PALISADES TAHOE, Calif. — The ski industry has made strides over the years in providing adaptive skiing and riding opportunities, but those with limited mobility continue to face challenges in reaching the mountains. said Marina Gardiner, director of guest services for the nonprofit Achieve. Tahoe.
Achieve Tahoe’s mission is to provide affordable, comprehensive recreational activities in the Lake Tahoe area.
“Resorts generally have a hard time accessing the snow from their parking lots,” Gardiner said at the April 18 Mountain Travel Symposium.
For example, she noted that at the Village of Palisades Tahoe, the base of the Palisades Tahoe ski area, customers must pass through the village before boarding the tram, gondola or lift.
Gardner said as resorts look to upgrade their facilities, it’s important to consider designs that make it as easy as possible for people to get from accessible parking to the snow.
She cited Palisades Tahoe’s Alpine Meadows base as an object of praise. Alpine Meadows was once a separate resort from Palisades Tahoe, but its owners, Alterra Mountain Company, connected the mountains with a gondola.
“Alpine Meadows is the best resort I’ve ever been to in terms of being able to park 100 feet from the snow,” said Gardiner, who has limited mobility herself. “It’s flat from the car to the snow, and the lift takes him in three minutes. Most resorts have more obstacles.”
Mr Gardiner said it was important to have ample accessible parking as it was important that spaces were available whenever needed.
Across the travel industry, Gardiner said it was important for travel companies of all types to make accessibility a core part of new construction design. She says there’s no reason why all hotel rooms can’t be accessed.
Existing ski lodges are often divided into multiple levels to suit the landscape and must be carefully adapted to facilitate maneuverability for people with disabilities.
Gardiner had Palisades Tahoe and Tahoe-area Northstar Ski Area provide free lift passes to Achieve Tahoe participants and volunteers.
But demand for accessible lessons always outstrips supply, she said. Achieve Tahoe can sell subsidized full-day lessons for $160. This applies not only to people with limited mobility, but also to people with other types of disabilities. For example, a child with autism may need private lessons rather than group lessons, which are more affordable.
Gardiner said no other resort in the Tahoe area has a program like the one Achieve Tahoe offers in partnership with Northstar and Palisade Tahoe.
Speaking to a room of ski industry experts at the Mountain Travel Symposium, she taught attendees the pros and cons of developing an adaptive ski program in-house versus partnering with a nonprofit like Achieve Tahoe. I recommended that you consider it.
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Mountain Travel Symposium is operated by Northstar Travel Group, the parent company of Travel Weekly.
