History

1987

Laura Farrell creates the Vermont Handicap Ski Foundation (later renamed Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports) at Ascutney Mountain Resort. It was the first disabled skiing program in Vermont that worked with people of all ages and abilities and promoted the beneficial aspects associated with sports and recreation. During this same time, Laura and her running and equine friends, and dedicated supporters of the organization, established the VT 100 and the VT 50 races to help subsidize the organizational expenses.

1989

The Ski Foundation grows to include summer activities such as canoeing and rock climbing in Southern Vermont.

1991

By 1991 the adaptive skiing program expanded to Northern Vermont, beginning winter program operations at Sugarbush Resort.

1996

The organization began to offer statewide programs in multiple locations and adopts the name Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports with the mission to provide year-round recreational opportunities to individuals with disabilities.

1998

Vermont Adaptive expands its summer programming by collaborating with Lake Champlain Community Sailing Center to bring an Adaptive Water Sports program to the Champlain Valley.

1999

Vermont Adaptive moves its southern programs and operational headquarters to Pico Mountain Resort, centralizing administration.

2000

Vermont Adaptive plays a large part in the development and creation of the first inclusive camp in Chittenden County. “Partners in Adventure” pairs able-bodied and disabled campers ages 11-17 together for adventure and activities.

2002

Vermont Adaptive develops, trains, and sponsors a disabled alpine ski team to participate in the Diana Golden Race Series held throughout the Northeast. The series is designed to allow disabled athletes to become familiar with the sport of alpine ski racing in a fun and supportive environment.

2004

Vermont Adaptive aligns itself with the US Paralympics as an official partner and Paralympic Sport Club. Paralympic Sport Clubs are responsible for promoting awareness for the Paralympic Games and for developing programs and competitive events for physically disabled athletes. The US Paralympics is the sanctioning body for the US Olympics and hosts the Paralympics Games following the Olympic Games.

2007

United States Association for Blind Athletes (USABA) partners with Vermont Adaptive to offer the first National Winter Festival “learn to ski, learn to race and Nordic event” for visually impaired and blind athletes. The organization has hosted the event ever since.

2008

Jim Hutchinson sadly passes away. For many years Jim served on the Board of Directors, was a volunteer, a Race Director for the Vermont 100, and at one time served as the Executive Director. Through his active involvement, his presence is inherently woven into the fabric of the organization we are today. Annually we pay tribute in honoring Volunteers of the Year, in an award to our most outstanding individuals.

2008

Bolton Valley becomes the third winter program location in order to serve athletes in the Chittenden County and Burlington area. Its proximity to Burlington and the rest of Chittenden County provides a convenient location for many year-round residents.

2011

The Black Family, owners of the Lookout Tavern in Killington, along with Vermont Adaptive, create the inaugural Century Ride to Benefit Vermont Adaptive. This event quickly grew and Long Trail Brewing partnered in 2012 as the title sponsor. In 2024, Vermont Adaptive retired the event (then known as the Vermont Adaptive Charity Challenge) after 13 successful years of the event providing operational funding. The Vermont 100 and the Vermont 50 continue to provide operational funding as well.

2013

Vermont Adaptive completes the construction of the first adaptive sports center in Vermont, the Andrea Mead Lawrence Lodge. The namesake is in honor of a member of the founding Pico Family, and Alpine skier and Gold medalist, Andrea Mead Lawrence. This is fully accessible space designed for the unique needs of our clients and families for programs, administration and storage. This project was completed in partnership with the Pico Ski Education Foundation.

EcoAble Adventures program begins. The program was designed to foster participants’ connections with nature with teaching environmental stewardship and sustainability. The fundamentals of this program are incorporated into today’s daily programs, too.

2014

School Inclusion Days begin, where program staff visit local schools showcasing adaptive sports equipment and playing inclusive sports games like Beeper Baseball.

2015

Vermont Adaptive’s veterans program expands into the Veteran Ventures Program and receives federal funding from the Department of Veterans Affairs, allowing Vermont Adaptive to continue to provide programs to veterans free of charge.

