Our Impact

What a fantastic experience! I honestly didn’t think we’d ever ski as a family but I was wrong! RMA made a dream a reality! It was the best trip we’ve ever been on. I would highly recommend RMA to anyone and everyone. Our son Alby is in a wheelchair, we weren’t sure how he’d take to skiing and how easy it would be to organise. He had his own sit ski for the week, the instructors were amazing. We had four and all of them were fantastic! Alby loved every second of skiing. It was amazing to be able to ski as a family! Something we didn’t really think was possible. The instructors were really positive and invited us to join in and help learning what to do and how to cope with Alby in the sit ski. I can’t thank these people enough!

We participated in the Family Fun Days in the Summer. We enjoyed all four activities. Excellent customer service, equipment, and location, friendly staff; just loved it all, thank you very much.

Most parents of special needs children are hesitant to participate in out door activities as we were. Until we discovered your organization and now we know, how much fun it can be, without compromising on safety.

What a great time we all had at Sunshine Village with RMA! Jamie was our instructor the first day and he was just terrific. We had a family lesson for Kevin Jr. on the sit ski and we all walked away learning something new that we applied the rest of the days. In fact, my other 2 kids have grown in their confidence and comfort level which really showed up when we took a wrong turn and went through some difficult trails under the ski lifts to get back to our original path. Even I was tested on that one!! Kevin Jr. had a tough first day on the sitski with getting used to it and building up his stamina but by the next two days, the family had a hard time keeping up with him.

Life with disability is extra challenging. Taking our kiddo on a kayak trip and not having to worry about set up and take down was so awesome. Take your whole family and spend the day with your loved one doing something active in the mountains – what a gift for everyone.

Our son, Benicio had the most amazing time with George! We finally can do a sport like this together! We will keep signing up as much as we can! The team were professionals –  kind and helpful through entire process.

Nick our instructor for Hailey’s sit ski lesson was excellent. He developed a great rapport with Hailey, and she learned very quickly on how to use the sit ski. The booking process was great, Jenni help us to arrange and book a schedule that worked for us, The team at RMA was excellent to work with in both the scheduling and the instruction offered.

Ocean is severely delayed in many areas, primarily speech, but also his muscle development. Being outside is a stimulant for Ocean, and he opens up in ways that he never would at home. Over the course of the 10 weeks, Ocean became physically stronger & more confident in his abilities. His therapist has noticed added strength in his lower body, and flexibility in his hips. We would wake up on Saturday mornings, and tell him that we were going skiing, he would do his little “ski dance” & give us the biggest smile. because Ocean has to be taught one on one, is extensive. We were so grateful for the work of Rocky Mountain Adaptive for all of the funds they were able to raise to help us. Thank you to everyone who has brought so much joy into our boys life.

Surgical procedures curtailed any thoughts of becoming even a recreational skier. Although I enjoyed the idea of racing down a mountainside, such was not to be. And then I was introduced to Rocky Mountain Adaptive Skiing and Kim. A new way to enjoy the slopes. I have found those few members of Rocky Mountain Adaptive that I have met to be caring, interested and safety conscious of persons who are challenged physically to enjoy participating in the wonderful sport of downhill skiing. At 80+ in years it is nice to know that committed staff at Rocky Mountain Adaptive are there to help others enjoy an outing on the slopes. The staff and volunteers at RMA change lives for the better. It is absolutely incredible to share the experience of someone being able to try an activity that they no longer thought possible because of physical limitations. My heart was full watching my dad ski again. Thank you so much for all of the work that goes into making these activities possible!

Every aspect of the experience exceeded our expectations. The RMA team did a great job of considering the needs and abilities of everyone involved to ensure that we had the most amazing time! The RMA staff and volunteers were very positive and encouraging! It was an extremely empowering experience!

I signed my 8 year old daughter for the U Can Try It Camp. She tried snowboarding and by the end of the camp she was able to do go down the magic carpet hill unassisted. We are so grateful for the time and efforts the instructors provided. It takes so much patience and skill to teach someone with different needs. I signed her up for more private classes going forward. The staff were patient and caring staff, able to cater to individual needs.

