CLEVELAND — A lift ticket for one day on the weekend at ski places like Northeast Ohio’s Boston Mills and Brandywine are around $80.

On top of that, a day of rentals will run you about $40. If you chose to buy your skis or snowboard, that can be hundreds or even thousands of dollars, which has made these popular snow sports out of reach for many people.

Around 20 kids, from the Steve Wise Boys and Girls Club in Akron, are learning to ski or snowboard every Tuesday at Boston Mills Ski Resort. Eight-year-old Zaniyah Crandale said she’s having a blast learning how to ski.

“It’s really fun, like we get to learn new things,” Crandale said.

This program is part of the “Epic for Everyone Youth Access Program” which is put on by Vail Resorts. They serve over 10,000 youth across the country who may have not had access to these snow sports. Madelyn Hill, another girl a part of this program, said she never thought she would get the chance to go skiing.

“I like the opportunity that we can ski as a whole group and that we can take free learning lessons,” Hill said.

A two-hour group ski lesson for kids at Boston Mills is around $80 and a private one-hour lesson is almost double that price. If you want to learn the sport, it comes with a heavy price tag, but luckily these kids are getting to do it for free. Eboni Harris, the site director for the Steve Wise Boys and Girls Club, explained.

“There’s a lot of kids that we have that would not be able to get this opportunity,” Harris said.

Harris explained the impact that this program has on these kids.

“To teach the kids that you know there’s no limit to where or how much you can learn, so we’re here to build some confidence and learn some skill and get new experiences,” Harris said.

The Boys and Girls Club has been a part of this program for four years.