United States Association of Blind Athletes’ 5th Annual Ski Festival Kicks off Feb. 11, 2012 at Pico Mountain Blind and visually impaired skiers take to the slopes in Vermont
Colorado Springs, CO. (Jan. 12, 2012 ) – The United States Association of Blind Athletes (USABA) in partnership with Vermont Adaptive Ski & Sports
(VASS) will hold its 5th Annual Winter Ski Festival in Killington, Vt., Saturday, Feb. 11 and Sunday, Feb. 12 at Pico Mountain. Athletes with visual impairment of all ages and abilities will be given the opportunity to learn to ski or race in the sports of alpine and Nordic skiing and also participate in the sport of biathlon.
This year, a group Veterans will attend the festivities. The USABA Military Sport Program works to enhance the lives of disabled Veterans and Service Members who are blind or visually impaired and to accelerate their rehabilitation process through sport, physical activity, and recreation; as well as assist in the integration of those individuals back into their local community. Military Sport Program Coordinator, Rich Cardillo explains, “The USABA Military Sport Program is all about giving disabled Veterans and disabled Service Members who are blind or visually impaired a sporting chance in bringing normalcy back into their lives.”
Trained guides and instructors are provided by Vermont Adaptive Ski & Sports
(VASS) the largest year-round disabled sports non-profit organization in Vermont. VASS will pair each blind or visually impaired skier with a trained ski guide to practice and learn ski or race. Alpine skiing will be hosted at Pico Ski Resort in Killington, Vt.; while Nordic will be at Mountain Top Inn in Chittenden, Vt.
Participants stay at Cortina Inn and Resort and are provided transportation for the daily events. The weekend will conclude with a banquet dinner held at the Cortina Inn and will feature a key-note speaker of Paralympics stature.
It is not to late to sign up! For more information or to register visit http://usaba.org/index.php/sports/calendar-details/5th_annual_winter_ski_festival/ or contact: Mark Lucas at USABA at: (719) 866-3220 or Katie Stillin at Vermont Adaptive: (802) 353-7584.
USABA’s Mission: to enhance the lives of blind and visually impaired people by providing the opportunity for participation in sports and physical activity. For more information, please visit our Web site:
VASS’s Mission: is committed to empowering individuals with disabilities.
We promote independent and father equality through access and instruction in sports and recreational activities. For more information go to: