In January, the Nick Would Foundation sponsored the IFSA Steamboat Big Mountain Freeride competition hosted by the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club, which was a huge success. Both the discipline and club were close to Nick’s heart (ever see him land his double backie?) and we were stoked to be a part of it. The event drew more than 200 participants ranging in age from 12 to 20, converging on East Face for high-flying fun and the main stage at the base for the awards ceremony. Helmets off to NWF board member Jack Craig for helping MC and promote the foundation. “For our first time sponsoring the event it was a tremendous success and this is just the beginning,” says Nick’s dad Dan. “It’s the perfect addition to our event line-up.”

Olin Bruton (a good friend of Nick’s) is going on an epic sailing journey with two other friends, Caleb Rauch and Carlin Rauch - read about it here: “We are Team Outtaspace, an amalgamation of similar differences setting out to take a small sportboat far out of her comfort zone while racing from Port Townsend, Washington to Ketchikan, Alaska as part of Race to Alaska. This 750 mile journey through British Columbia's inside passage will test our limits of endurance, ingenuity, and craftsmanship. The rules are simple; no motors onboard, and no outside support of any kind. When the wind dies, the rowing and pedaling begins–a truly self-sufficient journey.

Before even being admitted into the race, the vetting team had to make sure that we were up for the challenge. With rescue potentially days away, they reviewed our vessel, experience, and individual strengths to assure we wouldn’t “end up dead”. That being said, we have our work cut out for us before we reach the starting line. Our vessel S/V Ripley is an Alien 21, the peak of early 80's sportboat design from all the way Down Under. This glorified fiberglass bathtoy will receive updated rigging, much improved safety measures, and a paltry few creature comforts. Holes need to be patched, ball bearings retrieved from under the couch, and spiders evicted.

These unknown elements of the route, without any options for easy escape are what drew us to R2AK. That, and a recent surprise bankruptcy that left 2/3rds of our team unemployed with plenty of time to fill our bodies with fiberglass and heads with delusions. This race, the culture, and characters behind it have transfixed us. We want to add Team Outtaspace to R2AK’s storied history and bring our supporters along for the ride.

Team Outtaspace is also proud to announce that we are partnering with the Nick Would Foundation to celebrate the life of Olin’s dear friend and raise funds to break down barriers to the outdoors through sport, wildland exploration, and artistic development. Nick always sought great adventure and we think he would be stoked to hear about our wild idea, we'll carry him with us the whole way north. Check out the website www.NickWould.com to learn more.”

Here is a link to their GoFundMe! https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-team-outtaspace-race-to-alaska

He’s back at it again, folks! (And we couldn’t be more grateful.) Nick’s friend, Rydoh, is getting back on his trusty steed and fundraising yet again. This time, he plans to bike 400 miles down Highway 395, camp in the Sierras, and stop to climb massive granite spires along the way. Unlike his last bike adventure, Rydoh has recruited a handful of Nick’s friends to join him. They will also be making a short film about their adventure to get the Foundation even more exposure. His goal is to reach $20,000 in donations. Please consider donating to the NWF through this amazing young man with an even bigger heart. Read all about it here.