Lounsbury Adaptive Ski Program

What Lounsbury Adaptive Ski Program does

Lounsbury Adaptive Ski Program (LASP) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in September 1988 by Holiday Valley Ski Patrollers and the resort itself to honor Bill Lounsbury, a patroller who lost his leg to cancer and taught himself to one-legged ski. The program delivers two-hour adaptive ski lessons at Holiday Valley Resort in Ellicottville, NY, serving children, adults, and veterans with physical, cognitive, and sensory disabilities (including spinal cord injuries, amputations, cerebral palsy, autism, Down syndrome, MS, TBI, visual and hearing impairments). Lessons are priced at $100 and bundle adaptive equipment (bi-skis, mono-skis, sliders, outriggers) plus lift tickets, with scholarships administered through the Mary Ellen Racich Spirit Scholarship Fund for students with financial need.\n\nOperations run seasonally from December 26 through March 22, staffed by roughly 40 volunteer instructors — over 70% PSIA-certified in adaptive methods — with a small core team (Program Director, Assistant Lesson Coordinator, Equipment Manager, Treasurer, Director). Program delivery is on-slope only, with reservations handled by email; there is no digital distribution channel, no app, and no AI/ML systems in the stack. Safety and training frameworks follow Move United (formerly Disabled Sports/USA) Sport Protection Policy and PSIA certification standards.\n\nRevenue is a mix of individual donations, corporate sponsorships, Move United Chapter Grants, lesson fees, and proceeds from the annual Penguin Paddle fundraiser. In 2020 the organization established an agency fund at the Cattaraugus Region Community Foundation to provide long-term financial stability and optional capacity for non-ski adaptive sports. Geographic reach is regional (Western New York), single-venue (Holiday Valley Resort), and customer acquisition is community-driven via disability organization referrals, word of mouth, and local press coverage.

Name

Lounsbury Adaptive Ski Program

Legal name

Lounsbury Adaptive Ski Program

Website

https://lounsburyadaptive.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Lounsbury Adaptive Ski Program is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1988 that delivers adaptive ski lessons to children, adults, and veterans with disabilities at Holiday Valley Resort in Western New York, using specialized equipment and 40 PSIA-trained volunteer instructors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Adaptive Ski Instruction Services

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Ski & Snowboard Schools (Instruction & Coaching) (THAAAJAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Adventure Multi-Sport Camps & Skills Academies (THAAAKAM), Instructor-Led Skills Academies (Climbing, Paddling, Mountaineering Schools) (THAAAOAI), Certification & Training Providers (Wilderness First Aid, Lifeguard, Guide Training) (THAAAOAF)

Keywords

• Adaptive ski lessons
• Adaptive sports instruction
• Disability ski program
• Therapeutic recreation services
• Adaptive ski equipment

Headquarters

HQ city

Ellicottville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Lesson Fees: Two-hour adaptive ski lessons priced at $100, including lift ticket and equipment. Revenue from student lesson fees.
2. Individual Donations: All funding currently comes from individual donors, grants, and fundraising proceeds.
3. Scholarships via Third-Party Grants: Chapter Grants from Disabled Sports/USA and proceeds from annual Penguin Paddle fundraiser fund scholarships for students demonstrating financial need.
4. Corporate Sponsorships: Business sponsorships offered as unique opportunities for companies to support adaptive sports.
5. Penguin Paddle Fundraiser: Annual all-day event at Holiday Valley including penguin races, cook-out, silent auction, and raffle. Proceeds fund adaptive equipment and instructor training.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

LASP provides two-hour adaptive ski lessons priced at $100 per session, which includes adaptive ski equipment use (bi-skis, mono-skis, sliders, outriggers) and a lift ticket, for people with physical, cognitive, and sensory disabilities. Lessons are delivered at Holiday Valley Resort in Ellicottville, NY by PSIA-trained volunteer instructors, with financial-aid scholarships available via the Mary Ellen Racich Spirit Scholarship.

Product overview

Lounsbury Adaptive Ski Program (LASP) operates as a unified nonprofit adaptive ski instruction service offering adaptive ski lessons for individuals with disabilities. The core offering combines two-hour adaptive ski lessons with specialized equipment provision and lift tickets, supported by a volunteer instructor corps trained in PSIA and Move United adaptive teaching methods. The program is supplemented by the Mary Ellen Racich Spirit Scholarship for need-based financial assistance, the annual Penguin Paddle fundraiser for equipment and training funding, and ongoing instructor training and certification programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Mary Ellen Racich Spirit Scholarship: A scholarship fund providing free adaptive skiing lessons to students who demonstrate financial need and a desire to learn to ski, established in memory of Mary Ellen Racich who served as Executive Director for almost two decades.

