An all-around rewarding experience on the slopes of Snowmass

For Challenge Aspen volunteers Dan and Karen Cutler, lending a hand at the adaptive sports nonprofit in Snowmass Village has been about learning as much as it has been about giving back.

“Establishing a connection with the participants in the local program has been very rewarding for us,” Karen Cutler said. “It’s really opened our eyes up … to this whole community of people and having an opportunity to actually get to be friends with them and help them out. It’s been really rewarding.”

The Cutlers, who are semi-retired and live about halfway between Carbondale and Glenwood Springs, are entering their third season as volunteers with Challenge Aspen, where they support athletes with physical and intellectual disabilities on the mountain.

Though it’s been rewarding, it hasn’t always been a piece of cake, Dan Cutler said. It can take patience, practice and perspective to learn the ropes of adaptive sports, which is why he recommends that prospective volunteers do a trial run if they’re interested in getting involved.

Flexibility and an adaptable mindset are key, but don’t let a lack of experience hold you back, the Cutlers emphasized. More than 75 volunteers assist in programs on and off the mountain year-round, but Challenge Aspen is also staffed by adaptive sports professionals who offer support, expertise and guidance along the way.

And whether it’s day one volunteering or day 100, there’s always something to gain: experience, yes, but also friendships, connections and memories, the Cutlers said.

“Every time we volunteer, and we’re out on the mountain with them, on the drive home, we just can’t stop talking about how wonderful the day has been,” Karen Cutler said.

kwilliams@aspentimes.com