Ski Resorts with Adaptive Skiing Programs

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• We’ve been to Breckenridge with our daughter for the past 4 years. BOEC is a wonderful group of people. We’ve had a great experience with them. Our daughter started in a sit ski and was actually skiing on her own this year! It was the most amazing mom/dad moment!

  • I love hearing this! Thanks for sharing!

• Mount Snow in West Dover, Vermont, has a wonderful year-round adaptive program that provides specialized and affordable ski and snowboard instruction in the winter and mountain biking and camp programs in the summer. Working with the amazing volunteers at MS Adaptive has been truly life-changing for my son. Mount Snow Adaptive Sports: https://msadaptive.org

  • Thanks for sharing, this is awesome! It’s been added!

• Steamboat Springs CO has a great program called STARS (Steamboat Adaptive Recreational Sports) https://steamboatstars.com/. It’s really an amazing program!!

  • Thanks for sharing – it’s been added!

• New Hampshire has great ski resorts with adaptive skiing program. You have mentioned the New England Disabled Sports in Bretton Woods and also at Loon Mountain; Ability Plus in Attitash Ski Resort. Other NH ski resort with adaptive skiing are Cannon Mountain’s Adaptive Sports Partners of the North Country (ASPNC) in Franconia, NH;; Gunstock Mountain Resort Lakes Region Disabled Sports in Gilford, NH; Granite State Adaptive at King Pine at Purity Ski Resort in Madison, NH; Mount Sunapee Resort’s New England Healing Sports Association (NEHSA) in Newbury,NH. We love going to these ski resorts to ski as a family with special needs family member. We are lucky to live in this state with great adaptive skiing programs. Hopefully in the near future we can go skiing to other states with great adaptive skiing programs as recommended here in your blog.

  • Oh my gosh, thank you for this great info! I’ve added all of these resorts!

• Whitetail and Liberty Resorts, both in Pennsylvania, each have adaptive ski programs. We’ve used been to Whitetail and the adaptive program is provided by a nonprofit called Two Top Mountain – https://www.twotopadaptive.org/. Wonderful people and awesome experience. We are hoping to make it to Liberty this year to check out their program – https://www.libertymountainresort.com/winter-sports-liberty/tickets-packages/lessons-packages/adaptive-programs

  Both resorts are in southern PA close to the Maryland border.

  • Thanks for the reference, I’ve added them both!

• Come visit us at DREAM Adaptive Recreation in Whitefish, Montana. We provide year-round opportunities! http://www.dreamadaptive.org

• Oregon Adaptive Sports provides year round recreation in ten sports for individuals with disabilities. The winter program offers private lessons, group outings and community events in downhill skiing, snowboarding and nordic skiing.

  From recent participant’s wife: “OAS is a wonderful organization that provides great opportunities and events for adaptive athletes from beginners to experts. Wonderful people, fantastic adventures! And they make spouses/family welcome and part of the family, too!”

  • Thanks Kellie, I added this info to the page!

  • I would add Beaver Creek and Vail, both part of the Vail Resorts family. They have amazing adaptive ski programs with professional instructors, not volunteers. They also have a non profit called Access Unbound, which can help defray the cost of the lessons. My son has ASD, and because of these programs he is almost a level 7 and his confidence is threw the roof!!

    • I love hearing this! I’ve also added Beaver Creek!

• Hi I will be in Keego Harbour MI in a rehab center with my 8 years child that has cerebral phalsy, im looking for a ski center with addaptive. Do you know if there is someone around just to go weekends thanks

  • It seems like there has to be! I just searched and found this: https://www.michiganadaptivesports.com/lessons-and-guides Let me know what you find out from them!

• Mt Sunapee & Gunstock, both in NH have excellent programs.

• Oregon Adaptive Sports

• Bromley Mountain in VT has a great Adaptive Program run by the Bart Adaptive Sports Center. They taught my daughter how to ski!

  • YAY! It’s been added to the list – thanks for sharing!

• I am an adaptive ski instructor at Windham Mountain Resort in Windham NY. We are affiliated with the Adaptive Sports Foundation. I’d love if you could add us to your list!

  • Added! Thanks for your efforts in supporting Adaptive Skiing!

