Access Unbound announces adaptive summer programs
Former U.S. Ski Team coach John McMurtry joined as the organization's new executive director in March
Access Unbound/Courtesy photo
Access Unbound is elevating its reach.
The local adaptive sports nonprofit hired U.S. Ski Team coaching legend and National Ski Hall of Famer John McMurtry as its new executive director just as it expands into summer programming for the first time.
McMurtry replaces Elizabeth Latenser at the helm of the organization, which was founded in 2016 with the mission of making outdoor recreation accessible to people with disabilities through inclusive programs, partnerships and financial support.
To kick off its new chapter, Access Unbound is launching a slate of adaptive cycling, hiking and yoga programs running from June 15 until September 18. Unique to the organization, these sessions are open to people of all ages and those with all types of physical and cognitive disabilities.
“There is nothing I love more than being outside in the summer in the Vail Valley and I am so excited to share in that love with our community,” said Access Unbound Program Director Kenzie Grant in a press release. “These summer programs are an opportunity to build community, gain confidence, stay active and discover what’s possible through inclusive outdoor recreation.”
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For McMurtry, the position perfectly aligns with his family’s pioneering roots in the adaptive sports space. His mom, Virginia, helped Marnie Jump launch the Amputee Ski Program at A-Basin in the late-60s. The program — a first of its kind in Colorado — offered free lessons to Vietnam veterans recovering at Fitzsimmons Army Hospital and expanded in 1970 to include patients from Children’s Hospital in Denver. It eventually moved to Winter Park and became the National Sports Center for the Disabled.
“So it’s sort of been in our family DNA,” McMurtry said.
“The whole adaptive, handicap sector has expanded so much now since then. Now it’s evolved to working with people with cognitive disabilities, cerebral palsy, down syndrome, spinal injuries — and it’s just phenomenal what’s happened now,” he continued. “Giving these people a whole life and to be able to participate outdoors and (have) a sense of belonging and the mental health aspects – it’s immeasurable.”
McMurtry, who previously served for seven years as executive director of the Lake County Community Fund and was vice president for program advancement at the Steadman Philippon Research Institute in Vail for 23 years prior to that, has big goals for Access Unbound. One is providing a central hub for various Eagle County adaptive organizations such as the Vail Veterans Program, Foresight Ski Guides, Mountain Valley Developmental Services, Small Champions and the Special Olympics.
“The one thing we’d like to see is a center for the all the programs (to) convene,” he said, pointing to Challenge Aspen in Pitkin County and the National Center for the Disabled in Grand County as examples. “(It) would have equipment and office space for all the programs.”
The other immediate initiative was expanding Access Unbound’s programming into the warm-weather months.
“We’ve been solely a winter sports program,” McMurtry said. “So this is something we’ve just started.”
The first of three free drop-in style bike rides — which are open to all ages, conditions and fitness levels — is June 15 at Battle Mountain High School. The second is scheduled for June 22 at Eagle Ranch Pavilion before the series concludes on June 29 at Gypsum Creek Elementary School. Each ride runs from 5:15 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Routes are planned and adjusted based on comfort level, experience and personal goals.
The nonprofit will also host weekly 45-minute hikes. The first starts at 10 a.m. on June 26 at Beaver Ponds in East Vail. Hikes are open to “anyone looking to explore local trails, enjoy the mountain air and build community,” a press release stated. Finally, caregivers and participants are invited to yoga sessions at Vitality in Eagle on June 26, July 24 and August 7 from 5:30-6:30 p.m.
Grant — a born-and-raised Vail local who has served on Access Unbound’s board of directors, taught ski lessons and runs a care business for people with disabilities — officially moved into her role as program director in January. The former collegiate cross-country runner discovered adaptive skiing during a post-graduation gap year and “immediately fell in love with the community.”
“The people and their stories completely shifted my perspective,” she told media earlier this year.
Her passion for the work is personal. Grant suffered a near-fatal heat stroke while running a time trial at CMU, an experience she said “completely dismantled” her “perspective on what it means to be an athlete and human being.” Combined with six knee surgeries related to skiing, soccer or rock climbing, Grant gained intimate knowledge of what it means to face long-term physical challenges.
“I stopped putting crushing pressure on my own shoulders and started looking at the resilience of the people around me,” she told Brown of the mental shift that led her to the non-profit world. “I didn’t know it then, but I had found my calling. Working with individuals who face adversity every single day gave me a new, less-selfish perspective on life and a place where I felt accepted and safe.”
McMurtry praised Grant for her immediate impact at Access Unbound.
“She brings a deep passion for inclusion, the outdoors and helping others discover the joy of outdoor sports and activities,” he said.
While the adaptive outdoor sports schedule officially kicks off on June 15, Access Unbound actually teased its summer offerings last week. On June 5, artist and Hall of Fame Paralympian Sarah Will led a create-your-own watercolor bookmark workshop at the Mountain Recreation Fieldhouse in Edwards.
Moving forward, McMurtry knows community involvement will be essential with the organization’s next chapter. He said Access Unbound is always looking for interested volunteers to help out.
“Anybody that’s interested, we’d love to see people there,” he said. “What we’re doing is creating awareness for these wonderful programs that are getting people out there.”
For more information on summer programs, volunteering, or to RSVP for an event, email Kenzie Grant at kenzie@accessunbound.org.
