Before the start of every ski season we all think about how this season will be different than the last, what we'd like to progress in and what our goals are. If you're a Boulder area local, here's an opportunity to take your passion for snow sports to the next level this upcoming ski season by sharing it with others. Ignite Adaptive Sports based at Eldora Mountain Resort is holding their last volunteer fair this Saturday November 12 from 10:00 a.m to 12:00 p.m. in the Community Room at the Boulder REI. The folks over at Ignite have been been helping disabled individuals to experience the empowerment, therapy, and exhilaration of being on the snow for over 35 years.
About Ignite
Ignite (formerly known as Eldora Special Recreation Program) offers adaptive programs in bi/mono (sit) skiing, Nordic and alpine skiing, snowboarding, and snow shoeing. The organization started in 1975 with seven instructors and 10 students, and today provides over 1,000 lessons a season to approximately 225 students with cognitive, developmental, or physical disabilities. An incredible 15,300 hours were donated to the organization by volunteers in the 2010-2011 winter season. The organization estimates that over 65% of their students live on the Front Range.
Organizations that participate in Ignite’s programs include the Special Olympics, students from local schools that are on class ski trips, Boulder County and Fort Collins’ EXPAND program, and the Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind. Ignite also runs a veterans’ program for over 100 wounded and disabled veterans who are post rehabilitation from the Denver and Cheyenne VA medical center. A grant from the USOC Paralympic Military Fund enables Ignite to provide lessons to veterans free of charge for the season after a small annual registration fee of $40.
Ignite funds its program through donations and grants from individuals and charities, the $40 annual registration fee from students and volunteers, and low daily instruction fees for courses. At $60 for a half-day of alpine ski or snowboard instruction and $30 for a half-day of Nordic skiing or snow shoeing instruction, Ignite’s rates are already among the lowest in Colorado for adaptive snow sports instruction (according to the organization’s website). However, Ignite also offers a scholarship program for low-income participants, in addition to the free instruction provided to veterans.
Getting Involved
You don't need to have instructor experience or experience working with disabled individuals to work on the snow with students, though to be an instructor or assistant does require an intermediate or advanced level of riding or skiing. Ignite provides all necessary training for new volunteers. This includes 2.5 days of classroom training beginning at various times in November, and a number of optional on-snow clinics on the weekends in December. While the inherently rewarding nature of the work is more than enough, volunteering with Ignite offers some other benefits as well. Both classroom and on-snow training programs are designed to help volunteers obtain PSIA - AASI certifications. You also get a lift ticket for the day you volunteer as well as a voucher for another day to ski or ride free at Eldora. Finally, returning volunteers next year who volunteer 10 days this season (excluding training days) will receive a free season pass to Eldora next season.
Plenty of off-snow volunteer opportunities exist as well. In addition to snow sports instructors, Ignite is also looking for equipment technicians (training will be provided) or administrative staff to check-in volunteers and students, and perform financial and other record keeping. They are also looking for help with fundraising and grant writing, raising community awareness, facilities maintenance, and participation in the Board of Directors. Volunteers are needed most from Thursdays through Sundays, January through March, when the majority of classes take place.
Many of us in the ski and snowboard community have have gained so much from snow sports. Ignite is improving the lives of not just its students but also its volunteers, by providing them the opportunity and privilege to give some of that back. If you’d like to become a volunteer, make sure to attend the volunteer fair this Saturday or contact Ignite if you can’t make it (I've found them to be very responsive). If you don’t have a lot of time on your hands this season but still want to support the organization, you can donate online to Ignite or support them at the Ski Channel’s upcoming screening of the film “Winter” in Boulder on January 19. You can also follow Ignite on Twitter and Facebook to keep up with their other upcoming events.
To learn more about adaptive snow sports, see Blue Ridge Adaptive Snow Sports’ pages devoted to explaining adaptive methods. Ignite also has a list of adaptive terminology on their site.
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