For the fifth year in a row, we were fortunate enough to be able to gather in Winter Park with the intention of building community and skiing.
The camp sees experienced shredders like Jim Harris and Nick Fairall sharing their knowledge with new adaptive skiers to get everyone on the mountain progressing their abilities!
This camp had 9 participants 8 of which were on monoskis, with four of these being brand new to the sport.
Follow along with our daily Vlog updates below
@hi5sfoundation Follow along to see a day to day look of the first camp of the year in @Winter Park Resort with an incredible crew of #highfivesathletes ♬ original sound – High Fives Foundation
Day 1:
Within minutes of the first day we knew that we had a special crew participating in the camp. Immediately, there were no strangers and everyone quickly became conformable with each other. High Fives were exchanged and the stoke was high. Athlete got fitted for their sitskis and then went out to go sledding together. This was going to be unforgettable camp!
The camp at winter park was amazing! It was a great experience for everyone! We all got to reconnect with old friends, create new ones, and ski some amazing conditions! All of us athletes had a great time and we are super grateful for all the volunteers and staff at HighFives that helped make this camp happen. It’s a great community that’s helping change people’s lives!
Nick Fairall High Fives Athlete #77
Day 2
Day 2, we were able to get Athletes out in their newly fitted adaptive equipment and get them on the snow. Sit skiing is an incredibly tricky sport, but thanks to the amazing staff and volunteers of the National Sports Center for the Disabled and the go get em attitudes and athletic abilities of all the Athletes, things went off without a hitch. Seeing all of the Athletes interact, encourage each other, and share advice made Day 2 extra special.
It was so much fun getting to ski with people of all levels of experience, getting help from those who have been skiing for longer then being able to pass it along to those just starting out is a great feeling. I had an amazing time at this camp not only building my skills in skiing but also building relationships with other people in the disability community
-Cassie Eckroth High Fives Athlete #416
@hi5sfoundation Day 2 @winter.park.resort | Everyone’s back on snow, some for the first time post injury! #highfivesathletes #adaptiveathlete #adaptanddestroy ♬ original sound – High Fives Foundation
@hi5sfoundation Day 3 @winter.park.resort POW DAY!!! #skitok #skiingtiktok #pocketbacon #AdaptAndDestroy ♬ original sound – High Fives Foundation
Day 3
Day 3 was about that fresh snow! A storm rolling through the area created tough visibility, but that was not even close to a deal breaker for this amazing group of Athletes. Powder turns were made and the vibe was high!
It was an absolute blast!! I had great time meeting new people!! My camp mates were all wonderful people that I want to stay connected with. Totally awesome to meet Roy and Dani and put faces to the people who put so much into High Fives and make it the incredible organization that it is! Also High fives to the volunteers that took part! Also very cool peeps! Keep up the good work and hope to make it to another camp in the future!
–Justin Hirshfield High Fives Athlete #483
Day 4
Early ups on day 4 allowed High Fives Athletes to get fresh tracks on some beautiful fresh snow.
Ohana, skiing, sledding, and eating amazing food is a great way to summarize our ski week in Winter Park. It was beyond anything I could have dreamed of. It was my first time skiing since my accident 1 and 1/2 years ago. It was so fun learning to mono ski with great lessons from the NSCD. By the end of the trip, I started to feel more comfortable on the hill sliding on snow! I rolled away from the week with some new friends, shared time with all the athletes, and have a ton of new core memories to draw upon. Let’s just say, I’m hooked on mono skiing now, and can’t wait to ski with all the Ohana soon!
–Annijke Wade High Fives Athlete #433
@hi5sfoundation Day 4 | early ups and pow all day @winter.park.resort :sparkles: #AdaptAndDestroy #skiingtiktok #skitok #highfivesathletes #adaptiveathlete ♬ original sound – High Fives Foundation
To check out the full photo album from this camp CLICK HERE
We want to extend an extra special Thank-You to our partners who made this camp possible.
Eddie Bauer, Wells Lamont, Fat Tire, Hotronics,Darn Tough, Ski Town All Stars, Winter Park Resort, Smith Optics, NSCD, Phunkshun, Craig Hospital