Amazing day despite the rain. Was able to take my 25 yr old son on a mountian hike. we took it easy as we did not know what to expect. we will be making this an annual event. It is so awesome that this exists for people with disabilities and their families. Thank you so much for helping us enjoy our day!

This winter a passion was awakened inside of me. This is all thanks to the adaptive skiing program at Sunshine and of course my instructor Jamie McCulloch.

I started lessons in January and after just ten lessons, I have transformed into an amazing skier. I have been pushed to my limits and helped to reach a new level of skiing. Thanks to having the opportunity to ski, I have overcome some of my fears, gained confidence and realized that nothing is impossible.

The program allowed me to challenge myself as a skier and to reach new heights. At times everyday life can be a struggle for me. Especially navigating the crowded hallways in a giant high school or doing some of the activities in gym class. I don’t always fit in. When I ski, all my problems disappear. Skiing gives me the freedom I don’t have in everyday life. I plan to ski the rest of my life. In fact, Jamie has been such an inspiration to me, that I want to teach other people with disabilities to ski. I believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn to ski, no matter what. There is nothing I would rather do. It is one of those things that I can’t go a day without thinking about. The ski season has just ended and I honestly don’t know how I am going to survive another six months until I get to use my pink skis again! If I didn’t have skiing to look forward to, I don’t know what I would do. This program has changed my life in so many ways. I am so grateful, and if programs like this did not exist, I might not have had the chance to discover my true passion in life. And who knows, maybe one day I will represent Canada in the Olympics!!

We were coming to Canmore to celebrate the 50th anniversary of my parents. We were looking for an activity for all of us to do together which can sometimes be challenging as one person in our family uses a wheelchair. As I was googling things to do and your organization came up. Everything was easy to book online from payment to waiver forms. I got an email back quickly to confirm that all of us could take part. Rocky Mountain Adaptive met us at the site and provided a guide / support person for my nephew and two other volunteers also joined us. We had a great day and you helped to create a fabulous family memory that we wouldn’t have been able to do without you.

It was my first ever adventure to participate in water sports activities. My disability compromised by balance so I was afraid to try any sports activities, moreso with water sports. It was a surprise when I finally did it and I was so delighted that I did it with RMA. You guys were so amazing! You were so patient with me and supported me throughout my first ever kayaking and canoeing activities at Quarry Lake. Thank you, RMA for an unforgettable experience.. I can’t wait to book another adventure with you!

Kim has worked with us driving the bucket for Elise our daughter. She is super friendly and fun and can ski all the fun tree runs and bumps Elise our daredevil loves to ride on her sit ski! We love this program. Thank you for making our ski lifestyle dream come true!

I accomplished something that I thought was impossible. RMA gave me the confidence to accomplish anything and that if I can dream it I can do it. We appreciate that some of the instructors themselves have to use adaptive aids to ski, it makes us feel more comfortable with any challenges that we may have and that we can be successful in skiing as well! Not only were we given the opportunity and confidence to learn how to ski, but we also made new friends in our Rocky Mountain Adaptive instructors.

With all of the sports, we’ve seen wonderful benefits. Because the skiing is something Matthew’s been doing for a number of years with one on one instruction – it’s been fantastic for his confidence. It made him realize he can do something he previously thought he could never do, which has consequently helped him in other areas of his life. It’s also made a big difference to our family life because now we can go out and ski together.

Our sons first adaptive sit-ski lesson last year with RMA opened up a portal of adventure and capability he never imagined would be possible. His squeals of joy and appreciation for the slopes are so amazingly rewarding to hear. For a wheelchair bound 8 yr old child who is early on the long journey towards coping with his physical disability, these experiences are monumental for his confidence. The RMA team right down to every instructor and volunteer have been wonderful. Thank you for helping to give us family time on the slopes. We would most definitely would recommend to other families because the experiences are rewarding- despite the travel, logistics, and expense of getting to the resort.