David Sussman has given much to his community, and now he could use some help from us.

Suss first visited Telluride, Colorado as a tourist in the 1990s. There, he learned adaptive skiing through the Telluride Adaptive Sports Program. His growing love of outdoor sports, in spite of his physical disability, eventually led him to move there full-time in 2015. Suss worked as manager of the Madeline Hotel while volunteering as an instructor at TASP, mentoring and encouraging other disabled athletes.

During COVID, Suss was forced into early retirement, leading to an extended period of financial instability. In 2021, Suss increased his commitment to TASP, volunteering to serve as president of the organization. He led profound institutional improvements: between 2021 and 2026, TASP expanded its services, added a fully accessible van to transport athletes and their families, and collaborated with Tribal Adaptive to offer adaptive skiing and hand-cycling camps to Native American communities. While in Telluride, he also earned many personal accomplishments: he climbed the Via Feratta and skiied in Chile in 2017, completed handcycling the 100-mile White Rim in 2022, performed the first-ever sitski descent of the double black diamond Mountain Quail route in 2023, was awarded Telluride Foundation Volunteer of the Year, sitskiied the Pond Skim in 2024, and handcycled Pikes Peak in 2025.

But as Suss has aged and his condition has progressed, the realities of living in a remote mountain town while engaging in high-impact sports have taken a toll on his body. To protect his health, Suss has made the difficult decision to leave Telluride and TASP. He will return to his home of Southern California in September. There, he will be close to his 89-year old mother Phyllis while he pursues opportunities to volunteer with low-impact adaptive water sports.

For all that Suss has given to various communities over the years, he has remained steadfast in his reluctance to ask for help. Independence and self-reliance are cornerstone values for him. That’s why his friends are now asking for financial assistance on his behalf. Suss needs help with the cost of relocating to California and temporary housing while he finds his next permanent home.

You’ve received the link to this fundraiser because you know and love Suss. Please consider a donation of any amount to help secure his move to California. Your generosity will be accepted with gratitude and humility.