DREAM Adaptive Recreation

DREAM Adaptive Recreation’s mission is to enhance the quality of life of individuals with disabilities by providing year-round outdoor adaptive recreational opportunities.

DREAM provides programs that focus on leveraging each person’s abilities. Our activities include alpine skiing and snowboarding at Whitefish Mountain Resort, Nordic skiing at Whitefish Lake Golf Course, biking on various trails and pathways in the Flathead Valley, and paddle sports and motorized watersports on Echo Lake and Whitefish Lake.

For each lesson and opportunity, DREAM provides trained staff and volunteer instructors, adaptive equipment, and/or adaptive teaching techniques as needed. Our goal is to create a safe, fun, and empowering environment for our participants to learn and grow. Every person is unique and, therefore, our lessons and experiences are tailored to each person’s specific goals!

DREAM thrives on promoting:

• Inclusion: It is our belief that all community members should have access to the benefits of outdoor recreation. People with disabilities should be able to fully participate and be represented in all aspects of our community.
• Breaking Down Barriers: In addition to providing adaptive equipment and adaptive instruction, we provide our lessons at highly subsidized rates and offer additional financial aid scholarships to participants as needed.
• Access Projects: DREAM partners with organizations such as the National Parks Service and the U.S. Forest Service to ensure outdoor recreation spaces in our community are accessible and employ universal design principles whenever possible. This allows community members with disabilities greater and more equitable access to outdoor recreation spaces outside of DREAM programs. 

Some recent and current projects that DREAM has done include:

• Working with the Flathead Rivers Alliance to increase access to river put-ins and take-outs along the three forks of the Flathead River
• Trail accessibility review in Glacier National Park, specifically middle-country trails, and providing training on different all-terrain mobility devices
• Collaborating with the U.S. Forest Service and Gateway to Glacier Trails on the Cedar Flats project, ensuring the multi-use trail system is functional for three-wheeled adaptive mountain bikes

In Summer of 2024, DREAM announced the construction of a new headquarters and operational center at Whitefish Mountain Resort on Big Mountain—which, going forward, will be known as the Lesar Family Mountain Center for DREAM Adaptive Recreation. The Lesar Family Mountain Center renderings depict a three-story, 14,000 square foot building that is being fully designed for use by a person with disabilities (completion date TBD). Along with the Lesar Family Mountain Center, DREAM also plans on establishing the following plans for the Center:

• A drift boat program in Summer of 2025 (wheelchair accessible drift boat for fishing access)
• Expansion of a paved path for bike riding and its capacity through offering more dates and locations throughout the summer

Populations Served
Our program opportunities support individuals ages 5 to adults who may benefit from using adaptive recreational equipment and/or adaptive teaching techniques. We primarily serve individuals with physical, cognitive, and sensory disabilities. Participants range from those who have never desired to learn a new sport or experience a new adventure to more advanced athletes looking to try new equipment, refine their skills, or reach loftier goals.

Outdoor recreation is a great way to foster connections and encourage healing for our nation’s heroes. At DREAM, we offer unique programming for active duty military and Veterans with a disability. To increase our reach, we also partner with the Kalispell Vet Center and Whitefish Veterans Support Team. 

DREAM programs have a focus on inclusion—therefore, we promote adding family, friends, and community members into the mix whenever possible.
 

Staff Composition

• One executive director
• One program manager
• One part-time instructor/lead trainer
• One development manager
• Two program coordinators
• One part-time operations specialist
• Three seasonal winter instructors

Furthermore, DREAM is supported by 13 board members and over 220 volunteers.
 

Contact Julie Tickle, Executive Director info@dreamadaptive.org (406) 885-9539 https://www.dreamadaptive.org/

Services Offered

Summer Programs include:

• Paddle Program - using standard paddleboards and kayaks as well as adaptive equipment, which include Hobbie Paddle Boards and Onit Ability Boards
• Water Sports Program - water skiing, wakeboarding, and tube rides
• Mountain Biking/Cycling - paved path cycling and adaptive mountain bike opportunities, which range from cruising along a forest fire road and tackling the area’s tougher single-track/downhill trails to exploring paved pathways through the Whitefish area. Through our cycling program, experienced instructors help participants build the skills and knowledge to become a confident and independent rider on any trail or paved path. To do so, DREAM has a fleet of top-of-the-line handcycles and recumbent foot pedals bikes from Reactive Adaptations, Lasher, Sport-On, and Bowhead

Winter Programs include: 

• Alpine ski lessons 
• Snowboard lessons 
• Nordic/cross country skiing

Summer and Winter Military Programs: 

There are a range of programs available that include all DREAM participants and those that are Military-only events. The events include but are not limited to: mountain bike and paved path group rides; paddle program and motorized water sports; mountain bike clinics and private bike lessons; kayak clinics; alpine skiing and snowboarding weekends; Nordic and cross country ski days; and private alpine or Nordic ski lessons.

*All military programs are open to members of the Armed Forces and Veterans with a disability. The disability does not have to be reflected by a current VA pension and compensation percentage.*

Cost to Participate
Cost of each program varies.

Military Veterans and Active Duty Service Members with a disability participate at no cost.

Financial Aid is available for all participants because we believe that everyone should be able to participate in our programs, no matter their financial situation. We strive to keep our programs affordable, but recognize that some may need additional support to access our programs. Our scholarships are based solely on financial need and only complete applications will be considered.