Medals in the Mountains: Celebrating Local Olympians and Youth Sports

U.S. cross-country skiers Ben Ogden and Bill Koch will ski alongside participants at Medals in the Mountains on Sun., Apr. 12, 2026 at Bromley Mountain Resort.

STRATTON, VT, UNITED STATES, March 23, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- U.S. cross-country skiers Ben Ogden and Bill Koch will attend Medals in the Mountains: Celebrating Local Olympians and Youth Sports on Sunday, April 12, 2026 at 3 p.m. at Bromley Mountain Resort. The fundraiser will benefit SMST2, Mountain Towns Recreation (MTR), and the West River Sports Association (WRSA). WRSA has entered its 54th year of operation and collaborates closely with the recently created Mountain Towns Recreation to provide and serve youth sports programs for countless kids from the Greater Southern Vermont region.

At the event, attendees will have the opportunity to ski alongside Ogden and Koch, who will also hold an autograph session. There will be food, drinks, and live music with Brett Hughes and the Prickly Mountain Playboys. More information is available on the event webpage.

Skye Chalmers, SMST2 Board Member, stated, “Medals in the Mountains is a homecoming celebration for the athletes and everyone in our community who supports cross-country skiers throughout all stages of their careers.”

In 2013, Sverre Caldwell and a group of dedicated supporters founded a club to help elite athletes perform consistently at the highest international level. The vision was simple but ambitious: form a team of elite cross-country ski athletes, supported by a committed community, paired with world-class coaching — and in return, the team gives back by inspiring and supporting the next generation through camps, events, and daily engagement in our local ski community. Today, the elite SMST2 team is headquartered at the Stratton Mountain School (SMS), which is recognized as a Certified Gold Club by U.S. Ski & Snowboard.

The SMST2 vision culminated at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics, with the strongest Olympic performance in U.S. cross-country skiing history. Ben Ogden SMS‘18 led the way with two silver medals, one in the men’s classic sprint and another in the men’s team sprint, and Jessie Diggins captured her fourth Olympic medal with a bronze in the women’s 10-kilometer freestyle, solidifying her status as the most decorated U.S. cross-country skier.

Chalmers stated, “these performances were the result of years of disciplined training in the southern Vermont mountains, relentless dedication from SMST2 coaching staff, and unwavering community support.”

Koch is known as the last male member of Team USA to earn a cross-country skiing medal with a silver in the men’s 30-kilometer in 1976. Since then, Koch has instilled a lifetime love of skiing in young skiers by building a culture of having fun on skis and building jumps in his backyard. Ogden spent many days exploring and building Koch’s backyard trails. The pair consider Ogden’s medal wins to be a culmination of years of effort from within their community.

Ogden’s father John Ogden also had an infectious passion for cross-country skiing which included racing, coaching, and timing with the WRSA and The New England Bill Koch Youth Ski League (BKL). BKL is the largest cross-country ski program for young people in the United States consisting of roughly 50 Ski Clubs all across the East. John Ogden served for many years on the boards of directors for both SMST2 team as well as the New England Nordic Ski Association (NENSA), which is the parent organization of BKL.

Chalmers added, “this is the first time Ben and Bill have been seen together in a while. It is a full-circle moment for U.S. cross-country skiing, and incredibly meaningful for the members of our community who support our athletes from their youth up through the SMST2 elite team.”

A spokesperson from Bromley Mountain Resort said, “Bromley Mountain has always been about more than skiing—it’s about community, character, and cheering each other on. Witnessing Ben Ogden bring home two silver medals from the 2026 Winter Olympics—the first for a U.S. man in 50 years —was a moment of pride for all of Vermont. We’re honored to host Medals in the Mountains’ to celebrate that achievement together with our local community.”

Jennifer Luty
Stratton Mountain School
jluty@gosms.org
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