody loves you, everybody is taking care of you, they’re not going to let you quit, they’re always there for you. Overall, I loved being a part of this.”

Gabriel ends his eligibility with Chill when he turns 18. His next step? To become a leader within the Chill community and help others the way the organization has helped him.