From the Ski for Light Bulletin - Spring 2026
by Deni Elliott
"I learned how much richer your understanding of the world gets when you step into spaces you have never been before." Makayla Fischer, 2026 Ski for Light student intern, captured the magic of guiding for the first time as she reflected on her experience at Snow Mountain Ranch.
Maya Tarnowski, another intern joining Ski for Light as a first-time guide, described her learning to put her expertise as a ski racer into verbal descriptions of terrain and technique: "Words carry weight; clarity is a form of care."
Alex Winn, social media and publicity committee intern was surprised to find that saying her name as she entered or left a conversation had a profound effect on her. Conversations at Ski for Light felt more meaningful, she said, "because I was being addressed directly, and I was addressing others directly."
Internships provide college students experiences that they could never get in the classroom and that often redirect their future. In joining our community for the February 2026 event, the three interns stepped into spaces they had never been, a community in which accessibility for everyone is the essential element. In return, the interns provided Ski for Light with action plans for future recruitment of college-aged guides and skiers. The interns described ways to reach excellent skiers, who like themselves, would be eager to learn how to guide. They provided elements for a youth-focused campaign to attract members from adaptive sports organizations throughout the country.
"Alex took our social media game to the next level with her creative ideas and careful execution," said Julie Coppens, who was finishing up her term as SFL President and serving on the publicity committee with Marie Huston. "Maya and Makayla were two of our strongest guide trainees," she added.
Maya's skier, Nino Pacini, and Makayla's skier, Louise Evans, both finished first in their respective divisions of the 10K race. Yet such success was secondary for the ski pairs. Makayla saw that her clear, timely verbal cues gave Louise the independence to make her own, confident decisions. Louise said Makayla's eagerness to explore with her made "every minute fun." Maya said Nino calmed her uncertainty and transformed her perspective of guiding a blind skier by reminding her daily they were going outside to "play." She said their success was not measured in miles or speed but in good questions and shared laughter. Nino said he appreciated Maya's caring nature and her ability to incorporate guiding suggestions immediately as they worked together.
Makayla Fischer is an Economics major at University of Utah. She is the second member of Delta Gamma Sorority to intern for Ski for Light, following the success of 2025 intern Lily Edwards at Soldier Hollow. Maya Tarnowski is a Mechanical Engineering major at the University of Denver, who learned practical aspects of adaptive sports equipment design and tactile mapmaking while at Snow Mountain Ranch. Alex Winn is a Media and Journalism Studies major at the University of Denver who developed expertise in incorporating alt text and audio description with her social media photo and video posts. All three look forward to future years at Ski for Light events.