National Ability Center Ski and Snowboard Center

The National Ability Center had its staff BBQ at the Ski & Snowboard Center a couple of weeks ago. The BBQ was in celebration of the renovations and hard work that many people put into the off season to make the Ski & Snowboard Center a little better.

The equipment room is more space efficient with new places to store ski equipment.

The ski team now has its own locker room to help store its equipment, a place where the team can have meetings, and a separate place for the coaches and team members to hang out.

There is a new locker room that they are calling the Education Locker Space. Instructors will now have more room to store their personal skis, snowboards and different gear that they will be using to teach participants.

The main desk area has been opened up. There is now more desk room and more room in general area where the couches are.

Thank you to all of those who put in long hours to make the Ski & Snowboard Center renovations a success. I am sure the participants and their families will notice the changes and the new feel of a renovated Ski & Snowboard Center.

We are looking forward to a great season together. The returning volunteer training has now taken place at Park City Mountain Resort, and we look forward to seeing many familiar and new faces on mountain this season.

If you are an individual or know of an individual that would like to take part in lessons at the National Ability Center's Ski and Snowboard Center please log onto our website, and check out the programs and the different adaptive equipment we use to teach participants on mountain at DiscoverNAC.org.

If you have a friend that would like to volunteer with the National Ability Center's Ski & Snowboard Center please have them look at our website for the opportunities available at DiscoverNAC.org.

World Cancer Day

World Cancer Day 2010, led by UICC (International Union Against Cancer), its members and with the support of the World Health Organization (WHO), will raise awareness of cancer prevention.

Each year, over 12 million people receive a cancer diagnosis and 7.6 million die of the disease.

The good news is that approximately 40% of cancers are potentially preventable.

Today, UICC launched the campaign "Cancer can be prevented too", focusing on how the risk of developing cancer can significantly be reduced through simple measures:

• Stop tobacco use and avoid exposure to second-hand smoke
• Limit alcohol consumption
• Avoid excessive sun exposure
• Maintain a healthy weight, through eating healthily and exercising regularly
• Protect against cancer-causing infections

According to Love Hope Strength, cancer causes more deaths worldwide than AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria combined.

Many cancer survivors come to the National Ability Center in Park City, Utah each year to participate in our programs. Recently, we welcomed back a group with the University of Texas' M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. This group of young cancer survivors had all had some kind of cancer that resulted in a physical disability. Being a teenager is hard enough! Being a teenager who has had to fight cancer and then have your physical abilities changed by it face an even tougher road. Through our programs, these teens can find confidence by getting out with their peers and accomplishing things they never would have dreamed. Check out their video and the slideshow of their 2010 visit at the bottom of this post.

This week we have welcomed a local group called Un-Limb-ited. These local teens have also battled cancer and other illnesses that have taken away limbs, but not hope nor life! We'll post some of their photos and videos soon.

In two weeks we will welcome back another great group of youth battling cancer. One Step at a Time is based in Chicago and brings teens from around the Midwest to Park City each year for a chance to escape some misguided peer pressure and build new friendships. New friends and new hobbies, like adaptive skiing and snowboarding, can help teens to put their energy toward positive things. There is no room for pessimism on the Greatest Snow on Earth!

If you know someone who has a physical disability because of cancer, please let them know that they, too, are welcome at the National Ability Center in Park City, Utah. Here, we help people everyday to discover their abilities.

2010 MD Anderson Ski Trip Slide Show from National Ability Center on Vimeo.

MD Anderson's 2010 trip to ski at Park City Mountain Resort with the National Ability Center.

No Excuse Not To Ski or Board!

While skiing is the biggest program at the NAC, many people in Utah have never hit the slopes on more than a sled in the backyard. If you're one of those people, you don't know what you're missing! Park City Mountain Resort is trying to help you out, though. Read on to find out about their new program to help you become as enamored with the Greatest Snow on Earth as the thousands of people who come from around the world each winter to ski or board Utah's powder.

PARK CITY, UTAH (December 2, 2009) – Park City Mountain Resort announces “StartNOW”, a ski and snowboard school program for first-time skiers and riders designed to increase snowsport participation among Utah residents, ages six and up. Park City Mountain Resort’s StartNOW program offers participants five days of instruction, equipment rentals and lift access for only $25 per day.

“Research shows that a low percentage of Utah residents participate in snowsports. We want to encourage them to experience the magic of skiing and snowboarding,” said Tom Pettigrew, director of skier services for Park City Mountain Resort. “We determined that we needed to develop a program that provided a low entry barrier to trying the sport. At just $25 per day, our StartNOW program is an exceptional value and with a maximum of five students per class, participants receive personalized attention from their instructors.”

The StartNOW Program is offered to all Utah residents six and older that have never skied or snowboarded and includes an afternoon ski or snowboard lesson, rentals and a lift ticket for $25. After completion of the first StartNOW lesson, participants are invited to return to the Resort up to four additional times during the 2009-2010 winter season. Return participants will be able to enjoy any combination of an afternoon lesson, rentals and lift ticket for the low price of $25.

The StartNOW program is being offered all winter season long beginning December 4, 2009, with blackout dates from December 18, 2009 - January 3, 2010 and February 13-20, 2010. Interested participants are required to sign up online at startnow.pcmr.com. Space is limited so participants are encouraged to sign up early.

About Park City Mountain Resort
Park City Mountain Resort, the most accessible mountain resort in North America, is located in the heart of Park City, Utah and is only a 40-minute drive from the Salt Lake City International Airport. With 3,300 acres of unspoiled terrain, the Resort offers groomed Signature Runs™, bumps, powder, trees, eight peaks, nine bowls, four terrain parks, and the Eagle Superpipe. Park City Mountain Resort was once again ranked a top-five resort by the readers of SKI andTransworld Snowboarding magazines and a top-10 ski resort in North America by Conde Nast Traveler. For more information, visit www.parkcitymountain.com or call (800) 222-PARK.

Silver & Bronze at USASA National Champtionships

by Lucas Grossi

Dan Monzo and and Nicole Roundy are killin' it at the2009 USASA National Championships in Copper Mountain In the Halfpipe competition, Monzo (left) took third place and Nicole (right) rocked a silver metal! NAC Rippers!!!

More to come...