Sometimes the best adventures begin with a simple decision: “Why not?”
You don’t need to know how to ski to apply for a ski scholarship. You just need to be willing to try.
More than 30 years ago, I applied for a scholarship from the Adaptive Sports Association (ASA) in Durango, Colorado, because I was looking for something different.
I found skiing. I also found lifelong friends, a second home, and, in many ways, a second family. After competing in the 1996 Summer Paralympics, I wanted a new challenge and a new experience, so I applied for an ASA scholarship to learn to ski.
Mission complete.
In just four days, I was skiing a monoski without a tether. That experience changed my life.
For the next 20-plus years, I kept returning to Durango. Sure, I went to ski, but I also wanted to spend time with people who had become friends—and eventually family.
Over the years, my friends and I have raised money to support ASA’s scholarship program. I’ve lost count of how many people with disabilities we’ve helped send to Durango.
But the number isn’t what matters to me. The impact is.
ASA has introduced thousands of people with disabilities to adaptive sports—and to a community that can be just as life-changing as the sport itself. Some of the people we sent to Durango decided to move there because of the community they found. I completely understand.
These days, my skiing is more limited, but my connection to Durango and ASA remains strong. I consider Durango my second home, and the people at ASA my second family. It truly is a community like no other.
That’s why, when Kendall, a program coordinator with ASA, reached out to let me know that applications are open for this winter’s Learn to Ski Scholarships, I wanted to share the opportunity with the Sports N Spokes community.
You could learn to ski. You could discover a new sport. You could meet people who understand what it means to live with a disability. You might also discover something you didn’t expect. ASA offers several weeks of Learn to Ski Scholarships throughout the winter.
Each scholarship includes:
- Four days of one-on-one adaptive snowsport instruction at Purgatory Resort
- Lift tickets
- All necessary equipment
- Five nights of lodging
- Most meals
- Transportation to and from Durango
There are three scholarship opportunities:
- New Dimensions Learn to Ski Scholarship — Open to applicants with a physical disability.
- Ross and Sue Ehrhardt Learn to Ski Scholarship — Open to applicants living in San Diego, California, with a physical disability.
- Veteran Ski Retreat — Open to veterans with a physical disability.
All three applications close on October 15, 2026.
If you’ve ever thought about trying adaptive skiing, I encourage you to apply. You don’t have to know how to ski. I certainly didn’t. You just have to be willing to try something new and have a little faith in what might be possible. Thirty years ago, I was looking for something different. I found skiing and, in many ways, a second family.
Maybe the next story will be yours.
Visit the Adaptive Sports Association website for more information and to access the scholarship applications.