In 2015 Ravi Drugan earned a bronze medal in Mono Skier X. You read that correctly, he competed in the official X Games and won that medal while sitting on a single ski.
I met Ravi this past weekend at a fundraiser for the National Ability Center (NAC) which is based in Park City and knew very little about its history or influence with adaptive sports and recreation for the disabled. To be honest, fancy-schmancy wine-tasting dinners are a little out of my budget, but the Red White & Snow Vintner Dinner was meant to be a lot more than just that. Very classical French cuisine was served by Chef Franck Peissel which was then paired with wines from the Cristom Vineyards in Oregon.
Our Vintner, Tyler Olbres from Nellcôte, described that while he attends several fundraising Vintner-type events, NAC stands out because of the ways in which it changes the lives of those like Ravi, who at the age of 15 lost both of his legs after an accident. Prior to his double-leg amputation, Ravi had dreams of someday competing in the X Games as a skateboarder. Ravi explained that at 18 he was given the opportunity to try monoskiing on Mt. Bachelor in Oregon and excelling quickly was invited to Park City with the NAC to train with their High-Performance team. With the Utah powder going sometimes up to Ravi’s shoulders, the rest became boardercross X Games history.
Adaptive sports go beyond alpine skiing, the NAC program includes pretty much everything recreationally indoor and out, such as climbing, camping, hiking, horseback riding, water sports and biking, covering all levels of disabilities and physical impairments.
Former Salt Lake Magazine Associate Editor Jen Hill is a SLC transplant from Bloomington, Ind. As a blogger and feature writer, Jen follows the pulse of the community with interests in urban agriculture, business, fitness & beauty and anything that allows her to get out of the office and into the mountains.
Nine low-mileage hikes offer great views, interesting destinations and, most importantly, post-work decompression
Though you may be unfamiliar with the term “wildland-urban interface,” if you...
