Excellent news out of Colorado where a new adaptive sports building will be constructed at Eldora Ski Resort. Ignite Adaptive Sports has been working out of temporary buildings at Eldora for the past 20 years and will finally break ground tomorrow on a new 12,000 sq/ft facility at the base of the mountain. The new building will have a ton more space, be closer to the slopes, and will make it easier for more people in adaptive sports to get outside…HURRAY!
About Ignite Adaptive Sports:
Located at the base of picturesque Eldora Mountain, just 21 miles outside of Boulder, CO, Ignite Adaptive Sports harnesses the heart and dedication of the Front Range, surrounding mountain, and Northern Colorado communities to provide children and adults with disabilities access to Colorado’s amazing outdoor winter sports. Join us for alpine and cross-country skiing, snowboarding, ski biking, and snowshoeing lessons.Our dedicated team of trained volunteer instructors share their love of outdoor snowsports by providing winter sport lessons that are individualized to each athlete’s unique needs. Our athletes inspire us daily with their strength, courage, and zest for life.
Our Mission
Our mission is to ignite personal growth, independence, and confidence in people with disabilities on the Front Range, and in surrounding mountain and Northern Colorado communities, by providing caring, safe, and fun adaptive winter snowsports opportunities.
Our History
In the 1970’s, ten passionate University of Colorado students saw an opportunity to enhance the lives of other CU students with disabilities, by providing them access to Colorado’s great winter sport of skiing. In 1975, this dedicated group gained permission from Eldora Mountain Resort to create an Alpine Adaptive Skiing program for ten athletes with disabilities. Since then, Ignite Adaptive Sports (formerly Eldora Special Recreation Program ESRP) has grown into a volunteer team of over 230 people serving over 300 athletes each year.
Today, outdoor sports enthusiasts of all ages and disabilities are welcome to take part in our nationally recognized program. Our dedicated team donates between 15,000 – 20,000 hours (worth more than $350,000 according to The Independent Sector) of their time and energy each year to provide private snow sport lessons to hundreds of people living with disabilities in Colorado. This includes wounded active duty and military veterans served through a US Paralympic Military Program Ignite developed in 2009, in collaboration with the U.S. Olympic Committee.
While other adaptive winter sport programs exist in Colorado, Ignite is the only comprehensive program located along the Front Range and the only program accessible by RTD’s public transportation system.
Our Work
All of us at Ignite believe everyone should be able to enjoy winter sports regardless of skill or ability level. We provide the best possible winter sports experience to each athlete we serve.
Our current offerings include alpine and cross-country skiing, snowboarding, ski biking, and snowshoeing opportunities. Full and half-day snow-sport lessons run from January through March and are held Thursdays through Sundays.
Our Athletes
Outdoor sports enthusiasts of all ages and ability level are welcome to take part in Ignite’s nationally recognized program. Ignite’s athletes range in age from 5 to almost 90 and have varying disabilities, including autism, cerebral palsy, missing limbs, paralysis, visual impairments, and post-traumatic stress disorder, with many experiencing more than one type of disability.
Our Volunteers
Volunteers are the key to Ignite Adaptive Sports’ success. They provide 100 percent of our lessons and support all other aspects of the organization – from program management to fundraising – contributing over 15,000 hours of their time, talent and energy, providing over 1,300 individual lessons to more than 200 people living with disabilities. Many Ignite volunteers have family members or friends who participate in the program and return to Ignite year after year.
