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Inspired beginnings.
The history of Adaptive Spirit
In 1995, CTAM of the Rocky Mountains wanted to create an event that could raise money for a worthy cause and become a signature experience for the chapter. The chapter’s board members learned the U.S. Paralympics Ski Team had lost its funding and was in danger of disbanding. Chapter leadership quickly concluded the team’s survival was the perfect cause for a Rocky Mountain–based organization to embrace and an event designed to fund the team had the potential to draw executives from across the country and, thus SkiTAM was born.
The first SkiTAM was held in Vail in 1996. SkiTAM ’96 attracted 110 attendees and raised $100,000 for the team - an amount that, at the time, seemed remarkable. That dollar figure, along with the support of the cable industry, caught the attention of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) and helped secure the Paralympic Team’s standing and its future as a team. It also triggered a chain reaction of events that led to SkiTAM ultimately emerging as the team’s financial lifeblood.
The USSA announced a management transition to the U.S. Paralympics, a division of the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC). The same year, the name Adaptive Spirit was chosen to identify the organization which produces SkiTAM. The telecom industry’s financial support and sponsorship will continue to fund the development and training of the remarkable athletes. And now, Adaptive Spirit’s messaging, influence, and strategic partnerships will be expanded to include the broader adaptive community.
AS2015 marks the 20th year of the event and a cumulative $7.9 million dollars raised for the athletes of the U.S. Para Ski & Snowboard Team.
With the world in pandemic lockdown, Adaptive Spirit recognizes that the need still exists for athletes to receive critical funding. The board and committee quickly pivot to present a hybrid/virtual event that garnered $740,000 in contributions for the U.S. Para Ski & Snowboard Team.