Adaptive Ski Week returns to Beech Mountain Resort January 19-21. This beloved tradition brings in hundreds of participants from all over the country.
Event History: This is the oldest adaptive ski clinic being the first of a group of national instructional clinics started by Move United which in its history was known as Disabled Sports USA (DSUSA) and National Handicap Sports (NHS). The Atlanta Chapter of NHS assisted to develop the first clinic in 1981 and continued with it through 2004. The clinic is now run as a cooperative effort amongst programs all interested in the benefits of sports for individuals with disabilities with Beech Mountain Resort continuing to be our host with help from the Costin family whom we are especially grateful. The sponsors of this event donate to bring together the instructors, equipment, and resources necessary to teach skiing/snowboarding to individuals with disabilities in the southeast region.
Sponsors: We wish to thank all of our friends and sponsors for the 40th Move United SPARC Beech Mt. Adaptive Learn to Ski/Board Event including: Beech Mountain Resort, Move United Chapter – SPARC of Chattanooga, Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Center Innovative Recreation Cooperative Program of Knoxville, Ft. Sanders Foundation, Atrium Health Adaptive Sports and Adventure Program of Charlotte, Warfighters Sports, Beech Meadows Ski Shop, Joe Thompson BBQ, Alpine Ski Shop, Amerigroup Foundation, and many more. Over $90,000 of adaptive equipment is brought to the event so we can provide a multitude of snow experiences for the participants.
Instructors: The instructional team for the event is from all over the US and all PSIA Adaptive certified instructors with over 80 years of combined experience. The instructional team includes individuals from around the USA. The team is composed of experienced instructors in monoski, biski, twin ski, 2, 3, & 4 tracking, slider, visually impaired and snowboard instruction.
Participants: The participants come from all over the southeast region including: NC, SC, GA, TN, MS, AL, and FL. Ages range from age 5 to 70+ with a variety of diagnoses to include: brain and spinal injured, amputees, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, developmental delayed, spinal muscular atrophy, multiple sclerosis, visually impaired, and a whole host of other neurological and orthopedic challenges. We are supportive of our military and work with veterans and active military in our region. We try to focus on family and have families participate in the event as much as possible. The motto of Move United is, “If I can do this, I can do anything,” inspires many to give alpine sport a try.
Gene Baron Award: Each year an award is given in honor of Gene Baron who was an amputee who skied at Beech Mt. He was very supportive of teaching individuals with disabilities the sport of alpine skiing. His efforts, energy, and love of snow skiing are an inspiration for many at the clinic. He passed away while at the world’s disabled event in Colorado. In his memory, a lifetime achievement award has been given each year to an individual or entity involved in helping with the event with Beech Mountain Resort being a proud recipient of the award.