Download Nominee Citation HERE. Download Ballot HERE.

Beginning in 1978 and originally called the Ski For All Foundation, a pilot program began at Snoqualmie Summit, teaching fifteen children with disabilities to downhill ski. After a successful first season, the program was incorporated as a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization in 1979. In 2006 the name was changed to Outdoors For All to better reflect the year-round nature of its mission and programming.

Because of its history, Outdoors for All may best be known for winter season instruction in sports like snowboarding, snowshoeing, cross country and downhill skiing. It is a customer driven organization where each year more than 2,000 children and adults with disabilities exercise their abilities thanks to the training and support of more than 700 volunteers.

Outdoors for All firmly believes outdoor recreation in the Northwest is for everyone! Outdoors for All offers a variety of on-snow AND off-snow recreational activities for children and adults with disabilities. We encourage family & friends to join in the fun where appropriate. Outdoors for All programs are designed to include people with disabilities in typical Pacific Northwest outdoor activities and to promote education, independence, socializing, exposure to adaptive equipment and techniques, and, of course - to have a lot of fun! Annual fundraising events assist to keep our programs strong and viable: Spree At The Summit is an on-snow demo day; Mountainfilm On Tour is two evenings of films; a Golt Tournament; Snowball & White-Out Gala Auction where everyone is decked out in what else? White!!

The financial aid policy for Outdoors for All is to remove economical barriers that may prevent participants from accessing the outdoors. Financial aid is available for qualifying participants based upon need to the rates listed below:

• Up to 70% New participants
• Up to 60% Returning participants who have not previously requested financial aid
• Up to 50% Returning participants who have previously received financial aid.

Here’s a perfect example:
C. Bell, an Outdoors for All volunteer, writes:

• “My student was angry, frustrated, and mad at the world. His T.B.I. (Traumatic Brain Injury) had left him learning to ski all over again. But he was determined to re-learn the skills he once had as a ski instructor. Placed with me, we would go out every week and work on skills. Every week he would get frustrated with himself and take it out on me. You would think that I would want to quit, but I believed in the power of patience. Every week he got a little better and better. We got closer and closer in our understanding of each other and became friends. As he learned to trust me he learned to trust himself and his skiing as well. His increasing skiing coordination began to show in other areas of his life. The last week of lessons he came to the hill all excited...He wanted to show me that he had a new Subaru! He was driving it! He and his father told me that the work we had been doing together had contributed to his confidence to take the driving test. The coordination skills paid off too! His SKIFORALL experience paid off - he came angry and frustrated but left that day happy, driving and talking about how he felt he could now ski alone with friends and family, thanks to SKIFORALL!”