“Skiing is such a sociable sport”

“I don’t mind where I ski or what the conditions are like, I just like skiing with my friends,” says Vasu Sojitra, who co-founded the Inclusive Outdoors Project to make skiing more accessible for the disabled community and other historically marginalized groups. 

“There is something unique about that shared feeling you get on the mountain—skiing is such a sociable sport. And I love being able to experience whatever the day throws at us, whether that’s perfect powder or freezing blizzards, with people I like to be around.”

Sojitra was born in Connecticut but now lives in the small mountain town of Bozeman, Montana, to be close to the slopes. He also travels to resorts across North America with friends and for work; he is the first disabled athlete to be sponsored by The North Face.

What do he and his friends look for in a vacation rental? “Everyone’s eyes light up when there is a hot tub or sauna,” he says. “After a tiring day on the mountain, I find saunas a little better for recovery than hot tubs, but either option is always nice.”

At 9 months old, Sojitra’s right leg was amputated following a blood infection, but he soon proved to be an incredibly resilient child. He spent his early childhood in India, following his older brother around and playing soccer and cricket with the neighborhood kids.

When the family moved back to Connecticut, he became obsessed with the X Games (a series of action sports events) and, through a mix of encouragement and gentle ribbing from his brother, started skateboarding. A few years later he tried skiing for the first time.

“I had a ski lesson, but that didn’t really work out as the instructor had no idea how to teach someone on one leg,” he says, noting that adaptive training is “way more advanced” today. He and his brother ditched the lesson and started messing around on the easy runs themselves. Out of nowhere, another skier with one leg rode up to Sojitra, told him to keep going and skied off. “It was like divine intervention,” he says.

He fell in love with skiing in his teens and college years, frequenting resorts on the East Coast including Ski Sundown in Connecticut, and Okemo, Mount Snow, and Mad River Glen in Vermont. He loved the adrenaline and fun of it but also found skiing to be a great equalizer. “I was able to keep up with my friends,” he says. “My disability wasn’t the factor it could be in day-to-day life.” 

After college, he moved to Bozeman with a friend and started working at an adaptive sports organization as a program director, which led him on to the work he does today. Does he like being a role model? “It was never the point,” he says. “But if it can help me break down barriers so I’m not the only disabled person on the ski hill or the only person of color doing this stuff, then I’m happy.”