The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has announced that the  National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic will take place March 31 to April 5 in Snowmass, Colorado. 

The annual clinic, hosted by the Department of Veterans Affairs and Disabled American Veterans,  serves as a world leader in adaptive winter sports instruction for injured Veterans, and promotes sports therapy and rehabilitation through adaptive Alpine and Nordic skiing, rock climbing, sled hockey, scuba diving and other adaptive sports and activities. 

“Adaptive sports therapy gives freedom to those heroes who have fought for our freedom,” VA Secretary Robert Wilkie said. “This clinic empowers Veterans to move past perceived limitations, reach their own personal victories and prove the impossible is possible.” 

For many of the hundreds of Veterans who participate in the clinic, the adaptive sports journey is just beginning. For others, it becomes a way of life in Snowmass and is a passion they take back home. The hope is Veterans will build upon this experience and continue to lead active, healthy lives. Nearly 390 Veterans participated in the event in 2018. 

“For those of us who were seriously injured in military service and have spent years being told our abilities are now limited, there is nothing more empowering than coming to this clinic and being able to prove how much we really can do,” said DAV National Commander Dennis Nixon, a Vietnam Veteran and amputee. “It’s a dose of confidence and self-reliance that can —and does — truly change lives.”