High Fives Foundation is proud to share a milestone moment in adaptive access: the first-ever adaptive Pisten Bully operating experience, hosted at Sky Tavern.
This unique day brought seven High Fives athletes behind the controls of a PistenBully, offering a hands-on opportunity to experience a side of mountain operations that’s rarely accessible—until now.
For many, the magic wasn’t just about driving a powerful piece of mountain machinery. It was about possibility.
“The reason it’s cool to me is that you know maybe it’s opening up a door and maybe someone who never thought they could do it can do it now.”
That sentiment perfectly captures what this day represented. Adaptive sport isn’t only about getting back on skis or boards—it’s about expanding the definition of what participation looks like in mountain culture. From trail access to behind-the-scenes roles, this experience showed that there’s more than one way to belong.
Sky Tavern provided the perfect setting: a community-driven mountain dedicated to education, inclusion, and fostering lifelong connections to winter sports. With support, creativity, and the right partners, the mountain quite literally became a new kind of playground—one where adaptive athletes could explore, learn, and lead.
This first adaptive Pisten Bully experience marks an important step forward. Not just a single day on the snow, but a signal of what’s possible when access is prioritized and assumptions are challenged.
Because sometimes, opening one door is all it takes for someone to see an entirely new future on the mountain.
