Imagine the thrill of ski racing on skis that are only one-and-a-quarter-inch wide with no metal edge.  Now, try to imagine doing it as a visually impaired (VI) cross-country (also known as “Nordic”) ski racer.  And finally, imagine doing it as the racer’s guide.  John Kusko (VI athlete) and Don Hickman (the guide) did just that at the U. S. Cross Country Ski National Championships at Soldier Hollow, Utah (the site of the 2002 Winter Olympic Nordic and Para-Nordic events), from January 1-4, 2024.   John, a former Paralympian (U.S. Paralympic Goal Ball team member at Ri ..read more

Do you want a different skiing experience from the noise and bustle of alpine ski resorts? Do you want to get outdoors in the winter and get some exercise? Is alpine skiing or snowboarding a bit too expensive for your budget? If any of these are true, then cross-country skiing could be the winter sport for you.   Wally Lee, cross country and alpine adaptive skiing instructor Cross-country skiing (also known as Nordic skiing) is more like taking a walk, jog or bike ride through the woods. It’s the earliest form of skiing, invented by the people of Norway and Sweden in the Middle Ages ..read more

Josh Hansen, a retired U.S. Army sergeant, has been bringing veterans to ski with Ogden Valley Adaptive Sports (OVAS) since 2018. His group is known as Continue Mission, which is a non-profit that Josh founded to help veterans heal from injuries ranging from physical to emotional. Josh knows first-hand the struggles that many veterans face. After two tours in Iraq as an IED hunter and 125 combat missions, Josh was directly hit eight times. The culmination of blasts left him with multiple traumatic brain injuries and lasting damage to his neck and back. The years that followed were, as he descr ..read more

Talk to people who know Cindy Conlin, the five-foot-two woman with the radiating smile, and they’ll tell you that she exudes so much enthusiasm it’s contagious. The 51-year-old, who has been teaching adaptive ski lessons with Ogden Valley Adaptive Sports since 2014, never imagined her passions in life would converge. But they did, after she took what she calls a giant leap of faith and followed her heart. Here’s a glimpse into her story. Cindy grew up in New Jersey as the youngest of five kids. Her parents had met skiing, and her dad was so dedicated to the sport he routinely took Cindy and he ..read more

It isn’t immediately obvious what makes Dustin Anderson so likable. The 48-year-old Brigham City resident who everyone calls Dusty is brief with words. But ask anyone who’s taken his ski lessons—he’s taught for over 20 years—and you’ll hear the same thing. Wrapped inside his quiet nature is a caring, steadfast man who not only makes you feel safe but also makes sure you’re having fun. Dusty has worked with Ogden Valley Adaptive Sports since its inception in 2009. While most instructors prefer and specialize in certain types of adaptive lessons, Dusty happily teaches every discipline involving ..read more

If you skied at Snowbasin over the past couple winters, you may have glimpsed an eye-catching sight: two snowboarders, one’s hands on the other’s hips, shredding the mountain in such perfect sync that they could be figure skaters. Or dancers. For Doug Kimball, one of the men, it does feel like a dance. He calls the other snowboarder, an Ogden Valley Adaptive Sports instructor who guides his hips, his “tango partner.” Doug never imagined he’d need this kind of help. He’s been tearing down mountains on a snowboard for four decades. But he also never imagined he’d be diagnosed with a brain tumor ..read more

Oliver Taylor was four when his family discovered adaptive skiing. He had a hard time walking due to a neurodevelopmental disorder, and at the time, in 2015, would often lose his balance and fall to the ground. Even getting from the parking lot to the base lodge, bundled in ski gear was a herculean effort for the Taylors, especially for his mom, Tania. “I’d get to the lodge after holding him up the entire way and think, ‘Phew, that’s it, we’re done for the day!’ ” she said. But when they found Ogden Valley Adaptive Sports at Snowbasin, it felt like the perfect fit. They had access to more conv ..read more

Eden, UTAH—A few days ago, I was feeling nervous about my upcoming ski lessons and then my wife reminded me why: It had been six years since I’ve skied, with everything that goes into it. For me, an adaptive skier, that means six years since I’ve bundled up in long underwear, fleece and gortex and stuffed myself into the bucket seat designed for skiers like me. A video from 2016 shows me at Snow Basin on a bi-ski, making smooth turns all on my own. But that’s not what stands out in my memory. What stands out is the crash, which happened during my lesson at Powder Mountain, where I was rushed t ..read more

Ogden Valley Adaptive Sports (OVAS) officially began in 2009. But it took multiple years, one daunting transition, and a handful of passionate people. When Stew Marsh joined Snowbasin in 2004 to oversee and expand the ski school, he knew he wanted to add an adaptive program. A decades-long ski industry man and former ski instructor, Stew, like many, was awed and inspired by the event that had happened in Utah two years earlier. For the first time ever on the American continent, the Winter Paralympic Games took place in the U.S. and Snowbasin was the site for several of the alpine events. For m ..read more

“1, 2, 3, BOOM!” That’s what 13-year-old Sam Dingman told his parents after his first OVAS ski lesson. The moment was significant for several reasons, one of them being that Sam has Down syndrome. Not only is speaking hard for him, but also are activities that require leg strength. Sam demonstrated what he had learned as he spoke. BOOM marked the moment his instructor, Carrie, wanted him to angle his skis into a wedge and stop. Sam’s mom, Tausha, and dad, Doug, were thrilled. This was the first time Sam had been independently upright on skis. And from the smile on his face, they knew he wanted ..read more