PORTLAND — Thanks to the generosity of 51 winter sports areas statewide, 1,832 kids and their families got outside and active this winter with the WinterKids Passport. Mt. Abram, Black Mountain, Lost Valley, Shawnee Peak, and Camden Snow Bowl were the top 5 most popular Passport destinations this season with 4,328 tickets redeemed, valued at $54,648 in support of Maine families enjoying outdoor winter sports.

"It's wonderful to see so many Maine kids trying new winter activities," said WinterKids Executive Director Julie Mulkern in a press release. "We are very grateful for the support of our Passport partners who provide tickets to these kids as an incentive to get the whole family outside and active."

The WinterKids Passport program is open to Maine children in fifth-, sixth- and seventh-grades. The Passport is Maine's original outdoor winter activity discount book, providing free and reduced tickets for alpine skiing, cross country skiing, snowboarding, ice skating, snowshoeing, snow tubing, and dog sledding. This winter, two new recreational areas joined the Passport program: Quarry Road Trails in Waterville and The Rink at Thompson's Point in Portland.

"The Passport began solely as a learn-to-ski program, but it's grown to include many other winter activities," said Mulkern. "It's wonderful to have a variety of partners offering an introduction to seven different winter recreations across the state."

Some participating Passport partners also offer "WinterKids Family Days," with deep discounts to entice the whole family to try a new area. This year, WinterKids Family Days were held at Camden Snow Bowl, Mid-Coast Recreation Center, Mt. Abram, Shawnee Peak, Lost Valley, The Rink at Thompson's Point and Smiling Hill Farm.

Information about the 2017-2018 WinterKids Passport will be available this fall on the organization's website. In total, 20,256 kids, families and educators across Maine got outside and active this winter with WinterKids’ family, school and community programs.

For more information about the WinterKids Passport visit: winterkids.org.