Adirondack Sports December 2023

News Briefs
Double H Ranch Pays Tribute
to Gwen Allard
The Double H Ranch is saddened to
share the news that Gwen Allard,
a pioneer in adaptive skiing and a
founder of the Adaptive Winter Sports
Program, passed away on Nov. 28 at
the age of 86. Gwen came to Double
H at the request of co-founder Charles
R. Wood to start a winter program over
25 years ago. She was active as a PSIA/
AASI trainer, educator, and key advisor
to the program up until 2020.
Gwen often told the story of being
called to Double H one summer by
Charley Wood. She was persuaded – and
always said with a smile that she wasn’t
sure how – to turn a single trail down the
hill, which had an old ski lift, island of
trees, and boulders in the middle, into
an adaptive ski program for children
with a serious illness. She recalled driving
away and pulling over on the side of
the road and asking herself, “What have I
done?” But, in typical Gwen fashion, she
forged ahead. She recruited the entire ski
industry for donations and volunteers to
create a premiere adaptive program for
children living with serious illnesses.
Over 25 years later, the Adaptive Winter
Sports Program at Double H continues to
be held in high regard.
Thousands of children have learned to
ski and snowboard and experience things
they normally would never have dreamed
possible. The ability to be mobile in the
winter, to determine and control the
speed and direction of their body, to conquer
fears and overcome limits set upon
them by their illness, their doctors, and
society. But most of all to create the belief
that there is no such thing as “no.” There
is only “We will find a way.”
Equally inspiring is the thousands of
volunteers who heeded Gwen’s call and
followed her into the world of adaptive
skiing and snowboarding. She was instrumental
in developing programs for training
and certifying adaptive instructors.
Her career-long efforts to make skiing
accessible to people with physical disabilities
was honored earlier this year when
she was inducted into the U.S. National
Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame.
She saw the best of everyone, didn’t
take no for an answer, and cheered loudly
and exuberantly for each success. Gwen
always saw something magical at Double
H – our slopes, our campers, our volunteers,
and our community. Double H will
forever be grateful for her leadership in
creating an inclusive and equitable program
for all. The love and laughter that
is found here is a true testament to the
“Mother of Adaptive Skiing.” Double H
will continue to honor Gwen’s legacy
DECEMBER 2023 5
and remember her fondly as we witness
our campers experience the joy
of sliding on the snow down Gwen’s
Fun Run for generations to come.
Info: doublehranch.org.
Indy Pass and Unofficial Networks
Team Up to Keep Hickory Ski Center Open
On December 5, Indy Pass and
Unofficial Networks announced
they have combined efforts to provide
financial assistance to Hickory Ski
Center in Warrensburg, so the ski area
may run its lifts for the first time in eight
years. The ski center will join the Indy
Pass for the 2023-24 season, and season
passes are on sale: skihickory.com.
Hickory pass holders will be eligible to
purchase Indy AddOn Passes at a 30%
discount. The Indy Pass will close the
waitlist on Sunday, December 10.
Hickory Ski Center was founded in
1946 by veterans of the 10th Mountain
Division and has served the surrounding
community and offered uphill traffic only
since 2016. Hickory Ski Center features
1,200 vertical feet and four surface lifts.
With rising costs, specifically insurance,
the ski area faced an uncertain future until
their plight caught the attention of Tim
Konrad, publisher of Unofficial Networks.
“My family spends much of the winter
in the Adirondacks, and I have been ski
touring at Hickory since 2015. Over the
years, I’ve been keeping close tabs on
their struggle to reopen lifts, and when I
learned how far they had come and how
close they were to achieving their goal, I
knew we had to do something,” Tim said.
“We have been working with our
Hickory skiing community to help
overcome the financial obstacles that
could prevent the opening of the lifts
at Hickory. The emergence of Tim and
Erik Mogensen, CEO of Entabeni, with
their lifeline has put us in a position to
operate this season with lift certification,
and hopefully for many more to come,”
said Sue Catana, Hickory manager and
daughter of founders Fran and Hans
Winbauer.
The Indy Pass and Entabeni team
will also consult with Hickory management
on how to streamline operations
and become more sustainable.
Indy Pass and its parent company,
Entabeni Systems support independent
resorts from Europe to Japan,
but primarily in the US and Canada.
Info: indyskipass.com.