Facilities
Pico Mountain
The Turtle Ridge Center, Home of Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports at the Andrea Mead Lawrence Lodge
In November 2013, Vermont Adaptive opened the doors to its first permanent home in Vermont — the Turtle Ridge Center at the Andrea Mead Lawrence Lodge at Pico Mountain. The 6,000 sq. ft. facility was the first of its kind in Vermont. Vermont Adaptive owns the first floor (3,000 sq. ft.) with access to the second floor, owned by the Pico Ski Education Foundation. Designed as ADA-compliant, the building has an elevator, which now provides access for all to the Pico Ski Club, our building, and the second level of the main base lodge, cafeteria, retail shops, and deck. The accessible design allows for better program flow, easy fit-up inside the lodge prior to skiing, private space for participants, a break area for volunteers, a place for training and events, and an overall better experience for everyone.
Sugarbush Resort / Mt. Ellen
Murphy’s Annex at Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports
This 4,000 sq. ft. adaptive sports facility opened for the 2021-2022 winter season. Vermont Adaptive’s Second Flagship, a four-season adaptive sports facility in Vermont, includes a 1,800 sq. ft. main level dedicated to athletes, volunteers and staff. The program area serves as the gateway to checking in and prepping for the slopes, and includes accessible restrooms, a fit-up room with adaptive equipment and direct access to the slopes, program offices, and general space for getting ready for programs. The upper level of the facility includes 1,300 sq. ft. for volunteers to prepare and organize for their lessons, discuss client needs among teaching teams and prepare for the day’s schedule. Quiet space is used for yoga classes and retreats, wellness programs and other indoor learning opportunities. A quiet sensory room offers a break from over-stimulation for those who need it. A lending library is available with year-round teaching and training materials, teaching aids, and health and wellness resources specific to the medical needs of a variety of disabilities.
The lower level includes a technician room for equipment storage and repair, a volunteer locker room, two accessible changing rooms and the mechanical equipment room needed for the building itself. All three levels are connected by an access-for-all elevator. The main level connects with the existing Mt. Ellen base lodge, providing complete access to the food court and main base lodge level. The Upper Level connects to the Mt. Ellen third floor bar and also includes the Sunshine Deck sponsored by Lawson’s Finest Liquids. The Lower Level connects to the rental shop, lockers and Ski Patrol. Several accessible parking spots are available at the main (side) entrance to the facility as well as increased parking in the upper tier parking lot of the main base lodge area.
Rochester, VT - Outdoor Center
Vermont Adaptive Outdoor Center - first of its kind in the state - located in Rochester, Vermont
Vermont Adaptive Ski & Sports has purchased more than 125 acres of land in Rochester and conserved the property with the Vermont Land Trust (VLT). The land will become Vermont Adaptive’s first owned outdoor education and retreat center, officials announced this week.
The sale, which closed Dec. 15, 2025, was completed in partnership with VLT and with acquisition funding from the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board (VHCB). The property will be permanently protected under a conservation easement held by VLT and VHCB.
The property — now known as the Vermont Adaptive Outdoor Center — includes a historic farmhouse, garage and barn, forestland, open fields, a pond, and access to an established trail network connected to the Ridgeline Outdoor Collective’s multi-use Rochester Valley Network, as well as the larger Velomont Trail system. Vermont Adaptive plans to use the land for multi-day retreats for Veterans with disabilities, adaptive sports and wellness programming for all ages, intern housing, and public recreation.
“This property gives us something we’ve never had before — a permanent home we can shape around whole health, community, accessibility, mindfulness, and time spent outdoors,” said Erin Fernandez, executive director of Vermont Adaptive. “It allows us to expand Veteran programming, support our staff and interns, and offer a place where we can develop programming so people can slow down and stay awhile.”
