Colorado Mountain College Alpine Ski Team Launches Fundraiser To Survive
Colorado Mountain College’s Alpine ski team — one of the few collegiate programs rooted in the heart of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains — may be facing its final season unless a $300,000 fundraising goal is met by Nov. 30.
College leaders say ongoing financial pressures and reduced state and federal support have forced tough choices across the institution. Without sustainable funding, the team will be discontinued.
For CMC Ski Team member Everett Dooley, the possible loss feels personal.
“I was truly in shock,” he said when he learned that the team might disband. “I felt like [the ski team] saved a lot of people from falling out of the sport. It’s been a stepping stone for me and so many of my teammates.”
Originally from Avon, Colorado, Dooley skied with Ski & Snowboard Club Vail and the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club before joining the team. He’s earned top finishes in national and international FIS races and sees CMC as his launchpad.
‘Looking for solutions’
Founded more than 40 years ago, CMC’s team trains at Howelsen Hill and Steamboat Resort — both just minutes from the college’s Steamboat Springs campus. The college district spans 17 lift-served ski areas across the Colorado Rockies, making it a natural home for alpine racing. The team has always operated fully from CMC resources, unlike many collegiate ski racing programs, without a donor base or endowment.
CMC President Matt Gianneschi said the decision around discontinuing the team stems from the college being unable to support many worthwhile programs in today’s climate.
“The team’s success lies in the hundreds of lives it has transformed,” said Gianneschi. “As a former student-athlete, I understand the profound lessons sports offer. But we’re having to make hard decisions across the college due to severe funding cuts coming from federal and state budget changes. We are looking for solutions wherever we can find them. It is our sincere hope that CMC’s team can shield itself from these cuts through philanthropic support and I thank donors joining us in this effort to ‘Save the Skigles.’”
CMC’s situation isn’t unique. Collegiate ski programs across the country have long relied on donor support. The University of Nevada, Reno reinstated its team in 2024-25 thanks to a $400,000 endowment. The University of Alaska Anchorage was saved by a community campaign. But other teams — at the University of Wyoming, Western Colorado University and the University of New Mexico — were permanently cut.
“It’s a tragedy to keep losing these teams,” said Scott Tanner, head coach of CMC’s team. “With fewer college programs, the sport loses kids at younger ages.”
Matching $150,000 pledge sparks momentum
To avoid that fate, CMC and its supporters have launched a campaign to raise $1.5 million by June 2027. The first benchmark — $300,000 by Nov. 30 — is trending strong with a $150,000, $1-for-$1 matching pledge from a regional family who wishes to be anonymous at this time. The campaign seeks one-time gifts and multi-year pledges. All gifts are tax-deductible through the CMC Foundation.
The goal is to create a fund that will offer $150,000 annually for at least 10 more years. In the meantime, current team parents and student-athletes have elected to support a model that will require $10,000 annually per athlete to be on the team, beginning with the 2026-27 school year. Even with this participation fee, CMC’s low-cost tuition will continue to make this program one of the most affordable in the collegiate ski-racing community.
Brian Olson, a Steamboat real estate developer and CMC Ski Team alum, is among those rallying support.
“Decades ago, CU and DU were out of my league financially and athletically,” he said. “CMC was a big opportunity for me to continue my goals and dreams.”
Olson later transferred to the University of Nevada, Reno, finished his business degree and returned to Steamboat. “Without the ski team, I probably never would’ve come here,” he said. “I take it all the way back to CMC ski racing.”
More than a team
For Dooley, who’s studying action sports at CMC, the team is about more than ski racing.
“This degree and the team helped me bring what I’ve lived and breathed into the classroom,” he said. “I’ve traveled, marketed myself for sponsors, spoken to brand reps — it’s all part of understanding the ski industry.”
He also credits the team with building his mental strength gained through mindfulness and visualization encouraged by his mother, Christine. “My best career skiing has been at CMC, and that was no coincidence. The support helped me believe in myself — and that belief carries into the rest of life.”
Olson sees the same resilience in today’s student-athletes. “It’s not just about skiing. I learned life skills — setting goals, staying disciplined — and that shows up in the real world.”
Supporters say the ski team connects CMC to Colorado’s snow sports economy. For students like Dooley, whose parents worked multiple jobs to support his ski dreams, CMC was a rare lifeline.
“This team makes it possible for people like me to keep racing,” Dooley said. “Without it, a lot of ski careers would be over before they even started.”
A second chance
Former CMC student-athlete Nicola Rountree-Williams is among the team’s most vocal advocates. Now a standout skier and 4.0 student at the University of Denver, she credits CMC with helping her rebuild her academic and athletic path.
“I came to CMC after I had just lost my spot on the U.S. Ski Team. I didn’t have a high school diploma, and felt like ski racing had failed me,” she said. “CMC was one of the only places that accepted me — and it changed everything.”
With small class sizes, supportive faculty and top-tier training, she found her footing.
“I was told I didn’t need to perform right away — just focus on getting back on my feet. CMC’s team is the only consistently affordable way to race in college. And it’s a safe place for people like me — diagnosed with autism and ADHD — who needed time to bloom.”
After achieving her first college podium this past season, she added, “None of this would be possible without CMC.”
As the November deadline nears, Dooley hopes the ski community understands what’s at stake.
“If we lose the CMC Ski Team,” he said, “we’re losing a way for kids to stay in the sport, to stay in school and to grow — as racers and as people.”
To learn more and make a pledge, contact Olivia Goldsworthy at the CMC Foundation, 970-870-4407 or visit CMC Ski Team Fund.
