August Amplify: Adaptive Sports Center
The community of people with disabilities has a presence in the outdoor community that is continually growing every year. People with disabilities from all over the world join together in Crested Butte (a town neighboring SheFly’s HQ in Gunnison), at the Adaptive Sports Center to enjoy a whole list of recreational sports. From skiing in the winter, to climbing in the summer, the Adaptive Sports Center helps bring people with disabilities together through outdoor recreation, and this month SheFly has chosen to amplify it.
The Adaptive Sports Center (ASC) was founded in 1987 as a small but passionate group with the intention of providing ski instruction and equipment to individuals with disabilities at their home mountain. Today the ASC is a full-fledged outdoor adventure program that operates year-round with adaptive activities ranging from mountain biking and skiing to climbing and kayaking. On average, over 6,000 activities are provided annually to more than 1,200 individuals who come to Crested Butte from all over the US and overseas each year.
The ASC’s programs bring positive change to participants' daily lives, giving a huge sense of empowerment from learning new skills.The ASC works with anyone with a wide ranges of disabilities, and has scholarship programs to make the outdoors accessible to as many people as possible.
SheFly has always had the goal of creating a more inclusive space in the outdoors, so everyone can feel comfortable in nature. The ASC is doing just that, teaching its participants that everyone can enjoy outdoor recreation. After learning the adaptive skills, you can catch many adaptive skiers cruising the runs of Crested Butte’s mountains and ripping mountain biking trails in the summer.
Here are some of the awesome seasonal adventures that ASC offers throughout the year:
Winter Programs: Winter is a magical time in Crested Butte and an awesome time to explore cold weather recreation. From cruising down the mountain to snowshoeing, the ASC offers a range of winter sports for its participants to test out.
Summer Programs: Summer offers every activity possible. Whether ASC participants want to test out the trails, climb up a mountain, or raft down the river, the opportunities are endless!
Actionable Amplifying:
- Donate to ASC
- Volunteer Throughout the Year
- Educate yourself
- Read this guide
- Support adaptive clothing brands like No Limbits
The SheFly team hopes to continue to connect with the community of people with disabilities. Many of our followers have sent us messages about the benefits of our pant’s zipper feature for catheter users and helping overall accessibility for using the restroom, and we will continue evolving our product to help people.
