Year-Round Adaptive Recreation

Every year, Challenge Mountain provides over 2,500 individual experiences to new and returning participants, families, school groups and community organizations. Our current slate of activities includes year-round adaptive recreation, social and community engagement, creative arts, a summer day camp, personal skill building and occupational therapy opportunities. See below for a list of current programs offered and click on the events tab to view upcoming programs.

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 is indicated as such).

Safety is our 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!

Available to individuals, families and groups

  • Adaptive Biking Adventures
  • Adaptive Fishing Adventures
  • Adaptive Kayaking Adventures
  • Community Connections & Family Engagement
  • 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
    • Adaptive Arts and Movement, 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
  • 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 dependent on volunteer and equipment availability.

We may also provide free equipment rentals on a case-by-case basis.

How to Participate!

STEP 1: Who is registering?

  • 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, please continue to STEP 2.

  • If you are a teacher, paraprofessional, work in a school environment or for a community disability organization and wish to register groups of 6 or more participants, please skip the next steps and contact us directly.

STEP 2: Complete a Participant Profile for the current year.

The participant profile is the first step towards registering for a Challenge Mountain enrichment or recreation program. To ensure that every individual is kept safe, treated equally, and able to enjoy our offerings, we need some basic information about the prospective participant(s).

CLICK TO BEGIN PROFILE

Once this form has been submitted, you will be able to sign up for any Challenge Mountain activity with ease, and profiles will only need to be updated ONCE A YEAR. You can always call or email us to double-check if your profile is already on file.

Family members, caregivers, aides and/or personal staff DO NOT need to fill out a profile form for themselves.

STEP 3: Register for programs at your leisure.

You can sign up for Challenge Mountain events online any time of the day.

CLICK TO REGISTER FOR PROGRAMS

Contact Our Programming Team

PHONE: 231.535.2141

EMAIL: linda@challengemtn.org