Lindsey Gleason is a third-year medical student at the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine.
In the following blog post, she shares her deep connection to Vermont’s mountains and how volunteering with athletes with disabilities through Vermont Adaptive Ski & Sports rekindled her sense of purpose during medical school.
“The mountains are for everyone, and it is a privilege to assist others in the pursuit of winter adventure.“
The Power of the Outdoors
“Race ya down the mountain!” he said to me, an energetic fourth-grader with a rare eye condition, causing him visual challenges and near blindness on sunny days. This day, however, was particularly cloudy with minimal ground cover. For anyone else, it might be considered a mediocre ski day, but for us, the conditions were perfect. As we took turns playing follow the leader down the mountain, I giggled to myself. I was wearing a bright orange “Guide” vest over my Vermont Adaptive branded ski jacket, and the athlete I was working with was wearing a matching “Visually Impaired” vest. He zipped down the mountain, sometimes ahead of me and other times following closely behind. As long as we were upholding the number one rule of Vermont Adaptive—to stay safe and have fun—we were fulfilling our duties for the day.
Peaks and Valleys of Childhood
For me, the days of learning to walk were also the days of learning to ski. Growing up in Vermont, it was a necessity to spend time outside and put my endless, adolescent energy to use. I remember the rickety ski lift chairs, with a maximum of two riders and a 15-minute-minimum ride up to midmountain. There were few options in the lodge cafeteria, but they had french fries and hot cocoa, the essentials. In hindsight, the ski resorts were bare bones, but they had everything a young skiier could need. Well, they had everything I could need. What I didn’t realize, at the time, was how profoundly exclusive they were.
Between the ages of 18 and 24, I spent time in Virginia, Boston, and Washington, DC. In each location, I quickly adjusted to the hustle of city life, but my senses knew I was far from the fresh mountain air of Vermont. Sometimes, in the city, the seasons would show their true colors, and we’d get a couple of inches of snow on the ground. In those moments I longed to be in the Green Mountains. I missed scarfing down pancakes in the early hours of the morning in pursuit of riding up on the first chair, making the first tracks in the fresh powder.
I fell in love with the beauty of Vermont long ago, but didn’t fully appreciate the profoundly positive impact it had on my wellbeing—a quick drive to the mountains, where I could let my mind be free and connect with nature—until I was miles and miles away. And so, to Vermont I returned, this time in pursuit of a medical degree.
Mixing Med School with Mountains
The first year of medical school was challenging, filled with rigorous coursework, introductory sessions in the clinical skills labs, anatomy dissections, and making new social connections, all while adjusting to being back in my home state. I spent the first couple of months just trying to keep my head above water while studying. It had been a few years since I had been a student and the biochemical pathways had become fuzzy since my MCAT days. By the time winter break hit, I was worn out. My mind had been so focused on the nitty-gritty of foundational medicine that I had lost sight of reality. I needed to return to what fuels my passion for medicine–listening to patients so I can best help meet their needs. It was time to return to the mountains, to the community, and to myself.
I began volunteering with Vermont Adaptive on weekends, teaching ski lessons to athletes with disabilities. It all felt very full circle, landing back at the very ski mountain where I took my first turns. While the offerings in the lodge cafeteria now seem endless and the high-speed chairlifts make for more pleasant cold days, I’d argue these are all trivial improvements in comparison to other major changes the ski mountains have undergone in the past 10 years. The incorporation of accessible features, equipment, and programs through Vermont Adaptive has made skiing an accessible activity that many individuals new to the sport can learn and enjoy. The mountains are for everyone, and it is a privilege to assist others in the pursuit of winter adventure.
Empowerment Fueled by Play
Being in school has been challenging for the fourth-grader who is visually impaired, and the mountains are his safe space, a place to play and breathe. The feeling of achievement that comes with safely making it down a difficult trail, successfully completing an advanced ski stop, or just being outside on a day that might’ve otherwise been spent without activity fuels his sense of self. Playing in the mountains allows athletes to return to other aspects of their life feeling fulfilled, capable, and talented.
Teaching ski lessons to athletes with disabilities has been the highlight of my winter seasons since joining Vermont Adaptive in 2023. Whether it be calling out turns for the skiier who is visually impaired, supporting an athlete with schizophrenia in taking their first turns on the bunny hill, or using hand-held outriggers alongside an army veteran who spent 70 years as a two-track skier, each lesson is filled with challenge and most importantly, fun.
This deep sense of purpose and fulfillment in helping others down the mountain mirrors that of my experience in the clinical setting. I see the same light in the eyes of the visually impaired skiier successfully completing a hard run that I see in the patients making strides in their healthcare. Allowing patients the time and space to tell their stories allows us to provide care that nurtures their values and aligns with their needs. As I progress through my medical career, I hope to elicit that light in each patient I care for and bring the energy from the outdoors in.
Learn more about volunteering at Vermont Adaptive Ski & Sports.About
