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Top 3 Ski Areas in the State
October 17, 2009 By
The writer and her husband Craig, in Winter Park
The three main things that Access Anything looks for in a ski area when we want to recommend it to fellow people with disabilities (PWD) are:
1. General access of the ski area base – parking, equipment storage, and location to lodging
2. Lodging – several price options with great access near the base
3. Getting around – on the mountain and in town; local accessible transportation as well as ski area ease. (Ski areas with multiple peaks and lifts that don’t connect to each other, or those without accessible public transit aren’t our first choice for PWD.)
Having been to all 9 of the ski areas that have adaptive programs in Colorado, we’ve picked out the top three for PWD- the newbies out there that want to try skiing, but don’t want the hassles of figuring it all out on your own, the experienced skier but newbie to Colorado, or the expert skier who just wants the best snow and easiest way to get to it! These three areas best cater to PWD needs before you arrive, while you’re here, on the mountain, and off the mountain.
A. Winter Park – the National Sports Center for the Disabled since 1970
While we hang our skis next door in Steamboat, we still can’t argue that WP’s ski area is hands-down the best all around for all levels of skiers with disabilities who are either traveling on their own or with their family and friends. Why? From start to finish, WP covers your needs like grandma’s homemade afghan blanket.
The winning combination: What 40 years of experience will bring you:
- General Access: You name it, in WP it’s accessible. From restaurants to lodging to the ski area, any disability is covered here. Don’t even call the restaurant, seriously. Now that kind of reliability is what makes the best, the very best.
- Lodging: Their central reservations department can answer every question on lodging before you get there, helping you find lodging from Bed and Breakys, hotels, to condos. [800-453-2525]
- Getting Around: Both the Paratransit [(970) 726-4163] and the free city shuttle can help you get around the town of Winter Park. On the mountain, the NSCD will give you a lesson or a ski buddy, and has made sure that the mountain is a fabulous place for PWD.
B. Steamboat Springs – 2nd oldest adaptive program in the state, 1976
While it might sound like we’re biased by all the ‘Boat plugging we do, it’s not for naught, I promise. Steamboat Adaptive was established just 6 years after the NSCD, boasting 33 years of experience this year, and it’s just getting better. Access Anything has made sure that the last five years have been dedicated to improvements around the base and training all ski area departments on sensitivity, equipment, and needs, and a new nonprofit STARS has just taken over the operation of the adaptive school to expand its sports programming to other sports. Access Anything also teams up with Adaptive Adventures to offer one of the best advanced, adult ski camps in the state every January.
- General Access: The multi-level base area might seem daunting, but the 3D map online and 4-yr old way finding signage will get point you in the right direction from the free parking (just for PWD) to the base. The Gondola is accessible and its staff will store your monoski overnight.
- Lodging: As with Winter Park, Steamboat’s Central Res [800-922-2722] staff is well trained annually to handle PWD’s needs and the plethora of lodging gives options to everything.
- Getting Around: Every free city bus in Steamboat has a lift on it, and the city also provides a Paratransit. Go Alpine also have several accessible options that double as airport shuttles and in-town taxis.
C. Aspen – the Veteran’s Choice
Home to Challenge Aspen, a relatively new program in the state (1995), Aspen has hosted the DAV Ski Week (Disabled American Veterans) for years, bringing thousands of disabled vets into the area to have some fun on the slopes. While the other ski areas and adaptive programs are just as great, we’ve found that Aspen is the one that has to slide into this tough #3 spot for it’s ability to fit all three of our major needs.
- General Access – While skiing IS split up in this area between 4 mountains, Snowmass is the one we send PWD to for its relations with Challenge Aspen, acreage of terrain, friendly lifts system and employees, and base area access.
- Lodging – The best part about lodging in this area is that PWD get great support through Challenge Aspens donors, so call the adaptive program for the posh treatment whether you’re getting a lesson or not. [970-923-0578]
- Getting Around – All mountain shuttle buses have lifts here as well, and the parking is best in Lot 6 or 7 to get the closest to the slopes.
Know all this information and more with Access Anything: Colorado, the only guide to the state for PWD.
More on Colorado Adpative Travel Examiner
Axs Vail Valley: Access, universal design, and adaptive adventure
August 7, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Today I sat with Sarah Will of Axs Vail Valley for our radio show I Can Do That on Blog Talk Radio. Sarah is the driving force and Executive Director of this 5 year old company that has slowly been building momentum for access, advocacy, design, and travel in the Vail and Beaver Creek corridor of Colorado. Vail has seen numerous changes during Sarah’s many years in the area, and even before Axs Vail Valley, she was helping to make her new hometown a better place for people with disabilities.
If you’re visiting the area and need assistance or live in the area and need consultation on accessibility and universal design, visit www.AxsVailValley.org for more information.