• Snowshoe Mountain Resort, in partnership with the Challenged Athletes of West Virginia, offers the Adaptive Sports Program for impaired skiers.

  • Added, thanks!

• We took our son to the Ignite Adaptive Ski program at Eldora Ski Resort for 4 years. The instructors are amazing and all of the staff were invested in his success. We are now able to ski together as a family and have a great time.

  • I just love hearing this!

• Great list – what a resource! I suggest you might want to add Smuggler’s Notch in Vermont to the list. We haven’t gone there yet in the winter, but went last summer and their summer adaptive program was fantastic. Our son (8 years old with ASD) loved it and had a ball every day for the entire week. Their counselors are experienced and top-notch. I’ve heard great things about, and based on our summer experience expect great things from, their winter program, especially their adaptive skiing and snowboarding programs. When we go back, will let you know.

  • Thanks for sharing your experience! I look forward to hearing more about their winter program!

• Ski Apache Adaptive Sports in Ruidosa is fantastic. My husband who is in a wheelchair has skied with ski Apache adaptive sports since 2010. The instructors are fantastic and we have returned again and again. We see the same isnstructors year after year and have made some great friends and wonderful memories.

  • That’s wonderful to hear, thanks for sharing! I just added it to the list!

• Keystone has an Adaptive program

  • Thanks Bernadette – it’s been added!

• We had an amazing experience last year at Keystone in Colorado. I thought I could handle my daughter on my own. I was wrong, and they saved our vacation

  • That is so great the hear! The first time we worked with an adaptive ski program I really didn’t know what to expect, and, yah, it was pretty fantastic and made it an actual family vacation. Thanks for sharing. Do you have a ski vacation planned for this year?

• Pingback: Let’s Play! Part 2: High Tech and Adapted Outdoor Sporting – Assistology, LLC

• We’ve taken our son who has both physical and intellectual disabilities to Belleayre in New York. They have a great program. Strapped him in a seated device on 2 ski runners and took him for 2 hours at a time. We could choose to ski alongside or leave him with them. Family friendly ski resort for rest of family, 2 hr 15 min from Manhattan.

  • Thanks for sharing!

• You should add Moving Mountains Adaptive Ski Program at Pine Mountain in Iron Mountain, Michigan. They have a wonderful program where people can ski for a 2 hour time frame for free, Saturdays or Sundays. They also provide discounted tickets for the other family that is skiing with the adaptive skier. The volunteers are awesome, and the couple that started the program at Pine Mountain are fantastic and giving people. So please add them to your list. My son has been sit skiing with them for the last 4 years and we look forward to it every year. It is the closest adaptive program to our house, and we are only 2 hours away from it. All the others are a long drive or plane ride to get to, but hoping with this list to go to some others and try them out. Thanks for posting this information!

  • Here is their website. http://www.movingmountainsap.org/

• Waterville Valley in NH has a wonderful adaptive program–Nordic and Alpine. Just came back from there & our kids had a GREAT time! Also, Wachusett Mtn (our home mtn) in MA has a great adaptive program, too.

• Are there any in NH that people have tried?

  • I haven’t heard from anyone about NH ski resorts, but I found this link: http://www.skinh.com/adaptive-programs

    • Mt Attitash in NH. great program. and available for last minute reservation

      • Thanks – it’s been added!

• I’d recommend adding Vail, CO to the list.

  http://www.vail.com/ski-and-snowboard-school/adaptive-lessons/adaptive%20ski%20pass

  They offer discounted ski pass for person with disability and companion.

  Thanks for all the info,

  • I love Vail, but haven’t skied with my daughter there. Thanks and I’ve added it to the list. And I love the free buddy pass! Thanks for sharing!

• Please add Wintergreen Adaptive Sports. In Virginia

  • Thanks Bart – It’s been added to the list!

• Thanks for all the great information you share!! I wanted to add a recommendation. We travelled to Jackson Hole, Wyoming with our family last January and we were SUPER happy with the adaptive ski program. The coordinator, Jason Malczyk, was incredibly responsive and the instructors were great. The whole family had a fantastic time and my daughter definitely improved and moved toward more independent skiing.

  • Thanks for Sharing Keri – It’s been added to the list!

