Wintergreen Adaptive Sports

About: Wintergreen Adaptive Sports (WAS) is a 501c3 non-profit organization. WAS is a Chapter of Disabled Sports USA and a Paralympic Sport Club. WAS offers adaptive instruction in snow sports in the winter and water sports in the summer. Adaptive lessons are available in alpine skiing, snowboarding, kayaking, and canoeing. WAS participants vary in age and disability level. Our mission is to improve the lives of individuals with a disability through outdoor sports and recreation. At Wintergreen Adaptive Sports all we see is possibility.

Location: Wintergreen Resort is the headquarters for WAS. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, we are next to the slopes of Wintergreen Ski Resort and adjacent to Wintergreen’s beautiful Lake Monocan.

What are adaptive sports? Adaptive sports provide people living with disabilities individualized adaptations that break down barriers of participation and support enhanced achievement in outdoor sports and recreation. WAS has a wide array of adaptive sports equipment to meet individualized needs and our highly trained staff is skilled and compassionate.

Who can participate? Participants in our programs include people with amputations, autism, developmental disabilities, neurological disease, spinal cord injury, visual impairments, wounded warriors, and more. Regardless of age, disability, or level of disability you are welcome to participate in our snow sports program. Our water sports program requires the participant to be comfortable in the water and to float using a personal floating device.

Seasons:

Snow Sports December – March seven days a week (weather dependent)

Water Sports June – September on scheduled weekends

Volunteers: The success of WAS is a result of our amazing volunteer corps. We are always seeking new dedicated volunteers to serve on committees, our Board of Directors, and as adaptive sports instructors. Volunteers for snow sports must be intermediate to advanced skiers or snowboarders. Volunteers for water sports must be intermediate to advanced paddlers. Volunteers can apply for the snow sports programs from September through October. Volunteers can apply for the water sports programs from February through April. Our unique Junior Instructor volunteer program is for volunteers ages 14-18. The volunteer instructor program welcomes all adult volunteers. Applications are available at www.skiwas.org or by calling 434-325-2007.