River Radamus announces ARCO Foundation launch
Edwards skier seeks to support U16 skiers through grants, mentorship and close-to-home on-snow camps

Giovanni Pizzato/AP photo
The top-ranked U.S. men’s giant slalom skier has launched a foundation seeking to support driven U16 skiers who might get priced out of the sport while climbing the ranks of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard pipeline. River Radamus announced his initiative, the ARCO Foundation — “an organization that I’ve created that hopefully will help level the playing field in American skiing” — on Instagram Wednesday.
“This sport has given me everything, but none of it would have been possible with a little bit of luck and a lot of help from many people within our community,” he stated. “Now I feel it’s my responsibility to carry the torch and hopefully widen the pathway for the next generation of great American skiers.”
The ARCO Foundation will initially support U16 athletes with grants, mentorships and other resources, but the 25-year-old said he has more in store for the future.
“I envision a development system where the only determining factors are drive and talent, not means and background.”
Growing up in the sport, Radamus became disheartened seeing athletes quit on account of financial constraints right at the moment of peak progression. He told Ski Racing Media last week that the U16 age is an “interesting entry point for ARCO” because it is around that time where the demands of the sport substantially rise.

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“To compete with your peers, athletes must treat the sport as a year-round endeavor. That means more summer training, specialization, professionalized and expensive programs, and potentially more out-of-region or international racing,” he stated.
“Until you become one of the best in the world, the sport only gets more expensive the better you become. This is the inflection point where we need to lean in and support the athletes who need it most, allowing them to continue to develop and hopefully come out on the other side, either on the national team or in a college program.”
Currently, the ARCO grant is housed under Tommy Biesemeyer and Lynn Boynton’s World Cup Dreams/T2 banner, but Radamus said the fundraising and selection of grant recipients “lie on my shoulders,” and that other future ventures will be “under the broader ARCO Foundation banner.” For now, that includes mentorship relationships, club outreach initiatives and on-snow opportunities.
According to Ski Racing, there is good reason to believe that ARCO will implement its first low or no-cost camp at Copper Mountain next spring. Radamus thinks bringing athletes from Colorado who “meet the trifecta of talented, driven and in need of support” together could be one of the most beneficial aspects of his initiative.
“Training will include coaching and mentorship by athletes and coaches who want to give back,” he told Ski Racing. “ARCO seeks to maximize the available domestic resources near their homes so the need to go to a camp in Chile or New Zealand is reduced.”
Radamus also recognized that some clubs are “exposing a broader socioeconomic group to our sport” and setting an example by providing pathways forward.
“Supporting and highlighting these stories will show that there are alternate routes to the expensive and over-professionalized programs some see as the only option to progress,” he stated.
Radamus said on Instagram that he is accepting grant applications through the end of the month. To be eligible, an athlete must be an Alpine athlete born in 2008-2009. He invited those interested in helping him realize his vision to reach out directly.
“Let’s start a dialogue and find solutions together,” he concluded.
“For the sake of our athletes and the health of the sport we love so much, please lean in with me so that we can give the next generation of American ski racers the best possible chance to succeed.”