Spring Break 2026!

Last week we wrapped up our spring break programs, ending on a high note with Friday's surprise powder day. The last two weeks were filled with programming for 65 participants of all ages and activities across 4 different states, including Activate day camp, a college trip to Boise, Teton Village ski camp for 5th and 6th graders, and a Moab trip for 7-9th graders. 

We are now in our 5th year of spring break programs, with more offerings for more age groups than ever before. Four years ago we received feedback from participant families that spring break was a missing link in our programming. So we have worked hard over the last few years to strengthen this program, creating opportunities for kids to have fun, stay active, and try new things while they're out of school for two weeks.

Activate Spring Break

 
 
 

In the first week of spring break, 24 elementary schoolers gathered at the clubhouse every morning to embark on new local adventures. The two groups swam, climbed, jumped, and crafted throughout the week with a packed schedule of partner activities.

This camp is essential for our families who want to keep their children active while on school break, and engaged with fun adventures alongside their peers.

Participants spent time splashing in the Astoria hot springs, climbing in the rec center rock gym, and building sculptures and other crafts at the Jackson Hole Children's Museum. This week even included our first spring break foray over the pass to Idaho, where kids helped out on the farm at Aska's Animals, playing with the puppies, pigs, and chickens. Afterwards we headed to Driggs to jump around at Teton Indoor Sports Academy, a gymnastics studio filled with trampolines and foam pits that provided endless entertainment.

 

Engage Moab Trip

A group of 15 middle schoolers headed to Moab, Utah last week for the 4th annual Engage spring break trip. A spring desert trip can be seen as a Jackson tradition, but - as with all our programs - it presents barriers for the families we serve. In addition to simply having a fun adventure outdoors, our goal with this trip is to offer Coombs participants a similar spring break experience as their peers. 

After an urban stopover in Salt Lake City at the Evo Hotel, participants got to experience a new landscape alongside our four Coombs staff, one alumni mentor, and one high school leader. Despite some wind and rain, the group enjoyed mountain biking, canyoneering, hiking, and camping in the desert. 

It was amazing to see participants overcome fears and nerves, from seeing a huge scorpion to biking over rocks and repelling over a blind drop-off. We're proud of the way they supported each other and became a true team over the course of the week. Special thanks to Jenny for leading our mountain bike rides and to the crew at Moab Cliffs and Canyons for our canyoneering adventures!

Empower College Trip to Boise

 

High school students in the Empower program spent the first week of break on a 4 day trip to Boise. These 11 participants visited Boise State University and toured the campus, learning about college life in Idaho's capital city. Our group fell in love with the campus, especially the proximity to downtown. The rest of the trip included hikes around Boise, a day trip to a natural hot spring in Oregon, a go-karting excursion, and a visit to Boise's Basque block, where the group dined on a giant pot of paella. Every night they returned to their Airbnb, cooked a "family dinner" and performed hours and hours of karaoke. Shoutout to BSU and our tour guide Alex for welcoming us onto campus and facilitating such a great college visit! Go Broncs!

Teton Village Ski Camp

 

Every spring when participant applications come in, we are reminded how important these programs are. The demand for out of school programming is increasing every year and, due to limited staff, time, and budget, we're not always able to get everyone off of the waitlist. To support as many kids as we can, this year we added a new spring break program for 5th and 6th graders. The group of 15 kids set out for Teton Village everyday to ski and snowboard at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. For many participants, this was their first time skiing at JHMR. The bigger mountain and more difficult terrain posed a challenge at first, but pretty soon everyone was riding up the Bridger gondola and getting down confidently.

For anyone who got out on the slopes last week, you know how crazy the weather was. Our courageous participants braved the winter storm with the unyielding desire to ski the fresh snow. After such a dry winter, kids were thrilled to shred some pow after Friday's 16 inch storm. We even took a group up the tram and skied down in a blizzard! We couldn't have asked for a better crew for the inaugural spring break ski camp. 

We are incredibly proud of our participants for crushing it in Teton Village and grateful for the volunteers that helped make the week possible. This new program turned out to be a huge success and we can't wait to do it again next year!

 
 
 

Thank you to our partners!

Aska's Animals

  • Astoria Hot Springs Park

  • Boise State University

  • Moab Cliffs and Canyons

  • National Museum of Wildlife Art

  • Jackson Hole Children's Museum

  • Jackson Hole Mountain Resort

  • Teton County Rec Center

  • Teton Indoor Sports Academy

  • Wheel Wranglers

  • Community Foundation of Jackson Hole Youth Philanthropy Grant

  • TCSD #1 Recreation District Grant

  • And all of our volunteers that helped us out this spring!

Summer’s coming up!

This was our biggest spring break yet, and now we are starting to gear up for summer! Our summer staff has been hired, trips have been planned, campsites are reserved, and families are already signing up for programs. As the valley continues to warm we can't help but think about everything this summer will bring. We're dreaming about floating the Snake River on a hot day, summiting peaks in the Tetons, and cruising on our bikes with participants. Summer is one of our favorite times of year and we can't wait to share it with you!

 
 
Molly Watters