NEWRY, Maine ??” Looking for great skiing or riding, new friends and a way to help others? Maine Handicapped Skiing at Sunday River Ski Resort can offer all that and more! Volunteers are needed to teach adaptive Alpine and Nordic skiing, snowboarding and snowshoeing to over 250 adults and children with physical disabilities this coming winter.

Maine Handicapped Skiing (MHS), Maine’s largest year-round adaptive recreation program, is entering its 24th year of operation. MHS provides standard and adaptive ski equipment, warm winter clothing when needed and specially trained volunteer instructors to work with children and adults with physical disabilities so they can become independent skiers and snowboarders.

Each year over 350 dedicated and well-trained people volunteer at Maine Handicapped Skiing. MHS is always looking for interested people who want to share their love of skiing and boarding and help others find the same joy in their winter outdoor pursuits.

To qualify as a skiing or boarding volunteer, you must be at least 18 years old, be an intermediate skier or boarder and have your own ski equipment with indemnifiable bindings or snowboard. In addition, volunteers are required to take 3 days of training in November and December and volunteer 10 days as an instructor during the MHS season from January 3rd through the end of March. Volunteers ski for free when volunteering and for each day contributed to instructing they receive a complimentary lift/trail pass at one of three MHS locations: Sunday River Ski Resort, Sunday River Inn and Cross Country Ski Center or Sugarloaf/USA.

During Maine Handicapped Skiing’s winter program season, MHS offers downhill skiing and snowboarding lessons Sunday through Friday at Sunday River Ski Resort. Cross country Skiing and snowboarding lessons are taught at Sunday River Inn and Cross Country Ski Center Wednesdays through Fridays. At Sugarloaf/USA, MHS offers a weekend program of downhill skiing and snowboarding lessons.

If you would like to be involved with Maine Handicapped Skiing, but don’t ski or board we have a place for you! Snowmobile drivers are needed to transport participants to different parts of the mountain throughout the day. Photographers and videographers help document the day-to-day excitement of Maine Handicapped Skiing. Indoor volunteers assist with daily program activities, including answering the phone, helping our participants and volunteers and assisting with general office tasks.

Maine Handicapped Skiing also has a Junior Volunteer program for teens, ages 16 & 17. Junior volunteers learn about the many types of physical disabilities served at MHS and are instructed in numerous adaptive on-snow techniques in preparation for becoming a full-fledged volunteer at age 18.

Make this your year to do something really great for yourself and someone else; volunteer at Maine Handicapped Skiing! For information on becoming a volunteer call 800-639-7770, fax us at 207-824-0453; email us at [email]jsullivan@skimhs.org[/email] or check out our website at www.skimhs.org.