Listen to our podcast of this short thirty minute segment with Sarah starting August 8.
Sarah Will of Axs Vail Valley in 2006 pointing out alternate routes for wheelchair users in Vail Village.
Axs Vail Valley: Access, universal design, and adaptive adventure
August 7, 2009 By
Today I sat with Sarah Will of Axs Vail Valley for our radio show I Can Do That on Blog Talk Radio. Sarah is the driving force and Executive Director of this 5 year old company that has slowly been building momentum for access, advocacy, design, and travel in the Vail and Beaver Creek corridor of Colorado. Vail has seen numerous changes during Sarah’s many years in the area, and even before Axs Vail Valley, she was helping to make her new hometown a better place for people with disabilities.
If you’re visiting the area and need assistance or live in the area and need consultation on accessibility and universal design, visit www.AxsVailValley.org for more information.
Listen to our podcast of this short thirty minute segment with Sarah starting August 8.
Sarah Will of Axs Vail Valley in 2006 pointing out alternate routes for wheelchair users in Vail Village.
"Webby Talents," a New Place to Post Your Videos
March 28, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Webbytalents (WT) is a relatively new video-hosting site for people with disabilities. They’ve been open since February of 2008 and have gathered thousands of videos since then. We posted our first video to this site in January and it’s already up to nearly 300 views. In this day and age, we network with whoever we can to help spread the word of disability travel, so WT was a no brainer for us to join. The more places we’re visual at, the more we help expand the awareness and share our experiences. WT is a networking site as well as a posting site. You can accrue a long list of friends like you would on Facebook, vote on their videos like you can on You Tube, and even start your own groups like you can with NING. The site is open to any types of (appropriate) videos, and you are requested to share your type of disability (mobility, cognitive, seeing, hearing, etc). Despite whether you think this is “right” or not, we advise you to share if you’re open to it so that others can network with you based on disability. As we all know, knowing a lot about one disability doesn’t necessarily mean you know them all. Like with YouTube and Facebook, you are not allowed to post videos that infringe on copyrights, such as using someone else’s music for your background, or someone else’s videos (a video of a TV show perhaps) or photos. The site also features a search engine. Research done by typing tags, keywords. Webbytalents is a space for exchange and sharing which allows: We can all become an agent of change and contribute to a better integration of disability in society. Webbytalents is a place that is made so that everyone can express themselves, learn, share experiences, present his association and raise awareness of disability worldwide. We hope that you’ll check out this growing forum for disability videos as we’ve done; we always felt ours got a little lost in the ginormous community of YouTube and are thrilled that someone has made a new home for ours!
Continental Airlines Disability Advisory Board Updates
March 4, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Hello from Houston!
We have immediate news from the start of this 2-day meeting with Continental Airlines’ Disability Advisory Board and their progress over the last six months since our first meeting in October. We’re very excited to bring their update to you, as they have indeed taken our advice to heart and brought forth some excellent changes in their day-to-day operations in handling customers with disabilities.
We hope that you will begin to pay attention to the progress and improvements that companies like CO and direct your future business accordingly!
1. Now on Continental.com customers with disabilities can create a personal profile which includes all their special needs so they do not have to enter them for each and every reservation they book
2. Continental has beefed up their disability awareness training through an awareness day and the upcoming changes to the DOT regulations with the addition of 14 CFR part 382, which is an entire subject in and of itself, but is a wonderful new tool and benefit for PWD and their rights when flying.
http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov/rules/382short.pdf
3. Continental is developing a mobility device plaquard, which we have written about before, that will clearly spell out the simple operation and stowage needs for power wheelchairs and scooters. We’ll post that as soon as it’s ready!
4. Starting April 1st, lead flight attendants will finally be recognizable by a lead agent ensignia on their name tags so that customers with special needs can address their needs to this agent directly.
5. Starting May 13th, in conjunction with the release of the 382 document, passengers using Emotional Support Animals will be required to give 48 hours notice to the airline in order to prevent the increasing amount of fraud in this area. Note this does not apply to service/working/guide dogs, just psychological assist animals.
6. Also starting May 13th, additional FAA-approved respiration devices will now be accepted. Aside from the currently accepted BAC, ventilators and respirators will be accepted.
7. At many hub airports such as Houston, Cleveland and Newark, TSA has begun to expedite customers with service animals to a ”relieving area” outside, through security and back, to help PWD meet their connections and therefore book shorter connections. Secure-area (plane side) relief areas are still being studied, but we still hope to help create those someday!
Again we are excited to bring these updates to you from Continental Airlines; please pass them on and stay tuned for more as we continue to progress with this board and its relationships with partners in the air travel industry! Congratulations, Continental!
