Press Releases

Maine Handicapped Skiing Begins 28th Year of Free Adaptive Skiing at Sunday River

Social Media:

Newry, ME (Winter 2009-2010) Maine Handicapped Skiing (MHS), a non-profit organization, was founded in 1982 at Sunday River to provide free adaptive recreation opportunities for children and adults with physical disabilities.  The organization currently serves over 350 participants statewide through year-round programs that include alpine and nordic skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, golf, canoeing, kayaking, and cycling.  For twenty-seven years Maine Handicapped Skiing has been serving skiers from Northern New England at the Sunday River ski area daily, and on weekends at Sugarloaf for the past ten years. 

Sunday River is a founding sponsor of MHS, and has contributed thousands of lift tickets and countless other in-kind donations each year since the beginning.  When Boyne Resorts assumed the management of Sunday River in 2007, they also fully embraced the philanthropic support extended to MHS participants and volunteers by the previous owners.  It is primarily this generosity that has allowed MHS to remain one of the last adaptive recreation programs in the United States that is free to all participants.

At Sunday River this winter, MHS will continue to run its adaptive alpine skiing and snowboarding lessons and programs seven days each week throughout January through March.  20-30 participants aged four and older will arrive daily on their own, with their families or with MHS volunteers.  Additionally, MHS will sponsor weekly bus service from Portland to help additional participants overcome the transportation barrier.  MHS has also developed several partnerships with various school districts, rehabilitation facilities and service/care providers to engage more people with disabilities throughout Maine in adaptive skiing and recreation, and many of those partnerships have yielded additional transportation opportunities for participants.

Beyond our daily general programs, some additional specific media opportunities this winter include:

25th Annual Ski-A-Thon – Saturday March 27, 2010
Skiers, fundraisers and corporations from throughout New England gather each March at Sunday River to raise money for Maine Handicapped Skiing, Maine’s largest adaptive recreation program for children and adults with physical disabilities.  Since 1985, the Ski-A-Thon has been the largest source of revenue that supports MHS’s year-round programs, all of which are free for participants.  Beginning this fall, skiers and riders throughout Maine will begin soliciting pledges for their fundraising teams.  On March 27th, over 100 teams of five will submit pledges they raise during the previous weeks and months, and participate in activities and races throughout the alpine resort and cross-country center at Sunday River.  Dozens of businesses also pitch in each year by sponsoring fundraising teams, donating cash and supplies, and assisting with event operations.  Last year, the Ski-A-Thon raised over $275,000.  This year’s event will also feature additional opportunities to celebrate Sunday River’s 50th birthday.

Veterans/No Boundaries Winter Program – February 5-8, 2010
In 2005, the Veterans/No Boundaries program was launched to bring together disabled veterans and active duty personnel as well as their families for five days of alpine and nordic skiing, snowshoeing, dog sledding and snowmobiling each winter, and three days of golf, cycling, fishing, rock climbing, and paddling each summer.  “Veterans/No Boundaries is an opportunity for disabled veterans and their guests to participate in free adaptive recreational programs at a time when they are readjusting to daily activities after an injury.  These activities may be something they have done prior to their injury and really enjoyed and thought they would not enjoy again, or it may be a completely new adventure that may lead to other opportunities for a healthier lifestyle in the future,” according to MHS Board member Joanne McMahon.  This year’s Winter event takes place at Sunday River on February 5th-8th and is expected to gather nearly 30 participants and their families, as well as roughly sixty volunteers each day.

MHS Adaptive Alpine Race Team – Saturdays throughout winter
The MHS Alpine Racing program was started nine years ago to give participants, families and volunteers an opportunity to enhance their experiences and refine their skills through competition, travel, and year-round training and nutrition. Several MHS racers compete at the national level, and former MHS athletes have gone on to race with the U.S. Adaptive Ski Team at the Paralympics.  The MHS Alpine Race Team trains at Sunday River each Saturday, and racers and coaches travel throughout New England to compete against other adaptive programs and racers.  Sunday River also hosts one of the events in the Diana Golden series, a regional circuit of races for adaptive skiers new to racing. 

MHS Outreach
As part of the organization’s strategic plan and ambitions for growth, MHS is actively engaged in year-round efforts to develop and maintain partnerships to help attract new participants and volunteers, as well as to fundraise.  Several exciting and mutually-beneficial relationships are in the formative stages for the 2009/2010 season.

For more information about Maine Handicapped Skiing, MHS events or specialized programs, please contact Eric Topper, Director of Outreach at (207) 824-2440 or etopper@skimhs.org.  We are pleased to arrange visits with our participants and to our various program sites.  Please also visit our website at www.skimhs.org.

###