Anchorage, Alaska
For seventeen years, Anchorage kids who might never have clipped into skis have spent their winters at Hilltop Ski Area — building confidence, friendships, and health on the mountain. This year we're expanding what a day outside can turn into: new terrain at Alyeska, discovery flights into aviation, and a straight line from a ski day to a future worth reaching for.
How we got here
This program started inside SheJumps, an organization built to get girls outside — vital work, but built for a different shape than this.
Expanding Horizons Alaska exists so that our mission has room to grow and breathe. This program has its own home now, built to carry it through the next 17 years and beyond and make the difference in South Central Alaska that we know we can make.
Why we exist
Expanding Horizons Alaska gives underserved kids in Anchorage direct access to the parts of Alaska they don't usually get handed: the ski hill, the cockpit, a trailhead, a mentor who shows up every week.
We work in partnership with Anchorage's community centers — starting with Mountain View — to reach kids who wouldn't otherwise get a lift ticket, a ride to the mountain, or someone in their corner. No kid is turned away for being unable to pay, and no kid has to navigate it alone.
This isn't just recreation. It's confidence built one run at a time, a hand toward a career they didn't know was reachable, and a body and mind that get to feel strong, healthy, and cared for.
A kid from Mountain View who learned to turn on a Tuesday afternoon is, years from now, teaching the next one how to fall without being afraid of it — with a pilot's license, a trade, or a job on the mountain, because a door got opened early enough to matter.
What it feels like
Night ski lessons at Hilltop Ski Area — where this program has run for seventeen years.
Weekly lessons, real equipment, a lift ticket that isn't a barrier — most kids' first time clipping in happens right here.
No pressure, no fees, no pretending to be older than they are — just cold cheeks, hot cocoa, and a mentor who shows up for them every single week.
An expansion we're building toward: discovery flights and aviation workshops that make flying feel familiar — a place a kid could see themselves — instead of a distant idea.
Also part of our growth plans: transportation support so a ride is never the reason a kid misses out on the mountain, a program, or a shift.
The program, in practice
Currently based at Hilltop Ski Area, with new sessions expanding to Alyeska Resort this year as the program grows.
Weekly ski days throughout the winter season at Hilltop Ski Area, expanding to Alyeska Resort this year. Every participant gets lift access, equipment, and real instruction, paired with a screened volunteer mentor who skis alongside them all season.
The part that doesn't show up on a schedule: kids who move their bodies outside all winter, who have an adult who shows up for them every week, and who get to just be kids in a place built for it.
An expansion area: this year we plan to offer discovery flights with licensed pilots, to make aviation feel like something familiar — a place a kid could see themselves — instead of a distant idea. As the program grows, we hope to add scholarship support for kids who want to go further, toward a pilot's license, a trade, or a job connected to Alaska's recreation economy.
Also part of our growth plans: as we expand, we intend to cover transportation to ski days and programming — and eventually to the part-time jobs those experiences open up — so a ride is never the reason a kid misses out.
Ways in
Ski alongside a kid all season. No coaching background required — we'll match you with a participant and get you set up on the hill.
Become a MentorIf you'd like to make a contribution that makes a difference in a real kid's life, we'll walk you through exactly what your support builds — and help you bring it back to whoever needs to sign off.
Start the ConversationWe work through partner organizations — community centers, Big Brothers Big Sisters, CASA, and similar groups — to identify kids who'd thrive with a season like this. If your organization serves underserved youth in Anchorage, let's set up a referral partnership.
Start a Referral PartnershipGet in touch
Questions, referrals, partnership conversations — reach out any time.
Prefer email? Reach us directly at kokonek@gmail.com
Anchorage, Alaska
Expanding Horizons Alaska, Inc. is a registered Alaska nonprofit corporation. Our application for 501(c)(3) federal tax-exempt status is currently pending with the IRS.