History of the

National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic

The National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic evolved from the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) pioneering efforts in rehabilitation and adaptive sports. The Clinic provides disabled veterans with opportunities for self-development and challenge through sports and leisure activities, which they may have felt were no longer available to them because of their disabilities. At the Clinic, participants have a chance to develop winter sports skills and take part in a variety of adaptive work-shops, which demonstrate that having a disability need not be an obstacle to an active, rewarding life.

The origins of the Clinic date back to the early 1980s when Sandy Trombetta, founder and director of the National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic, began bringing VA patients to a nearby mountain resort to participate in disabled ski programs. As a recreation therapist in Grand Junction, Colorado, he recognized the physical and mental healing that skiing and other winter sports provided to disabled veterans.

The first Winter Sports Clinic was held in 1987 at Powderhorn Resort on the Grand Mesa outside of Grand Junction. During this first year, 20 staff members gave 87 disabled veterans the opportunity to learn to ski using adaptive ski equipment and helped them participate in a variety of adaptive activities and workshops. It became apparent over the next few years that because of the popularity and therapeutic benefits of the Clinic, more support was needed. In 1991, the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) became a co-sponsor of the event.

Over the past 20 years, the Clinic has grown tremendously. In 2005, more than 320 participants attended from across the country, along with 150 certified ski instructors for the disabled and several members of the U.S. Disabled Ski Team. Several participants who learned to ski at the Clinic are now members of the U.S. Disabled Ski Team. Other Colorado sites to host the Clinic have included Crested Butte Mountain Resort, and currently Snowmass Resort near Aspen.

Participation is open to U.S. military service veterans with spinal cord injuries, orthopedic amputations, visual impairments, certain neurological problems and other disabilities. The adaptive ski equipment has been modified and updated each year, and the event now integrates skiing with exploratory activities. Veterans learn Alpine and Nordic skiing and are introduced to other activities and sports such as rock climbing, scuba diving, trap shooting, horseback riding, snowmobiling and sled hockey. The U.S. Secret Service teaches a self-defense course to participants who are in wheelchairs or are visually impaired. In 2006, a race training and development program was started to help veterans develop their skiing skills to an elite level.

The National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic is the largest annual disabled learn-to-ski clinic in the world. VA and DAV are committed to the rehabilitation of disabled veterans through this annual event and to providing world-class health care at VA facilities. The Clinic truly reflects the mission of both organizations – to provide quality programs and health care to America’s veterans.

Number of Veterans Participating in the
National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic
1987- 2005