Winter4Kids: Inside New Jersey’s Kids-Only Mountain Playground

According to the United States Census Bureau, 80% of Americans live within designated urban areas. This stark statistic carries real consequences in terms of childhood health and development. As cited in a review published by the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, immersive interactions with natural spaces provide significant positive outcomes in terms of a child’s emotional well-being and cognitive stress reduction. In a study published in JAMA Network Open, researchers at McGill University demonstrated that outdoor immersion acts as a direct intervention for children experiencing anxiety and peer-interaction difficulties, with the most profound behavioral improvements in the most vulnerable children. The data simply confirms what we know instinctively: movement in the open air stabilizes a child’s nervous system. In an era dominated by tall buildings, paved streets, and digital screens, the fundamental problem to solve is access and inclusivity.

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Connecting children to these vital outdoor spaces is the core mission of Winter4Kids. Based in Vernon, New Jersey, the nonprofit aims to give every child an equal opportunity to thrive in the outdoors. Since opening in 2015, the organization has welcomed over 20,000 children, ensuring that youth from urban communities have direct, uncompromised access to skiing and snowboarding. Unlike a typical outing to a public resort with kids—which can mean long lift lines, wrestling with rental equipment sizing errors, intimidating on-slope traffic, or navigating the chaos of a crowded lodge—the team at Winter4Kids has thoughtfully engineered every detail for participants. By managing the logistics seamlessly, from scheduled transit buses to nutritious meals and pre-staged gear lockers, the program removes every ounce of friction. The result is a stress-free environment built to maximize a child’s time on the snow.

Long before the initiative of a private, kids-only mountain took root, the 140-acre property on Breakneck Road operated as the public Hidden Valley Ski Area. Opened in 1975 by Jack and Peg Kurlander, Hidden Valley was famously the home turf where Olympic mogul gold medalist Donna Weinbrecht learned to ski. But after years of struggling to compete with bigger commercial resorts, Hidden Valley closed to the public in 2012, shuttered for two consecutive seasons. The turnaround began during the 2014–15 winter, when the National Winter Sports Education Foundation leased the slopes to run a youth pilot program. By 2015, the nonprofit purchased the property outright for $1.7 million, permanently converting it into the National Winter Activity Center before rebranding the entire youth operation to Winter4Kids in 2019. The initiative welcomed 200 children in its first official winter of operations. Today, it brings over 1,800 kids a year to the slopes.

Meeting the Winter4Kids Team

To really understand how this mountain environment operates, you talk to the leadership team on the ground. A recent conversation with Danielle Vallat, the Director of Donor & Community Engagement, and Jessica Shandor, the Chief Administrative Officer, revealed a glimpse of the daily mechanics. Running a facility at this scale requires industry expertise—a blueprint set by Winter4Kids Chief Executive Officer Judie Rullis. Rullis brings a foundational background in mountain operations from her time with Mountain Creek and Intrawest. Executing that strategic vision on the snow is Chief Operating Officer Mark Dobrowolski, a 35-year veteran of the outdoor and safety industry who previously oversaw operations as the head of Big Snow American Dream, North America’s only indoor ski dome. Together with a team of dedicated staff and volunteers, this group maps out the logistics required to keep the facility thriving.

No Grown-Ups Allowed

Ski trips with kids can carry a lot of unintentional pressure. When adults are hovering, anxious, or over-correcting, it is easy for a child to feel self-conscious. When asked what changes when you remove the adult pressure and let kids just be kids on the slopes, Vallat had a simple answer that spoke volumes: “Everything.”

The mountain becomes a place where kids can learn, fall, and laugh safely, without the intimidation of more experienced skiers and riders buzzing past them. Kids thrive here because they learn from their peers. The program acts as a foundation, preparing them for whether they eventually choose a lifelong commitment to the mountain, community involvement, or simply walk away with a self-confidence boost. The team uses the perfect metaphor to describe this journey: “Kids all get off the highway at a different exit.”

