Our family is so excited for ski season this year! We had the opportunity to try several adaptive winter sports with my special needs daughter last year, and it opened up a whole new world of options for our family. She loved downhill and cross country skiing, and I loved having my whole family on the mountain together for the first time. It was magic. This season, in addition to a couple of ski vacations, we are looking for a local ski resort that will be a good fit for our family. Luckily we live in the Pacific Northwest, where there are several ski resorts within a two-hour drive, making it possible to go for the day or a weekend.

Outdoors for All, a Seattle-based recreation foundation focused on activities for people with physical, developmental, and sensory disabilities, operates out of three resorts: The Summit at Snoqualmie, Crystal Mountain, and Stevens Pass. The challenge with me is finding accommodations close by, so when my daughter is done with her lesson, which lasts about 3 hours, she has a place that she can hang out while my husband and I take turns snowboarding with my older daughter. So this is my quest, finding a place that works for all of us. It’s going to be a fun season!