• I’ve been an adaptive skier for the past 30 years.
  Learned how to ski with Maine Adaptive at Sunday River and Sugarloaf in Maine. Great program

  I taught adaptive skiing in New Mexico at Ski Santa Fe and Albuquerque. It’s called Adaptive Ski Program.

  Now I teach skiing in Lake Tahoe CA at Alpine Meadows. Great program here also.

  • Thanks for sharing Julian – and thanks for your dedication to adaptive skiing! I’ve added them to the list!

• Disabled Sports USA has affiliates in Lake Tahoe, California, at Alpine Meadows, Squaw Valley and Northstar. Wonderful program! My son was skiing on his own (w/out leashes) by Day 2 and doing blue runs the next year. http://achievetahoe.org/

  • Thanks for sharing – I love Tahoe, but have never taken my daughter to these programs. I need to! They’ve been added to the list!

• Does any one know of the best skiing program for kids with low muscle tone and coordination challenges? Like maybe where the instructors take the kids on sleds down the mountain?
  Thanks in advance

  • Hi Carol! My daughter has similar issues. Every resort that I’ve been to has equipment that works for kids with these kinds of needs. My daughter uses a sit-ski, where she sits in a sled-like piece of equipment, and it’s guided down by an instructor. When you contact the resort that you are interested in, that’s something that they’ll work out for you. Let me know how it goes!

  • we just went out to Park City National Ability center for my son who sounds similar. the first day they wanted him to try skiing to see his capabilities, but realized that it is just too much for him and so our next 2 days we got him in a bi-ski and his smile was from ear to ear! The instructors were great!

    • Thanks for sharing – I’m happy to hear you had a great experience, too!

• Bear Mountain in San Bernardino State Forest, near LA. I have ski-ed with USARC for two seasons and they are superb. Visit http://usarc.org

  • Thanks Karen – I’ve added it to the list!

• Crested Butte has a fantastic and large scale program. Serves kids, adults and disabled military. Extensive equipment choices. Will assign one on one instructors not only to the affected child but to all other family members to align times, locations and gear. Lower rates for financially challenged. Apparently largest center in western US. Trains other centers nationwide. Also serves diabetes/ autism. You really should check it out.

  • Thanks David – I’ve added it to the list! Happy skiing!

• Big White Powder Hounds

  • Just got back from Sunday River in Maine. Maine Adaptive only gives lessons on Sundays but they are free and all day -so my son really got a lot of skiing in. We had a great time – people there are great, and they have a easy shuttle system to get around. Definitely recommend!

• I can’t say enough about Higher Ground in Sun Valley! Our 12 yo son has been skiing with them since he was 5. Great people!!

  • Thanks for sharing that! I really have to get over there, this is the second great review I’ve gotten on them. Cheers!

• Challenge Aspen has been a life saver for our family. It was so difficult acclimating our son to skiing, but these wonderful people helped us and they do it for many different disabilities.

  • Thanks Kelly, I’ll add it to the list!

• Please include Pennsylvania Center for Adapted Sports, who offers ski and snowboard lessons at Camelback Mountain in Tannersville, PA for ages 5 and up. For more information, visit centeronline.com or call Jeff McGinnis at 215-765-5118. Thank you for your list – its the most complete I’ve found as I try to get the word out about these programs. Being able to ski at the same mountain your special needs loved one can have lessons means everything to us.

  • It’s been added, thanks for letting me know Pattie! I feel the same way, the first time we were all on the mountain together was magic and meant so much to our whole family. Best wishes!

• We have used the program at Mammoth for my son on the Autism spectrum and he loved it. You should also add Keystone, CO to your list. They have a partnership with the Breckenridge Program. We used it for 3 days last year. By the end of the trip, my son was skiing on the mountain with 1 instructor (when he started he needed 3), with no harness or leashes and was following directions to turn and stop. Mammoth was great, but Keystone was equally as good. I highly recommend adding it.

  • Will do, thanks for the suggestion and sharing your experience!

• Beaver Mountain in Logan, UT also has adaptive skiing, provided by Common Ground Outdoor Adventures. Check out http://www.cgadventures.org for more information!

  • Thanks Brynn – adding it to the list!

• Snowbasin Resort in Huntsville Utah also has an adaptive ski program. Visit http://www.snowbasinadaptive.org for more info about the program

  • Thanks Lisa – I just added Snowbasin to the list!

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