Our Story: About Teton Adaptive Sports
Since the founding of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort over 50 years ago, JHMR has been a development ground for great skiers. From the local families to the ski school instructors the area is populated with folks who are committed to the sport. Skiers are fanatics for skiing. In the 70’s and 80’s when people with disabilities visited Jackson Hole the ski school would rally resources to make skiing possible for anyone who wanted to ski. Those ski school pioneers were responsible for many local and visiting people with disabilities finding the joy of sliding on snow.
Those same devoted individuals conducted awareness campaigns and fundraising to grow the resources Jackson Hole had to offer skiers with disabilities and eventually founded the non-profit Teton Adaptive Sports. Starting in 2005 TAS supported Adaptive Sports in Teton County Wyoming and Teton County Idaho by purchasing and sharing specialized equipment, sending passionate instructors to Adaptive trainings and subsidizing the cost of outdoor sports.
Today Teton Adaptive Sports offers year round programming in climbing, camping, cycling, mountain biking, hiking, paddling, alpine and cross country skiing, snowshoeing and ice skating/sled hockey with a staff committed to improving quality of life for athletes with disabilities from this area and visiting the Tetons.
- Adaptive Programming 60%
- Adaptive Equipment 25%
- Adaptive Education 10%
- Fundraising 5%
What We Do: TAS Activities
Summer Adventure Days (14 Varied Activities, everyone invited) • Bike Camps • Individual Cycling and Mountain Bike Lessons • Wydaho Mountain Bike Festival (30 riders camp all week and progress to downhill) • Support for Individual Athlete Goals (Example: 1st Blind Climber to Summit the Grand) • Teton Kids Skiing and Snowboarding (Public School Special Ed all ages) • Steep and Deep Camps (Jackson, Targhee, all Adult) • JHMR and Targhee Skiing Support (Scholarships, Equipment, Training) • Sled Hockey (10 Ice Times through winter all ages and abilities welcome)
Adaptive Sports in Greater Teton Area
Located in Teton Village, Wyoming, Teton Adaptive Sports serves the Greater Teton Area including Jackson Hole, Victor, Driggs, Dubois, and Star Valley, providing athletic programs for local or visiting people with physical or mental disabilities.
People are a Talkin'
“Amazing crew!!!Thanks for having me. Had a BLAST!!!”
–Channing Cash
Partners & Programs
Our partnerships are the key to our programs. TAS is a unique non-profit since it teams up with partners to provide top-notch summer and winter programming for athletes with mental or physical disabilities.
TAS Team:
Joe Stone
Executive Director
Joe Stone brings a decade of experience as a motivational speaker traveling throughout the country providing keynote and educational presentations for businesses, organizations, large scale events and schools and universities. In 2013, he founded The Joe Stone Foundation with the mission to help bridge the gap between people with and without disabilities through outdoor recreation. He volunteers as a peer mentor and engages in outdoor activities with people of all abilities.
In his roles prior to joining Teton Adaptive, Stone gained a following as an advocate for people with disabilities, especially in the outdoor recreation field, traveling several times to Washington DC as a proponent of equality.
Joe’s experience as an award-winning filmmaker, speaker and adventurer will also help bring his positive messages and adaptive sports to light in clear and engaging ways, such as short films and public talks.
On August 13, 2010, Joe Stone nearly died after crashing into a mountain at almost 50 MPH near Missoula, Mont. while speed flying, a form paragliding. The accident left him with a permanent spinal cord injury at the C7 level, rendering him an incomplete quadriplegic, meaning he is paralyzed from the chest down and has impairment in both his hands.
When he’s not working or speaking in public you can find Joe spending time in the outdoors paragliding (rating P2 and P3), road cycling, mountain biking, paddling, adventuring, building out the new van, photographing wildlife, and spending time with his girlfriend Caitlin.
Contact: joe@tetonadaptivesports.com
Christine Mychajliw
Marketing Manager (part time)
Christine Mychajliw (say ‘Me-High-Leave’) is a digital marketer based in Wilson, Wyoming. She has many years of experience working in marketing jobs and loves using her skills and passion for helping out to work for a good cause. Growing up mostly in Scottsdale, Arizona, she did her undergraduate work at Arizona State University (ASU) and holds a B.A. in Russian Language & Eastern European Studies. She then studied Mass Communication in graduate school at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism, also at ASU.
As a former collegiate and USA Cycling bicycle racer, sports kept her healthy, were a source of great enjoyment, and also meant freedom. She wants people of all abilities to be able to feel those same things. When she’s not working, she enjoys spending free time hiking, biking, skiing, and traveling with her partner Jeff.
Anna Kerr (AK)
Adaptive Coordinator (part time)
AK grew up in Washington but has called Jackson, Wyo. home since 2017. She graduated from the Western Washington University in Bellingham with a degree in Photojournalism, but she eschewed working at a desk for working in the mountains. She’s an adaptive ski instructor and mountain bike guide at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort (JHMR). She also serves on the Board for START Bus and works on the Teton Climate Action Plan (TCAP) to fight for climate-based solutions and accessibility for the community.
When she’s not working, you can find her skiing, ripping her mountain bike, floating down a river, or deep in a book.
Photo credit: @ktcooney
Contact
ADDRESS:
7342 Granite Loop Road
PO Box 903
Teton Village, Wyoming 83025
Phone: 307.203.2223
Email: info@tetonadaptivesports.com
501(c)3 non-profit organization
ID 06-1741611
Photo Credits:
Joe Stone
Julie Tickle
Dirt Myth
Jason Malczyk
Adam Glos
Peter Lobozzo
Cory Connett
Support our Work:
Our Mission:
To develop recreation opportunities for people with disabilities living in and visiting the Greater Teton Area.
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