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Skiing with Disabilities

Climbing Team Completes Disabled Ski Descent of Denali

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Climbing Team Completes Disabled Ski Descent of Denali

On June 20, adaptive athletes Vasu Sojitra and Pete McAfee pulled off what is believed to be a historic first in ski mountaineering

While plenty of adaptive athletes have summited DenaliVasu Sojitra and Pete McAfee are pretty certain they’re the first to ski it. (There is no definitive record keeper for adaptive-athlete mountaineering feats.) The two men, who are both amputees, summited and skied the 20,310-foot Alaskan peak on June 20. Their six-man team, which included mountaineers and filmmakers Erich RoepkeStein RetzlaffTed Hesser, and Ben Farrar, was comprised of nearly all Denali first-timers—only Roepke had made the climb before.

“These First Disabled Descents aren’t about me or Pete or any one individual person,” says Sojitra. “FDDs showcase and represent the power we as Disabled people have when provided access to opportunities and resources.”

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Posted from OutsideOnline.com