Skiing

Ski-A-Thon Fundraiser a Sunday River ‘Party on Snow’ March 21

By Heather Burke

March 16, 2015

1 minute to read

Photos by Greg Burke

The Maine Adaptive Ski-A-Thon, a perennial party on the snow at Sunday River, celebrates its 30th year Saturday, March 21. Folks ski in costumes, race, and barbecue on the slopes. An après ski banquet with music and awards follows. What’s special about this event, besides its three-decade accomplishment, is the hurdles and handicaps that the skiers conquer every day to ski.

Sunday River’s Ski-A-Thon is Maine Adaptive Sports’ (formerly Maine Handicapped Skiing) biggest fundraiser, raising more than $300,000 in one day for Maine’s original and largest adaptive ski organization. It all started in 1982 when Dr. Chip Crothers, a Maine orthopedic surgeon, and Les Otten, founder of American Skiing Company, launched the group with two volunteers to help eight people with physical disabilities, with the belief that they would benefit from the physical and emotional freedom of skiing.

Maine Adaptive Sport has since grown to 450 volunteers and provides more than 3,500 lessons annually at Sunday River, Sugarloaf, Camden Snow Bowl, Saddleback and Black Mountain in Maine. There are participants from all over the East Coast, including Canada. Maine adaptive athletes range in age from 4 to 94, and have challenges ranging from visual impairments to amputations, from kids with disabilities to Wounded Warriors and Veterans.

What’s truly special about the Ski-A-Thon is it’s the one day each winter when all the participants, instructors, volunteers, and supporters get to meet and celebrate their achievements on snow while raising serious dough. You can be a part of it by putting together a Ski A Thon Team of five, pledging $1,000 (or $200 per team member), which gets you a day of free skiing at Sunday River, breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and the gratitude of some incredibly courageous adaptive athletes.