PRESS RELEASE
Full Video to be released on 4/29/2026
High Fives Foundation Celebrates 20 Years Since Roy Tuscany’s Life-Changing Injury and the Movement That Followed
Truckee, CA – April 29, 2026 — Twenty years ago, a single moment on snow changed everything for professional skier Roy Tuscany. What followed was not the end of a story, but the beginning of a movement that has now supported over 1,000 athletes recovering from life-changing injuries.
On April 29, 2006, Tuscany suffered a spinal cord injury while skiing at Mammoth Mountain. Doctors told him he might never walk again. Just 52 days later, he walked out of the hospital and into a new purpose.
That purpose became High Fives Foundation.
Founded in 2009 with $500 and a goal to help just one person per year, High Fives Foundation has grown into a national nonprofit and a safety net for the outdoor sports community. Today, the organization provides adaptive equipment, financial support, and healing resources while also leading injury prevention efforts through video programs like #HelmetsAreCool.
“Looking back, my story was never just about skiing,” said Tuscany. “It was about the people who showed up when everything fell apart and what we built together afterward.”
Over the past two decades, High Fives Foundation has:
- Served over 1,000 athletes recovering from life-changing injuries
- Delivered millions in funding for recovery, equipment, and care
- Hosted adaptive camps across snow, dirt, water, and beyond
- Built a community rooted in positivity, resilience, and possibility
Programs like Military to the Mountains have helped veterans and first responders rediscover purpose through sport, while the CR Johnson Healing Center continues to provide essential physical and mental wellness resources.
What started as a simple idea—“pay it forward”—has become a global community.
“The most important thing isn’t the numbers,” Tuscany added. “It’s watching someone go from ‘my life is over’ to ‘I’m an athlete again.’ That’s everything.”
On this 20-year milestone, High Fives Foundation is not only reflecting on the past but looking ahead, continuing to expand access, break barriers, and redefine what is possible after injury.
Life may never be the same—but it can still be awesome.
