NEWRY — To commemorate its 30th winter season in January and answer growing demand, Maine Handicapped Skiing will expand its program offerings at various alpine and Nordic venues this winter.
That’s why the nonprofit organization seeks additional volunteer instructors to help deliver the program.
The MHS offers adaptive skiing and snowboarding lessons to people with physical disabilities at Sunday River Ski Resort in Newry. It currently serves more than 400 children and adults throughout Maine, New England and far beyond, Erik Topper, MHS outreach director, said Monday by email.
Alpine skiers, snowboarders and Nordic skiers who are intermediate or advanced are trained in adaptive techniques, equipment and instruction. They assist with individual lessons for skiers and riders with broad-ranging disabilities, including visual impairments, spinal cord injuries, brain injuries, genetic disorders, limb loss and many others, Topper said.
Lift tickets are provided at no cost to the volunteers and participants by the host resorts.
Volunteers must provide their own equipment and are asked to commit to three days of pre-season training, most of which happens in November and December.
“Our volunteers are truly the lifeblood of our organization and we literally could not succeed and grow without their incredible continued support,” Topper said.
“Thanks to the hours and days roughly 350 volunteers put in each winter, combined with the lift tickets and trail passes that host resorts donate, no one with a disability has ever paid or will pay for an MHS program.”
“We know that the rewards of being involved in our mission are many, but there is still no way to express how grateful we are,” he said.
With near-daily programming at Sunday River, MHS also runs alpine programs at Sugarloaf Ski Resort in Carrabassett Valley every weekend and Nordic skiing and snowshoeing weekly at Pineland Farms Inc. in New Gloucester.
This season, MHS will also teach lessons at Saddleback Ski Resort in Rangeley, Black Mountain of Maine in Rumford and Camden Snow Bowl.
To learn more about Maine Handicapped Skiing or to become a volunteer or participant, visit www.skimhs.org or call 824-2440.
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