Motherhood and Mountain Agency

The conversation shifted to a shared reality. While discussing what it is like to navigate a traditionally male-dominated space, Vallat noted with a smile, “we’re girl moms, too.” This common ground turned the discussion toward empowering girls in mountain environments.

Rullis detailed the importance of female representation and youth confidence in her article, From Mountain Agency to Self-Agency. Recent data from SnowSports Industries America (SIA) shows that only 35 % of new skiers and snowboarders are women. Winter4Kids addresses this deficit through visible female leadership, highlighted by an annual event in March for International Women’s Day.

Regional Access

A winter resort experience is often out of reach for families navigating financial strain, unstable housing, or food security concerns.  Out of the 1,800 children who participate in Winter4Kids programming every year, 77 % come from low-income backgrounds. Buses bring children in directly from regional urban hubs. Essex County makes up the largest group at 31.3 %, followed by Passaic County (18.8%), Bergen County (10.4%), and NYC/Other markets at 8.3% each.

Outcomes are best articulated by the educators who accompany their students to the mountains. A teacher from the First Avenue Elementary School in Newark, New Jersey shared this snapshot of their visit: “We took a group of inner-city students out into the fresh air in an area unknown and said go for it, have fun. The cell phones went away and all I remember is the laughter and smiles and the memories shared during our visit.”

Prepping for a Day on the Snow

Making sure a child feels safe and cared for requires a staff that pairs empathy with well-thought-out program specifics. Winter4Kids runs a streamlined system that gets students from the bus to the snow in about 18 minutes. The team sets up everything in advance so the kids feel expected and welcome. Groups can choose between three full-day trips or six evening sessions. Long before a bus even arrives, youth sizes are matched. Jackets, pants, helmets, and gear provided by HEAD Winter Sports are laid out in lockers by name. A busload of kids can pull into in the parking lot, gear up, and be on the slopes in minutes.

Funding for 2027

Winter4Kids sustains operations through a mixed funding stream of corporate sponsorships, private donations, scholarship grants, and fundraising events. The program cost is $450 per student, which covers coaching, meals, transportation, clothing, and gear. While many students are covered by First Tracks Scholarship Grants, the team noticed an inefficiency: partner schools were consistently arriving in buses where half the seats or more were left empty. Leaving those seats vacant meant wasting fuel and missing a clear opportunity to introduce more kids to the snow.

To maximize resources, the organization launched the Fill A Bus Campaign, turning empty seats into outdoor access. A private donor is matching all gifts one-to-one, meaning $4,500 funds a half bus (23 kids) and $9,000 funds a full bus (45 kids). The campaign has already raised $43,160 toward its $180,000 goal, aiming to fill 20 buses and put 875 more youth on the slopes. Schools and youth groups can check availability by emailing programs@winter4kids.org.

Connecting with the Wider Industry

Winter4Kids is one of over 300 ski destinations globally available on the Indy Pass in 2026-27. Indy Pass describes the non-profit as “a national treasure in its own right, fiercely dedicated to providing quality ski/ride access for kids and located just outside NYC.” Because the facility is entirely youth-only and closed to the general public, the only way to get on the snow here is to hold an Indy Pass or be enrolled in a specific program. Indy Pass holders must be 18 or under to ski or ride here.

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This Winter4Kids community network is reinforced by local corporate backing and annual events like their 9th Annual Golf Outing at Lake Mohawk Golf Club. To support daily operations, they are currently recruiting for the winter season. Open positions include snowmakers starting at $18.00 per hour, alongside lift operators and mechanics starting at $16.00 per hour with full on-site training. Applications are open at winter4kids.org/careers.

Looking Ahead

Learning about an initiative like Winter4Kids leaves a lasting thought about the ski industry. There are hundreds of once-thriving, now-closed ski hills across North America. Bringing the Winter4Kids model to those empty slopes could completely revitalize local communities while getting the next generation outside. Winter4Kids and its sponsorship partners have proven for over a decade that a kids-first formula is a winning one.