C.O.R.E. Connections multi-day programs begin. These mini retreats and multi-day camps focus on whole body health and include lifestyle analysis, goal setting, nutrition, local farm to table initiatives, personal fitness abilities, and mindful activities like creative art, music sessions, adaptive yoga, and guided breathing exercises.

2016

Partnerships start to take on new life, and continue to grow and evolve with the High Fives Foundation and the Kelly Brush Foundation among other partners and sponsors.

2017

As mountain biking began to explode in the Northeast, Vermont Adaptive was the first adaptive sports organization to introduce and offer consistent adaptive mountain biking programs in New England. As of 2024, Vermont Adaptive owned more than 50 mountain bikes in its fleet, including 15 three-wheeled bikes and over 40 two-wheeled bikes. It is the only adaptive program in New England to offer multiple Bowhead Adaptive Mountain bikes. In addition to programming, the Vermont Adaptive staff have been proactive with Advocacy and Trail Assessments with VMBA, the Killington Mountain Bike Club, Slate Valley Trails, Stowe Trails Association, Velomont Trail, Kingdom Trails, Vermont Huts Association, US Forest Service and more.

2020

Vermont Adaptive shut down its programs for the first time in organizational history due to the COVID-19 Global Pandemic.

Once many of the pandemic lockdowns eased, programs began slowly in social distance mode, keeping 10-feet apart from each other and recreating in “pods” in order to keep people safe and healthy. Volunteer Instructor Online Training began due to the pandemic and not being able to meet and train in person; one of the first adaptive sports organizations to develop complete online training program. Programs re-opened in the summer and fall with extreme modifications and continue with those modifications into the Winter 2020-2021 season.

2021

Vermont Adaptive’s Murphy’s Annex at Sugarbush Resort’s Mt. Ellen, the organization’s second adaptive sports facility, opens. The namesake is in honor of Mike Murphy. Read the full story here. This 4,000 sq. ft., fully accessible space includes room for programming, fit-up, locker room storage, tech/equipment repair, multi-purpose space, accessible restrooms and changes rooms, and admin offices.

The Boston Red Sox Foundation presents Vermont Adaptive with a $10,000 first-place award as part of the 7th Annual IMPACT Awards, a joint initiative of the Red Sox Foundation and the Ruderman Family Foundation, which this year focused on supporting organizations whose mission includes raising awareness on the issue of mental health and improving mental health outcomes of young adults in their community.

With $75,000 in funding from Summer Matters for All Grant (Vermont state grant), Vermont Adaptive offers its adaptive sports and recreation programs free of charge during the summer of 2021 to any athlete with a disability in grades K-12.

2022

The Vermont Recreation & Parks Association present Vermont Adaptive with the highest-ranked Facility of Merit Award for its new adaptive sports facility – Murphy’s Annex at Vermont Adaptive.

2023

The organization celebrates a historic year of growth and impact providing a record-breaking 5,336 total activities and an 18% increase in total individual participants, with 1,096 individuals benefiting from Vermont Adaptive’s diverse range of year-round programs. One of the key highlights of the year includes $131,433 provided in scholarships to participants. The organization saw a 17% increase in total volunteers, reaching a total of 428 volunteers. The year 2023 also marked a broader trend for the organization, as it continued to experience an impressive 35% growth year over year. Over the past decade, the organization has achieved an extraordinary 356% growth, solidifying its position as a leader in adaptive sports and recreational programs for all abilities.

Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports Volunteer Liz Mead, a resident of Chittenden, is recognized by the Kraft Family, Patriots Foundation, and Gillette, along with 25 other volunteers, as a 2023 Myra Kraft Community MVP Award Winner. Twenty-six volunteers were recognized for their contributions at an awards ceremony and luncheon at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. Twenty-five organizations each received $10,000 and the Brian Dagle Foundation received this year’s grand prize of $25,000.