Vermont Adaptive Ski & Sports

At their annual fall conference, New England Healthcare Engineers Society chose a local charity to receive a generous donation. This year's event was held at The Lodge at Spruce Peak in Stowe, Vermont and Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports was selected as the beneficiary. Thank you to all for the generous gift supporting our programs and the people we serve. #NEHES #NEHESFall2024 Vermont Healthcare Engineers Society Lexi Moore

Calling All Interns - We Need You This Winter! "This past weekend I led my first session with a client and it was such a rewarding morning on the mountain. This was the client’s second time in a bi-ski and my first time leading so it was a great learning experience for both of us," said Conor Munns of his internship at our Bolton Valley location last winter. (Read about Conor's internship experience here: https://lnkd.in/eGv2igfV Vermont Adaptive is seeking energetic, dedicated individuals who have a passion for sports, working with athletes with disabilities, and non-profit management and who want to learn while sharing their passions with others. Internships are for people ages 18+ and are specifically designed to fit college and professional program requirements while being flexible around class and work schedules. We work directly with programs at local colleges and universities and are happy to design an internship to meet your academic goals. Many of our internship positions are paid. Interns help instruct and manage day to day programs, year-round for individuals of all ages and disabilities. We can also design special projects or internship activities around your areas of interest. Learn more and apply today: https://lnkd.in/eN43ZAM

It has been an honor to be the presenting sponsor of the Adaptive Downhill each year at the Fox US OPEN of Mountain Biking at Killington/Pico Ski Resort Partners, LLC and this past weekend was no different. It was also the first time adaptive riders ever raced on the Pro Level course called Goat Skull - a prof/invitational adaptive race on the pro course on Saturday. The official open Adaptive Downhill was held Sunday. Congrats to all the riders who shredded it up this weekend and got ‘er done! And the crew at the US Open and folks from the Kelly Brush Foundation who made the invitational race on the pro course a reality. There is no question that adaptive mountain biking has arrived! . . . #aMTB #foxusopen #downhill #racing #mountainbiking #thisisvt #beast365 #vtadaptive #adaptivesports #sportsforeverybody

We're stoked to announce our involvement with five other organizations to launch a new initiative to enhance trail accessibility in Vermont. The Trail Accessibility Hub (TAH) is one of the 51 projects that received funding from the Vermont Outdoor Recreation Economic Collaborative (VOREC) Community Grant Program, which recently announced more than $6 million in grants for Vermont’s outdoor recreation economy, including several focused on increasing outdoor equity. Out of nearly 8,000 miles of trails and waterways in Vermont, only a fraction are truly accessible for people living with disabilities and experiencing mobility challenges. The Hub plans to use its $644,000 grant award to promote outdoor equity by increasing the resources needed to develop and promote accessible trails statewide. Mountain bike, water access and pedestrian assessments have been underway this summer and fall and we look forward to working with trail managers and municipalities to make the outdoors more accessible for everyBODY! Cheers to this collaborative team - Vermont Trails and Greenways Council, Vermont Mountain Bike Association, Northern Forest Canoe Trail, Upper Valley Trails Alliance and Community Geographics. . . . #accessible #outdoor #recreation #collaboration #partners Jeff Alexander Felicia Fowler, M.S., CTRS

Thank you to the Office of U.S. Senator Peter Welch and your staff for including us on Friday in a very critical discussion about the importance of outdoor recreation and tourism to Vermont’s economy. Vermont Adaptive was part of a roundtable discussion that included representatives from US Travel, Vermont Tourism, the Vermont Chamber of Commerce, and State, local and industry leaders on tourism and outdoor recreation in Vermont. We shared the value of outdoor recreation in Vermont and Vermont Adaptive’s role in supporting this community as well as what types of federal support there has been and what Senator Welch can to do in DC to lift up outdoor recreation and tourism. It was a good day at “the office,” as the discussion was held half way up on the trails at Richmond Mountain Trails! We are grateful to be a part of this conversation with the folks above as well as the Vermont Department of Forest, Parks and Recreation, Vermont Mountain Bike Association, Vermont Lodging Association, Vermont Outdoor Business Alliance, and Bolton Valley Resort. The crew headed to Kingdom Trails late Friday afternoon to join outdoor recreation partners Vermont Trails & Greenways Council, Vermont Ski Areas Association, and VOBA as part of a legislator meet and great, advocating for the importance of stewardship and outdoor recreation in the community. Topped everything off on Saturday to celebrate 30 years of the Kingdom Trails - where more than 100 miles of trails allow for everybody to get out and play. Congratulations! . . . #roundtable #community #advocacy #accessibility #outdoorrecreation #trails #toursim #thisisvt #adaptivesports #vtadaptive #sportsforeverybody Jeff Alexander Kim Armstrong Jackson Felicia Fowler, M.S., CTRS

Vermont Adaptive spent today at REI’s Flagship store in Washington, DC, with members of the adaptive sports community, sharing our work in creating opportunities for outdoor access and recreation with USDA Forest Service, National Park Service and Bureau of Land Management, congressional staff and other NGO leaders. The gathering brought a small group of thought leaders together who are actively working to reduce barriers to the outdoors. The goal was to identify, as a group, key problems facing the disability community in the outdoors and begin to develop frameworks for long-term action. We are thankful to the Roundtable organizers REI Co-op and Move United for including us as part of the NGO panel (Jeff joined Matt Kirby, Catalyst Sports; Julia Ray, Move United; and Chelsea Elder, Adaptive Adventures, on the panel) and for being a part of the conversation. It was a great start to building a foundation for a policy path forward. . . . #conversation #accessibility #access #funding #congress #outdoorrecreation #vtadaptive #adaptivesports #vtadaptive Jeff Alexander

Cheers to you, Dail Frates (first photo: sitting in the front row, middle, with the flowered jersey)! We will miss seeing you out on programs with Zack's Place but suspect (and hope!) we might enjoy a celebrity appearance now and then?! Dail has been the executive director of Zack's Place, in Woodstock, and a driving force behind Vermont Adaptive's partnership and friendship with the organization. Our last day of the season for paddling with Zack's was last week, but we're back to bikes on the Lebanon Rail Trail for the fall. Enjoy an oldie blog post about our programs with Zack's Place - it's a good one https://bit.ly/3ZdkLOa

Hope you've been enjoying this beautiful Vermont weather lately??!! Members of the National Guard of Vermont and New Hampshire joined the Veteran Ventures Program for a round of golf at Killington/Pico Ski Resort Partners, LLC last week as part of our ongoing line up of veterans' programs. All vets participate free of charge. Know someone (or maybe yourself?) who might benefit for some fresh air and good vibes with a welcoming community? Check out our upcoming programs https://bit.ly/3ASkNAR . . . #sportsforvets #golf #beast365 #thisisvt #freshairandgoodvibes #veterans #vtadaptive #adaptivesports #sportsforeverybody

Today's the day - let's go Team USA! What are your favorite events and who will you have your eye on during the 2024 Paris 2024 - Comité d'organisation des Jeux Olympiques et Paralympiques de 2024? Good luck to all the athletes. Go crush it. https://lnkd.in/gnfPzUkF Photo credit: teamusa.com

Bikes and bridges - a beautiful day to ride the Lebanon Rail Trail with Lucy and her friend, Momo. Pretty soon these leaves will flourish with vibrant fall colors. If you're planning on doing a bit of adventuring with us this fall, be sure to get your reservation on the books. Spots will fill up fast and some spots are completely booked already. Click through for reservations. Scholarships are available as well. https://lnkd.in/eZJpDEnW