News

In a recent phone call with the Volcom people, we learned that along with adding Nyle’s picture to the snowboarding collage on each Olympic team member’s uniform, Volcom will make a donation to the foundation AND they will donate a portion of sales for each pair of Volcom Nyle gloves and mitts. Sold out in most places for now, we hear they will be an item coming out for the 2021-2022 season. Volcom’s generosity and support fills our hearts until the love is spilling out of the corner of our eyes. Volcom is keeping the spirit of Nyle alive!  

Inspired by Volcom’s gifts, Mandala Homes, the company belonging to Nyle’s dad, Lars and his wife Rachel, stepped up and offered to match the donation. The Chose Family, Nyle’s Uncles and Aunt, also joined the party with a donation. The funds will continue to go to sponsoring young people who share Nyle’s love of the backcountry and want to build their skills to work and play there. 

It was 4 years ago that Nyle lived the best snow week of his life. The Volcom outerwear in-house design crew were making their annual trip to Baldface to test product and talk about the new gear for the next year. They flew into BF with Moore, Iguchi, Lynn, Longo, Bergrem.  One of Nyle’s favorite people, Kevin Sansalone was there too.

Nyle was given some lead guide duties, they had ”insane blower powder” days, and the riders claimed it to be “as good as snowboarding ever gets”. The stoke was captured in this video:

The shot of Nyle in front of the snowcat with the wings on the Volcom logo has always been a favorite, taken just days before he died. And it is going to the Olympics. Volcom is the official apparel partner of the US Snowboard Team and will outfit both the men and women when they compete in the 2022 Beijing Olympic Winter Games. On each uniform will be a collage of what makes snowboarding awesome and they want to include the shot of Nyle with the wings. We are very excited with the news. Jeff Pensiero, captured the feeling for us all in this text:  “Its like Nyle will be in the Olympics with every US rider! Nyle. In the Olympics. On the uniforms. WTF? Stoked.”

In Nyle’s memory, at the 4^th anniversary of his passing, we are launching a Donate Now button. All donations are accepted with deep gratitude. The funds will continue to go to sponsoring young people who share his love of the backcountry and want to build their skills to work and play there. 

We’ve all had our lives put on hold in one way or another due to Covid-19, which included our selection committee not being able to meet in person to review the 2019/2020 applications for funding.

It was our intention to hold our 3rd Annual Fundraiser at The Spirit Bar in Nelson back in April, where we would have gathered to celebrate another great season, remembered Nyle and publicly announced this year’s successful funding recipients.  

But alas, we weren’t able to do that.  

However, we were able to review the applications.  Last year we reached out to 11 industry professionals and asked them to recommend members of their staff who might be worthy candidates for funding.  We received 6 recommendations for applicants who met the criteria and unanimously decided to fund them all.

We are happy to announce the 2019/2020 NMCBDF   recipients, assisting them with their backcountry skill development training costs!  

Congratulations to: 

• Gabe Carpendale – Selkirk
• Mike Wigley – Keefer Lake
• Scott Beauchamp – Baldface
• Tristan Kodors – Kingfisher
• Fannie Dufour – Monashee
• Tara Morris – Carlyle & Valhalla

We know it’s been a difficult year for everyone, and that includes our intrepid back country colleagues, guides, and industry professionals.  Even the most optimistic outdoor recreational enthusiasts have had to reinvent themselves this year.  Some backcountry businesses are preparing to operate at reduced capacity, some are postponing their operations until early in the New Year, while others are deferring all operations until the 2021/2022 season!  

We wish everyone the best as they navigate this new terrain.

We’ll be meeting early in the New Year, probably via Zoom, and will let you know as soon as we have a date for our 2021 fundraiser! 

In the meantime, we’re staying home, staying positive and doing our best to stay healthy.

All the best from the NMCBDF Board of Directors:

• Lynn van Deursen
• Natalia Skiba
• Jeff Reyden
• Joaquin Klein
• Hayden Markin
• and our esteemed Advisory Committee Members
• Lars Chose
• Susan Mulkey

Happy Leap Year!

Just wanted to update everyone on this year’s funding opportunity through the foundation. In December 2019 we sent out a call for recommendations to industry professionals asking them to nominate worthy candidates. We then sent those folks an application for funding and wished them the best of luck! We’re thrilled to get the opportunity to review these applications as they come in and are impressed with the calibre of people working hard to excel in their professional development. We will be meeting with our selection committee in early March to make our final decisions as to who will receive funding this year. And we’ll be announcing this year’s recipients at our 3rd Annual NMCBDF Fundraiser which is taking place on Thursday April 23rd at The Spirit Bar in Nelson! Hope to see you all there to celebrate and to raise funds for next year! #senditfornyle

There were some very special moments during this year’s annual fundraiser. Not only were we able to sponsor five individuals to further their backcountry skill development, but we shared some very powerful moments reflecting on who Nyle was, and why we’re doing this in the first place. One of those beautiful moments was when our President, Joaquin Klein, read a poem about Nyle aloud to the crowd.

 

Little did Nyle Mulkey Chose’s parents Susan Mulkey (Kaslo) and Lars Chose (Nelson) know how deeply their son had touched his community until after he died tragically in an automobile accident in March of 2017.  He was 30, and had been passionately pursuing his dreams, working in forestry during the summer months and as a backcountry snowboarding guide in the winter.  He had a contagious smile and a fire in his belly, was quick to laugh and the first to lend a hand. 

Within weeks of Nyle’s death, people made a point of letting his parents know what a positive difference he had made in their lives and how much they wanted to keep his spirit alive.  So, last year, in honour of Nyle, the Nyle Mulkey Chose Bluebird Day Foundation (NMCBDF), a not for profit society, was formed to sponsor young people in the West Kootenay to develop their skills in the backcountry.  

There was an overwhelming response to the first fundraiser, and the society raised enough money to start the process of obtaining charitable status, as well as being able to sponsor five individuals who are now furthering their education in avalanche safety and backcountry guiding certification. 

In April 2019, the NMCBDF held it’s 2nd annual fundraiser, and the board of directors along with Nyle’s parents were again humbled by the outpouring of love and support.  Many thanks go out to the numerous organizations and individuals who donated items for the silent auction and to the Baldface staff and Nyle’s friends and coworkers for showing up and bidding up!  

As the foundation moves forward, it will continue to honour Nyle’s memory each year by giving back to the community and enabling young people to advance their backcountry skill development and training.