Since 2008, Adaptive Sports at Sun Peaks (ASSP) has been providing outdoor experiences for individuals living with physical, visual and/or neuro-divergent challenges and the organization is now developing a new roster of summer adventures.
ASSP is a charitable organization that has been teaching accessible skiing and snowboarding at Sun Peaks for years.
“We’re really just getting our feet wet into summer programming,” said Katherine Campbell, executive director for ASSP. The organization started with ski and snowboard lessons that have improved over the years, now with a roster of 60 volunteer instructors and about 450 lessons available during the winter.
Since growing enough to hire Campbell as their first full time employee in 2020, summer programming launched last year.
Building on last year’s introduction
Last year’s summer activities took place once a week, Campbell explained. The programs were geared toward able-bodied individuals with neurodivergent challenges, immersing them in paddleboarding, canoeing, hiking and adaptive mountain biking.
In a similar format to last year, they reached out to their current local community for input and decided on activities each weekend with mostly the same events as summer 2023.
95 per cent of ASSP students are neurodivergent, she explained, though there are some with physical and visual impairments. Planning the pogramming was based on surveys from this database.
With hiking and paddleboarding, she said there’s the potential for the visually impaired to join in, and those with physical disabilities may be able to take a ride on adaptive mountain bikes.
“People can always just reach out and let me know what their needs are,” Campbell said. Each program’s outline has some things listed that are important to note.
With stand up paddleboarding, “we clearly state that in order to get down to the dock where [Bodie Shandro]’s stand up paddleboarding business is, it’s a rugged, difficult terrain,” she explained.
On Aug. 24, they’re hoping to lead a hike up the chair in the alpine, but Campbell said they’re happy to adapt and do a hike at McGillivray Lake or the valley trail if riding the chairlift is too nerve wracking for some people.
“That’s one of the reasons we thought of adding in the farm experience,” she said, which is a new and inclusive activity for this year.
“One of our adaptive instructors owns a farm down in Whitecroft,” she explained, adding the experience will include visiting horses and other animals and planting a plant.
ASSP is also introducing disc golf this year as part of the alpine hiking experience up the Sunburst Express chairlift.
Adaptive mountain biking
“We want to get the feelers out to see which programs are the most popular,” she said. “I think adaptive mountain biking has a lot of potential.”
Kootenay Adaptive Sport Association (KASA) partnered with ASSP, bringing specialized mountain bikes to Sun Peaks. Nine community members enjoyed this biking experience last year and KASA is back this year for an event on Sept. 7.
Part of the purpose of KASA’s visit to do a needs assessment of the bike park, Campbell explained. After each event, KASA rides the trails with resort leaders to assess what upgrades could assist with adaptive riding.
“That’s what we’d really like to do is just understand the terrain better for adaptive mountain biking use and be able to put signage up,” she said.
Mike Reidieger from KASA certifies adaptive mountain biking instructors at mountain biking locations all over North America, Campbell said.
“He said that Sun Peaks, our setup here, is probably one of the best setups for adaptive mountain biking in North America.”
Structuring and expanding summer programming
“The approach that we’re taking is to have experts like Bodie Shandro or Kamloops Canoe and Kayak Club teach the programs and we just organize the logistics,” Campbell said.
ASSP will have their adaptive volunteers at the activities for support, but the experts of that sport will be leading the lesson.
Canadian Adaptive Snowsports (CADS) insures ASSP’s winter program.
“I’m working with CADS to expand so that the insurance will cover summer programs,” Campbell said.
There’s lots of potential for expansion in summer programming.
“There’s a paddling group [CRIS Adaptive Adventures] that has stand up paddleboards that are wheelchair accessible,” Campbell said. She’s reached out to them about the possibility of organizing an excursion to Heffley Lake or somewhere where they could bring their equipment in a similar structure to what they’ve done with KASA.
She’s been working really closely with Whistler Adaptive Sports Program and Rocky Mountain Adaptive who have already established summer programs to collect tips and expertise.
“If we can get some established accessible summer outdoor opportunities happening, people from around the world can come visit,” she said.
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