Who We Are
At Kids On Top (KOT)…
We provide fun and exciting outdoor adventures for kids ages 2-18 who are fighting serious childhood diseases. Working in collaboration with doctors at The University of Vermont Medical Center, we offer every event, without cost, to our KOT families.
We pride ourselves in creating an awesome and supportive environment for our KOT Kids, their siblings, and their parents, where they can enjoy the benefits of alpine skiing, snowboarding, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, rock climbing, ropes courses, hiking, mountain biking, swimming, fishing, stocking streams, camping, and planting trees - all with our remarkable coaches, high school mentors, and medical volunteers.
Our coaches are accomplished alpinists, environmentalists, and university students. Together, alongside medical personnel, we create a lighthearted and welcoming environment every day at Kids On Top.
“My son got so much out of the Kids On Top program, not only the skiing, but also the exposure he had to Hilary and her staff of wonderful young, kind, generous, motivated, and talented coaches. ”
Hilary Engisch Klein
Founder and CEO of Kids On Top, Hilary was a trailblazer in the world of mogul skiing. As the World Cup’s first dominant female mogul skier, Engisch-Klein won four season-long titles and helped set the sport on course for Olympic glory.
She was inducted into the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame and the Vermont Sports Hall of Fame in 2018. Growing up in a ski family of six children, to a doctor-father and artist-mother, Hilary was “a little wild thing” who tagged along behind the older kids on the slopes of Smuggler’s Notch in Vermont, shadowing her older siblings and the Cochran kids, Barbara Ann, Marilyn, Bobby, and Lindy.
At the age of 17, Hilary started competing on the World Cup Freestyle Tour. During the early 1980s, Hilary was the preeminent female mogul skier in the world, winning 21 World Cup events and capturing four overall World Cup titles in 1980, 1981, 1982, and 1984. Her domination was so complete that Skiing magazine called her “the greatest female mogul skier alive, and a woman who can routinely do what most of us only dream about.”
After retiring from competitive skiing, the honors kept rolling in. In 1990, Hilary was inducted into the University of Vermont Athletic Hall of Fame for both her skiing and soccer accomplishments. In 1999, Sports Illustrated ranked her No. 16 in its list of the best 50 Vermont athletes of the 20th century. She was inducted into the Mount Mansfield Ski Club Hall of Fame in 2009, the Vermont Ski Museum Hall of Fame in 2010, the Vermont Sports Hall of Fame and the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame in 2018. Hilary has served on the USSA board of directors and as a director of the Vermont Ski Training Foundation. Her involvement with the Special Olympics, the March of Dimes and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation proved to simply be a precursor to her lifelong dedication to making skiing and the outdoors accessible for people of all ages and abilities.
A breast cancer survivor, Hilary started Kids On Top to provide a safe outdoor adventure program for children battling cancer and other diseases. Kids On Top nurtures the Kids and their families to explore the outdoors, to learn new skills, to develop a strong connection to the environment, and to experience the healing power of being in the mountains.
Coach Highlights
Ula Klein
Coach and Program Coordinator
Ula is a graduate of the University of Vermont. A Vermont local, and Hilary’s eldest daughter, Ula grew up skiing and snowboarding at Mount Mansfield. With Kids On Top from the beginning, Ula plays a crucial role in marketing, coordinating our programs, and welcoming our families.
Teagan Klein
Ski Coach
Teagan is a graduate of the University of Miami. Born in Vermont, and Hilary’s second daughter, Teagan grew up on the slopes of Mount Mansfield and has an innate ability to find the joy in everything. Since day one, Teagan has played a crucial role in coordinating Kids On Top programs.
Olivia Arms
Rock Climbing and Snowboard Coach
Olivia is a graduate of the University of Vermont where she received her Bachelors in Environmental Studies. An avid rock climber and outdoorsman, Olivia has worked as a children’s climbing instructor for Petra Cliffs and has trained as an EMT with experience in Wilderness First Aid. She currently resides in San Diego, CA where she is studying to become an RN (registered nurse).