Accessible Mountain Adventure for All

At Whistler’s two 2010 Paralympic Winter Games sport venues, Whistler Creekside and Whistler Olympic Park, Paralympians are combining alpine and Nordic accessibility with dedication and perseverance to create inspiring and uplifting athletic performances.  In Whistler, accessibility efforts include striving to make mountain adventure enjoyable for everyone — including people of all abilities, families, seniors and anyone with a desire to experience mountain magic, year-round.  

The Whistler Adaptive Sports Program aims to provide recreational accessibility for all. This non-profit organization provides people with a range of disabilities and abilities with the opportunity to take part in sports and recreation programs in Whistler. In winter, WASP and sponsors provide skiing and snowboarding lessons.  WASP offers its members access to its Adaptive Alpine Race Development Program, and to Nordic sit-ski rental and coaching for every level of skier. In summer, WASP offers kayaking, canoeing, handcycling and hiking. Led by a core group of paid staff, WASP programs are delivered by volunteers from the community.

For more adrenaline-fueled adventure, multiple activity providers in Whistler cater to the needs of those with a wide range of disabilities. Snowmobile tours, sleighride adventures and dogsledding for example, are all accessible. Whistler Bungee can handle a wheel chair on their jump… take it from Rick Hansen’s experience:

Whistler Olympic Park, set in the stunning Callaghan Valley and built for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, offers 55 kilometres of cross-country ski trails with variety to suit all abilities. For families, chariot child carriers are available for rental.

Alpen glow describes the pink of the mountains at sunset. Surely it’s also a fitting term for the exhilaration shared by people with a variety of abilities, ages, and fitness levels who are able to experience Whistler’s magic in the way best suited to them. In the mountains, access to a heightened perspective can naturally open the mind to an ever-expanding realm of possibility — and to even more mountain adventure for all.