VASS EARLY HOLIDAY SHOPPING ONLINE Auction

VASS is a nonprofit organization that helps people with disabilities learn how to ski and snowboard on Vancouver's North Shore mountains. With over 400 volunteer instructors this year, we will deliver in excess of 1300 lessons to people of all ages. This year we are making a shift to involve more friends and family in the process of helping people to learn how to ski and ride. We are helping to support over 40 people in this new program and we need your help to get it done.

It is our hope that this online auction opportunity will also help you in your early holiday season shopping. When we can all work together and do things that create win-win situation, it is always fun to support a great organization. Thank you in advance for your many bids, and please come and say hi when you were on our local Vancouver mountains. We will be the people with the bright green jackets that say VASS on the back.

Vancouver Adaptive Snow Sports (VASS) runs skiing and snowboarding programs for persons with a disability at Grouse, Seymour and Cypress Mountains. VASS makes the mountain experience accessible to all. VASS is a registered non-profit society (89254 2168 RR0001), operated by a dedicated group of volunteers, which includes an active Board of Directors, program coordinators, instructors and administrators.

What began as the brainchild of Sue Hamilton and Val MacMillan, local physiotherapists working with amputee patients who saw an opportunity to share their passion for skiing, has grown and flourished over the years into the Vancouver Adaptive Snow Sports (VASS) program we know today. We have been offering adaptive programs at Grouse Mountain since 1974.

We welcome students of all ages and disabilities, utilizing adaptive equipment and/or specialized teaching techniques to maximize a person’s independence on the snow. To meet the needs of its members, VASS offers programs from beginner to advanced, which include snowboarding, sit ski, stand-up skiing and advanced adaptive ski racing.

Our instructors are trained to use the adaptive equipment and specialized teaching techniques. They must successfully complete the Canadian Adaptive Snowsports (CADS) instructor certification, which utilizes the Canadian Ski Instructors Alliance and Canadian Association of Snowboard Instructors certification methodology. VASS is affiliated with BC Adaptive Snowsports (BCAS) and Canadian Adaptive Snowsports (CADS).

VASS is supported by Grouse, Seymour & Cypress Mountains. We are funded through community partnerships with local businesses, clubs/foundations, private donations and fundraising initiatives. Please contact our fundraising committee for further information email info@vass.ca