Products and services

• Adaptive Ski Lessons Two-hour adaptive ski lessons priced at $100 per session (lesson, adaptive equipment use, and lift ticket) for individuals with physical, cognitive, or sensory disabilities, taught by PSIA-trained volunteer instructors at Holiday Valley Resort in Ellicottville, NY.
• Adaptive Equipment Provision Specialized adaptive ski equipment (bi-skis, mono-skis, sliders, outriggers) provided to participants during their lessons as part of the session fee.
• Mary Ellen Racich Spirit Scholarship Financial-aid scholarship program that subsidizes the cost of adaptive ski lessons for participants with demonstrated financial need.

Quantifiable outcome

• 250 lessons taught per season with 40 volunteer instructors
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor, flagship and core.

• Lily's RoadminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 20 January 2026Lily's Road is a nonprofit foundation that organizes fundraising events for adaptive programs. Their 2nd Annual Ski Movie Night Fundraiser benefits LASP.
• Holiday Valley Ski ResortflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 1988Holiday Valley Ski Resort provides the primary lesson location, cooperation, and support for the program. The resort and its ski patrol co-founded LASP in September 1988 in honor of Bill Lounsbury. This is a foundational, co-development partnership.
• Holiday Valley Ski PatrolcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 1988Holiday Valley Ski Patrol members founded LASP in September 1988 to honor Bill Lounsbury after his death from cancer. Patrol members serve as volunteer instructors.
• Disabled Sports/USA (Now Move United)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerLASP is a member chapter of Move United (formerly Disabled Sports/USA). Disabled Sports/USA provides Chapter Grants that fund scholarships for students with financial need.
• Professional Ski Instructors of America (PSIA)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerPSIA provides the teaching certification system that LASP instructors follow. Over 70% of LASP instructors are PSIA certified in adaptive instruction.
• Move UnitedcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerLASP is a member chapter of Move United. Move United provides Sport Protection Policy framework and criteria that LASP follows for participant safety.
• Wayland Brewing CompanyminorOthersHost venue for Lily's Road 2nd Annual Ski Movie Night Fundraiser benefiting LASP.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Achieve Tahoe: Tahoe-area adaptive ski and snowboard school; same Move United chapter affiliation and instructor-led adaptive lesson delivery for people with disabilities.
• National Ability Center: Park City, UT-based nonprofit offering adaptive ski, snowboard, and recreation lessons for people with disabilities; directly comparable operating model, PSIA-affiliated instruction, and Move United chapter status.
• Challenge Aspen: Aspen, CO-based adaptive ski and recreation nonprofit for participants with disabilities; same Move United affiliation, similar volunteer instructor model, and resort-based lesson delivery.
• Adaptive Sports Center (Crested Butte): Crested Butte, CO-based adaptive ski and adventure nonprofit; directly comparable operating model delivering adaptive ski lessons to people with disabilities at a single resort.
• Eagle Mount: Bozeman, MT-based adaptive recreation nonprofit offering adaptive skiing along with other sports; comparable nonprofit mission, instructor training model, and adaptive lesson delivery.
• Vermont Adaptive Ski & Sports: Killington, VT-based nonprofit providing year-round adaptive sports including alpine skiing at multiple Vermont resorts; directly comparable adaptive instruction services and Move United membership.

Broad incumbents

• Move United (formerly Disabled Sports USA): National umbrella organization for adaptive sports, of which LASP is a member chapter; provides Chapter Grants, Sport Protection Policy framework, and cross-chapter standards that govern LASP's operations.

Others

• Professional Ski Instructors of America (PSIA-AASI): National certification body whose adaptive teaching certification framework LASP's instructors follow; an enabling standards-and-training partner rather than a competitor.
• Cattaraugus Region Community Foundation (CRCF): Regional community foundation hosting LASP's agency endowment fund; a financial infrastructure partner rather than a competitor in adaptive recreation services.

Regional players

• Disabled Sports Eastern Sierra: Mammoth Lakes, CA-based Move United chapter offering adaptive ski lessons; comparable operating model but serves a different regional market (California Sierra) rather than the Northeast.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/lounsburyadaptv
• Facebookfacebook.com/LounsburyAdaptive
• Instagraminstagram.com/lounsburyadaptive
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lounsbury-adaptive-ski-program

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lounsbury Adaptive Ski Program