Esther Raney, an 18-year-old from Bend, slid down a slope on skis while holding onto the handles of a slider, an adaptive piece of equipment that gives additional support on the snow for athletes with disabilities.

Raney, who is visually impaired, had instructors skiing on either side of her in case she needed help on the Mt. Bachelor ski area course. A third instructor followed behind on her own skis, holding onto the slider’s straps to keep Raney headed in the right direction.

Through adaptive sports programs like this one, people with disabilities are able to enjoy the outdoors and learn sports skills. Recreation programs bolster self-confidence and push people to challenge themselves, organizers say.

“These are lifelong pursuits, and they’re really lifelong pursuits of happiness,” said Pat Addabbo, executive director of Oregon Adaptive Sports. “It gives them the satisfaction to work towards something hard, to learn new things, to feel accomplishment and develop resilience.”

Ski for Life

The program is a long-running partnership between the sports organization, the ski resort and the High Desert Education Service District.

Addabbo said the partnership with the service district has been going for at least a decade. It is part of the Ski for Life program, which works with over a dozen educational programs and school districts in the Central Oregon area.

The program supports youth with disabilities learn athletic skills, as well as gain self-confidence, camaraderie and the joy that can be found through sports, said Addabbo. Each athlete receives an individualized experience since some visually impaired athletes need adaptive equipment, while others don’t.

Eight youths from the education service district worked on their skiing or snowboarding skills last Friday and will return this week.

Nancy Abbott, teacher of the visually impaired at the High Desert Education Service District, applied for and received a grant for this program from the Blind and Visually Impaired Student Fund.

“I want them to gain confidence that they can do something that their peers can do,” said Abbott. “The other huge benefit is being together with other visually impaired kids and having that opportunity to talk to each other and have a common challenge to overcome.”

Students in third grade through age 21 participated. The students who attended last Friday were from Sisters, La Pine, Prineville, Redmond and Bend.

“The weather was perfect, and the kids felt so much more confident,” said Abbott of Friday’s session. “My teachers and myself, we just have so much fun, this is the best part of our job.”

Instructors meet athletes at their skill level to make sure they get the most out of their time on the snow, and skiing for multiple days means students can gain new skills and practice old ones. Volunteers are also trained to be sighted guides for students around the lodge and parking lot.

Mt. Bachelor provides support through donations, sponsorships, discounted lift tickets, time and space to ski and other operational support. Oregon Adaptive Sports seeks funding from grants, donations and foundations. Costs include equipment, lift tickets, adaptive equipment, paid time for instructors working with athletes who need assistance, training for instructors and volunteers and program coordination.

“We directly work with the schools to execute the program, but it would not exist without the support from Mt. Bachelor and the various foundations that have helped to fund this,” Addabbo said.

Oregon Adaptive Sports

The organization provides adaptive skiing, snowboarding, hiking, mountain biking, cycling, paddling and golf programs in Central Oregon. Adaptive skiing is available at Mt. Bachelor ski area, Hoodoo Ski Area and Mt. Ashland Ski Area.

Andrew Gast, general manager of Mt. Ashland, said people who have lost the ability to participate in a sport they once enjoyed get a huge emotional boost by getting back out on the slopes, with the help of OAS.

“For a small ski area our size, there’s no way we’d be able to provide those services,” he said.

The organization works with around 500 people with disabilities across 2,000 activities a year, said Addabbo. Many people participate in multiple activities throughout the year, and over 300 volunteers assist.

“We really focus our efforts on removing the major barriers to the outdoors so individuals with disabilities can participate and gain all the benefits of outdoor recreation,” he said.

Adaptive sports equipment, including sit skis, slide skis, sit mountain bikes and more, ranges from $5,000 to $25,000 per item, said Addabbo. The organization makes sure staff and volunteers are trained to work with different types of disabilities.

Oregon Adaptive Sports has an extensive scholarship program and all programs are subsidized for community members, Addabbo said.

Oregon Adaptive Sports is wrapping up the ski and snowboard season at the end of March.