A Grand Traverse in Support of Down Syndrome

In 2015, a hut trip in the Elk Mountains of Colorado forever changed the way I looked at skiing. For two days, we hiked and shushed our hearts out without a chairlift in site. We boiled water to drink and built fires to stay warm. We read Robert Service and basked in the sweet isolation of the mountains around us. It was during those days and nights that ski touring became an addiction.

At the stroke of midnight on April 1st, my dear friend and race partner, Bill Fusco, and I will shove off from the town of Crested Butte with Aspen as our destination. The Grand Traverse is a partnered ski-touring race encompassing nearly forty miles and 7,000ft of climbing between the starting and finish line. The race has long been regarded as one of ski mountaineering's consummate tests of endurance. With only the moon and the light from our headlamps to guide us, we will push through the night until the warm caress of the sun greets us halfway into our 10-12hr journey back to Aspen.

A Video Short of the Grand Traverse

Why subject ourselves to this inconceivable degree of punishment?! For the love of type two fun, of course, but more importantly, to support a cause that is dear to our hearts. After working with Challenge Aspen during the winter of 2015/2016, I became more acutely aware of the challenges and hardships that families endure when raising a child with Down Syndrome.

Porter was a gift; not only to me but to the world. He helped me to reflect more deeply on how lucky I was to be healthy, physically abled, and for the privilege to spend parts of my life in the mountains. Gigi's Playhouse is a nationwide charity dedicated to the service of families like his. 57 locations around the country, including one in our Denver backyard, provide FREE care and guidance to children with unfortunate circumstances similar to his own through entirely volunteer-based staffing.

Our hope is to raise $5,000 for this noble charity. What do you get from us?...We promise to train relentlessly. We promise to be physically and mentally prepared to finish the Traverse. Rest assured, you will get your money's worth.

We appreciate you taking the time to learn about our cause and anything you can do to help support our journey. Taken from "The Blessing of the Freeheelers,"...Blessed be thy expedition into the dangers of night, Blessed be thy race, and blessed be thy flight!

Much love.

Derek & Bill