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Steamboat Springs — Nelson Carmichael has traveled the world on the freestyle moguls skiing circuit, but a couple of recent overseas trips with the American300 Foundation have opened his eyes wider than ever before.

The nonprofit foundation was started by Steamboat Springs resident Rob Powers to connect world-class athletes with members of the U.S. military. Carmichael, along with fellow former Steamboat Olympian Caroline Lalive and Ski 4 Yellow board members Dave and Aimee Nagel, recently traveled to Japan to visit U.S. troops stationed there.

“It’s a whole other world that I guess I took for granted before and didn’t have an understanding of,” Carmichael said. “Really we talked to them about how ... everybody has been through stuff. We talked about our connections together as athletes. We talked about how we had to be resilient, whether it’s injuries or just sticking through it.”

The Steamboat contingent traveled to the U.S. Army base of Camp Zama about 25 miles southwest of Tokyo. There, the group had two days of meetings with troops as well as time for many one-on-one conversations. On the last day of the tour, the group put together a Ski 4 Yellow day at the Tanbara Ski Park.

“The focus of our nonprofit is Americans with resiliency rich backgrounds to share their stories,” said Powers, who has been organizing these overseas trips on an almost monthly basis. “This one was great. We were able to share a great Steamboat event with the troops and share two of the Yampa Valley’s greatest Olympians.”

The addition of the Ski 4 Yellow day allowed the Nagels to introduce their 4 Yellow Foundation on a broader scale. The soldiers and Steamboat visitors were even privy to a cold powder day at Tanbara.

“I didn’t understand the impact we’d have,” Dave Nagel said. “Just the one-on-one time with soldiers and their families had a big impact. Just to be able to talk and just bring over some America and vice-versa. I didn’t realize the effect this would have over me.”

The ski day at Tanbara raised awareness of March’s Ski 4 Yellow event in Steamboat.

Nagel said registrations for the event are on pace to top last year’s inaugural Ski 4 Yellow, when about 75 people took part in the fundraiser for cancer initiatives.

This year’s Ski 4 Yellow is March 31. The event is limited to the first 200 people to sign up and pledge to raise $500 in the fight against cancer. To register or for more information, visit www.ski4yellow.com.

To reach Luke Graham, call 970-871-4229 or email lgraham@SteamboatToday.com