When Andrew Weibrecht, the two-time Olympic ski medalist and member of the Make-A-Wish Northeast New York Board of Trustees, launched Ski For Wishes in 2019 at Whiteface Mountain, he envisioned an annual end-of-season fundraiser for the chapter that involved him skiing with donors.
The first year’s event proved to be a promising foundation. But the 2020 Ski For Wishes had to be canceled at the last moment in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic. The same went for the slated third annual installment this March.
But Weibrecht, a three-time Olympian, was not going to let a second season of snow go by without trying to raise funds skiing. So he started heading up to an Adirondack peak.
Actually, he started heading up to all 46 of them. Solo.
“This felt like a thing to do: Ski all 46 high peaks,” Weibrecht said. “With Covid, we had to cancel Ski For Wishes the past two years. To keep that tradition alive, I decided to embark on my own Ski For Wishes.”
Sometimes the skiing is good, sometimes sketchy along the narrow trails made for hiking. And that one time his binding broke and he had to go miles downhill on one ski? That kind of slalom skiing is not fun.
Two long-time partners of Weibrecht, Head and Stio, as well as his family’s Mirror Lake Inn are supporting the efforts. Weibrecht won his Olympic silver medal on Head skis, and he has been an ambassador for Stio, an authentic outdoor brand based in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, the past two years. He is equipped with both brands as he tackles his Make-A-Wish mission.
Weibrecht is collecting donations for Make-A-Wish Northeast New York through a chapter web page. He hopes to make a significant dent in peak quest by the end of the season, and pick up the fundraiser in the 2021-22 winter season.
After that, Ski For Wishes is slated to return to Whiteface in March 2022. Weibrecht is looking forward to skiing with some companions.
