Year-Round Adaptive Recreation

Each year, Challenge Mountain provides nearly 2,000 individual experiences to new and returning participants, families, school groups and community organizations.

Our current slate of activities include adaptive recreational sports, social and community engagement, creative arts, a summer day camp, personal skill building and occupational therapeutic opportunities. See below for a list of current programs offered and click on the calendar icon to view upcoming events.

Thanks to the generous support of donors and volunteers, the majority of our programs, instruction and equipment use are available at no cost to participants as well as the schools and organizations that serve people living with disabilities (any program with fees are indicated as such).

Safety is our first priority and all staff and volunteers are trained to assist individuals living with disabilities to participate in recreational activities. Challenge Mountain program directors and volunteers are engaging, and interactions with each participant ensure meaningful and memorable experiences.

Challenge Mountain adaptive programs are designed to promote an individual’s potential while spending time with friends and family, learning new things, and having fun!

Our Current Programs

Please note that outdoor activities are highly dependent on weather conditions and may be cancelled with short notice.

  • If you are an individual, family member, CLS worker, group home supervisor or personal support/aide/caregiver, and wish to register between 1-5 participants, you can sign-up for upcoming programs online by first completing a PARTICIPANT PROFILE (if you haven’t filled one out for the current year), followed by clicking on this link HERE to begin program registration. You can also register offline by contacting us through phone (231.535.2141) or email (linda@challengemtn.org).
  • If you are a teacher, paraprofessional, work in a school environment or work for a community disability organization and wish to register groups of 6 or more participants, please call us or send an email.
Available to individuals, families and groups

  • Adaptive Biking Adventures
  • Adaptive Fishing Adventures
  • Adaptive Kayaking Adventures
  • Creative Arts Studio
  • Art Speaks! Adults with Disabilities Art Class, provided in partnership with Crooked Tree Arts Center – Petoskey
  • Music and Rhythm Class, provided in partnership with Big Water Creative Arts
  • Special Needs Artistic Movement and Dance Class, provided in partnership with CTAC – School of Ballet
  • Speciality arts and crafts programs
  • SPIRIT Club
  • Bowling League
  • Mini Golf League
  • Movie Nights
  • Holiday events and parties
  • Social and community activities
  • SPIRIT Day Camp


Special Events

Available exclusively to groups (unless otherwise noted)

  • Adventure Education at Camp Daggett
  • Equine Therapy, provided in partnership with Northern Michigan Equine Therapy

Our spring, summer and fall adaptive programs are held at various locations in northwest Michigan.

Available to individuals, families and groups

  • Adaptive Ski Lessons, including use of various adaptive ski equipment
  • Cross Country Skiing
  • Sledding
  • Snowshoeing

Adaptive skiing was the first program started by Challenge Mountain over 40 years ago, and we continue that tradition to this day. We have trained staff and volunteers ready to help all, and adaptive ski equipment available for those who need it. Whether you’ve never skied before, or done it 100 times, Challenge Mountain is dedicated to providing everyone a chance to engage in recreation and community. In addition, we also offer monthly Fun Fridays for those who may not want to ski, but still wish to get out and enjoy northern Michigan’s winter wonderland. Read below for further details.

Winter programs are offered January – March. Our adaptive ski programs are held at Boyne Mountain Resort.

Due to limited space and volunteer time, we can only serve so many people on any given date.

We require a 48 hour notice to ensure availability of instructors.

Adaptive ski lessons for classrooms and groups occur on:

  • Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:30am – 2pm.

Adaptive ski lessons for individuals and families occur on:

  • Wednesdays from 1 – 3pm & 4 – 6pm
  • Saturdays from 10am – 12pm & 1 – 3pm.

We provide a very limited amount of adaptive ski lessons outside of our usual program hours and location. These lessons are highly dependant on volunteer and equipment availability.

Free equipment rentals may also be provided on a case by case basis.

We are unable to provide any lessons on the following dates – – – Christmas and New Year’s, MLK weekend (Jan 17), President’s weekend (Feb 14) and Boyne Carnival weekend (Mar 21).

Additional winter activities are offered during our monthly Fun Fridays at the Lodge. Activities include sledding, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and indoor games, held at the old Challenge Mountain Lodge from 10am – 2pm on select fridays.

Adaptive Recreation Participant Profile

Click HERE to complete the required profile form.

Upcoming Programs

Click HERE to register online for available programs.

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