Dedicated athletes passing along support 

WHAT DOES FJELLBARN MEAN?

Fjellbarn is Norwegian for “mountain child.”

ABOUT

The Fjellbarn Fund was created from the hearts of aspiring athletes wanting to live out their athletic dreams and a man who supported those dreams. The purpose of the Fjellbarn Fund is to provide financial assistance for aspiring athletes that truly need it.

OUR SLOGAN

Our slogan "No Agenda" actually implies that we have only one agenda item, which is truly helping only the children and families that need it most in Vail Valley and Eagle County. Although the founders' collective participation in sport includes only a handful of sports the valley offers, decisions on the allocation of funds will be strictly based off of need and not by sport.

Sylvan Ellefson

Sylvan grew up in the Vail Valley playing soccer, running, biking, alpine and nordic skiing. As time progressed, Sylvan narrowed his focus on competing in nordic skiing. Sylvan set a goal of competing in the 2014 Sochi Olympics. While he fell just short of achieving that dream, he could not have gotten to where he did without the support of his community.

Kjell Ellefson

Kjell also grew up in the Vail Valley playing soccer, lacrosse, biking, alpine and telemark skiing. Kjell narrowed his focus to telemark skiing in 2005, winning a Junior National Championship, landing on the podium twice at the Teva Mountain Games Big Air, and traveling the world and appearing in multiple telemark videos. His passion led him to stay in the outdoor industry with positions including SKI and Freeskier Magazines, and K2 Sports.

John Cummins

John wrote Sylvan the first check of his professional career. This move jump-started Sylvan’s career and gave him the ability to live his dream as a professional athlete. John has always been involved in athletics in the Vail Valley, and when he was not competing, he was supporting athletes of all ages through charitable donations and subsidization of sports equipment.