WHITEFISH — The Nate Chute Foundation is a non-profit in Flathead County that aims to support, educate and empower communities to promote mental wellness and reduce suicide.
The foundation was founded in 1999 as a way to honor Flathead Valley native Nate Chute, who tragically died by suicide shortly after graduating high school.
The Nate Chute Banked Slalom and Boardercross competition has inspired snowboarders to strap on their boards to support a great cause for 26 years.
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The competition runs on March 22 and March 23 at Whitefish Mountain Resort.
“It’s a great way to bring awareness through a competition like this and through one of the activities that we enjoy in Montana with skiing and snowboarding,” said Nate Chute Foundation Board Member Deven Robinson.
Stumptown Snowboards out of Whitefish sponsors the event which is hosted by Whitefish Mountain Resort.
“And just raise money, and just all the proceeds go back to the Nate Chute Foundation,” said Stumptown Snowboards General Manager Dylan Parr.
The Nate Chute is the second longest-running snowboard banked slalom competition in North America.
“It’s just this big gathering of friends and family from around the world, around the country that just make it back every year,” said Parr.
Each year, Nate Chute competitors raise money for the foundation through their own peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns leading up to the race.
Stumptown Snowboards donates raffle items for the event with proceeds going directly to the Nate Chute Foundation.
Parr said it’s inspiring to see the snowboard community come together each year.
“It’s funny to see that people compete in the amount they raise not just the race as well, you know they are trying to get that top spot of raising the most money which is thousands of dollars from their community which spreads out even further from just this tight-knit snowboard community, so it’s cool to see it all come together.”
Nate Chute Foundation Board Member Deven Robinson said funds raised through the event go directly toward suicide prevention education in local schools and mental health awareness campaigns throughout the Flathead Valley.
“You know Montana being a very rural state that has you know not a lot of access sometimes to mental health services; this just brings awareness to that and what the Nate Chute Foundation is doing and just the community at large,” said Robinson.
Parr said it’s important to shine a spotlight on an issue that effects so many families across Northwest Montana.
“Whether you know somebody or you know somebody that knows somebody that has unfortunately taken their own life, so yeah it’s whatever we can do to kind of help with that, it means a lot.”
Stumptown Snowboards will hold an auction night at Blackstar Brewpub in Whitefish on March 21 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. with proceeds going to the Nate Chute Foundation.
More information on events supporting the Nate Chute Foundation can be found here.
