New Friends with a Common Goal

By Maddie Lindgren, intern, Vermont State University, Class of 2025

In the adrenaline-fueled world of winter sports, two young athletes are making turns on the slopes with their distinctive skiing styles. Meet Sierra Roth and Allie Bianchi, a duo whose passion for skiing is matched by their love for adventure. Both have been skiing at Vermont Adaptive’s program location at Mt. Ellen at Sugarbush Resort this winter.

Allie, 25, is from Richmond, VT, and a former special educator. In 2022, she experienced a mountain biking accident that left her quadriplegic. However, the accident has not stopped Allie from doing the activities she has loved since she was three, like skiing and biking and she has found support through Vermont Adaptive.

“I knew about Vermont Adaptive pre-accident and post-accident,” Allie said recently while chatting on a sunny day after taking runs at Sugarbush. “It’s been a resource to get back into the community of adaptive sports. It’s nice to be in the sunshine, even though it’s been a little cloudy. Being in an outdoor space can do a lot.”

With the help of the program, Allie has been able to experience the joy of being outside and active. In addition to giving her the means and opportunities to participate in a variety of activities, like skiing and biking, Vermont Adaptive’s inclusive culture has given her a feeling of support.

Allie explained Vermont Adaptive is accommodating with the flexibility to participate twice a week and on weekends. “It is a very welcoming organization, everyone wants us to get out there having fun,” she said.

Enter Sierra Roth, a 27-year-old from British Columbia, Canada, who crossed paths with Allie in October of 2023. They met in the fall at a Kelly Brush Foundation mountain biking camp where Sierra was the instructor, and Allie was just getting back on the bike for the first time since her accident. After they met, they kindled a friendship that grew into more than just biking in the fall and now skiing together in the winter.

Typically immersed in work or mountain biking back home, Sierra has found a refreshing change of pace in Vermont. Though the colder months aren’t usually her speed, she recently discovered the world of skiing as a winter hobby. Sierra embraced skiing as an exciting outdoor activity. Sharing this experience with friends during the winter months provides Sierra with a social outlet as well as a chance to do something new and different, she said. Skiing also has helped her to forge closer friendships with her friends and instructors.

Although Sierra has dabbled in skiing over the past decade, working remotely here on the East Coast has allowed her to spend more time with Vermont Adaptive, skiing at Mt. Ellen twice a week. She started in the monoski and is learning to master the ski better with Vermont Adaptive instructors.

“I heard about Vermont Adaptive through the Kelly Brush Foundation and knew them through mountain biking camp,” Sierra said. “I knew Felicia and Sarah, Vermont Adaptive staff members, and they swindled me into skiing.”

She appreciates the adaptability and welcoming atmosphere of the organization. “Everyone’s been great to accommodate and make it work for us,” she noted “There’s always a good posse of staff and coaches who are also our friends. We just have to get here.”

Allie and Sierra have been skiing together since early this winter and some would say they come as a package deal. Sierra had some doubts at first about winter and the cold weather. But Allie’s support helped to shift Sierra’s viewpoint gradually.

“Sierra needs encouragement to like winter and get outdoors in the cold,” Allie said. “It’s also fun to learn something new with a friend and just make the most out of all circumstances.”

They get the chance to drive together by skiing on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Sierra provides a “taxi service,” Allie calls it, on the mornings that they head to the mountain.

“It’s kind of a neat process on how we get here in the morning,” Allie described. She elaborates on the accessible ramp for wheelchairs leading into the van, where Sierra controls the vehicle with a control panel. Allie’s wheelchair locks securely into place on the passenger side.

Because of their shared love for the outdoors, skiing, and making the most of their time in nature, Allie and Sierra have developed a strong friendship. Skiing is more than simply a winter sport for these two friends; it’s a part of their larger goal to appreciate nature’s beauty. Their common objectives center on making memories, engaging in their favorite hobbies, and being able to cherish time spent with their friends. As skiing represents the ideal blend of excitement and friendship, it becomes an essential element in their lives.

For Allie and Sierra, Vermont Adaptive has been a way for them to get out on the slopes and the trails. “When you’re here and a part of the Vermont Adaptive community, the chair doesn’t stop you from being able to do things,” Allie said. “We both love the outdoors and our goal is to maximize our time outside doing things we love, with friends, and having fun and skiing happens to be part of that journey.”