Adaptive Snowsports Guide

Thredbo Resort, together with Disabled Wintersports Australia, offers the ultimate mountain experience for individuals of all ages with disabilities or adaptive needs.

With Thredbo’s professionally trained adaptive instructors, DWA Guides that help to facilitate the on-snow experience, and specialised equipment, our adaptive program ensures that the full spectrum of skiers and snowboarders can access an enriching mountain experience.

Please find our Thredbo Village accessibility map here.

Adaptive Snowsport Lessons

DWA Membership

DWA Guides & Equipment

Adaptive Snowsport Lessons

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Adaptive lessons at Thredbo Snowsports School are all one-on-one with a professionally trained instructor that specialises in adaptive skiing or snowboarding.

Lift Pass

A Lift Pass is required for all adaptive lessons. DWA Membership entitles members to concessions on lift passes and private lessons at Thredbo Resort. Some peak season dates including school holidays may sell out. We highly recommend booking your lesson and lift pass at the same time to avoid disappointment.

DWA Guides

For extra assistance with your on-snow experience, DWA members can also request a volunteer DWA guide to join your adaptive lessons. Subject to availability.

Book A Lesson

To use your DWA member benefits to book an adaptive lesson with the Thredbo Snowsports School, please contact the Thredbo Snowsports School on (02) 6459 4044 or email snowsportsbookings@thredbo.com.au

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DWA Membership

Become A DWA Member

Disabled Wintersport Australia (DWA) is The National Sporting Organisation body responsible for adaptive winter sport in Australia, assisting thousands of individuals with disabilities to participate annually. To access the services and benefits of DWA, you first need to become a member.

Member Benefits

DWA Membership entitles members to concessions on lift passes and private lessons at Thredbo Resort. It also gives them access to an extensive range of adaptive ski equipment, discounted accessible accommodation, and a range of skill development, sport and recreational programs. Thredbo encourages adaptive skiers and snowboarders to become DWA members prior to booking lift passes and lessons.

Become A Member

DWA’s membership year runs from April to March.

To find out more and apply for DWA membership online, head to www.disabledwintersport.com.au/registration/

Become A DWA Member

DWA Guides & Equipment

DWA Guide And Equipment Request

DWA’s Resort Services Program at Thredbo offers support for both members and resort stakeholders around adaptive snowsports and disability.

DWA Guides

Any DWA member visiting Thredbo that requires extra assistance can request a volunteer guide to help facilitate their on-snow experience. They can assist you with getting safely around the mountain, using your equipment, loading and unloading the lifts, and communicating with mountain staff. They are not instructors, so cannot teach you how to ski or snowboard however they can assist with lessons to ensure that you get the most out of your time with the instructor.

Adaptive Equipment

A key factor that allows some people with disabilities to enjoy the ski slopes is having access to specialised adaptive equipment. DWA members have access to this specific equipment at Thredbo Resort.

Request Guides Or Equipment

To book a volunteer guide or access adaptive equipment in Thredbo, members will need to submit a request form through DWA. Please note that all requests are subject to availability.

DWA Guide And Equipment Request

Who Is DWA?

Disabled Wintersport Australia (DWA) is the National Sporting Organisation body responsible for adaptive winter sports in Australia, assisting thousands of individuals with disabilities to participate annually. DWA’s vision is equal opportunities for people with disabilities to participate at all levels in the winter sport of their choice. DWA members range from recreational skiers and snowboarders to Winter Paralympians, with some of the world’s finest winter athletes emerging from the program.
DWA In Thredbo

50% Off* Winter Lift Passes

If you’re a Disabled Wintersport Australia (DWA) member, please complete our Disabled Wintersport Australia Visit Request Form to request 50% off* the in-resort rate of 1 to 7-day lift passes.

*Eligibility criteria apply.

Accessing The Mountain

Thredbo Resort offers accessible parking and mountain access from the Friday Flat area. DWA Guides are available to assist members with safely accessing and getting around the mountain.

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DWA Legend: Ben Tudhope

Australia’s youngest-ever Winter Paralympian, Ben Tudhope is already a veteran with three Paralympic Games to his name at the tender age of 22. Most recently taking home a Bronze Medal from Beijing 2022, Ben is Co-Captain of the Australian Paralympic Team, proudly carried the Australian flag at the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Games Closing Ceremony, and is a current World Champion.

DWA Legend: Holly Palmer

Adaptive snowboarder Holly Palmer faced many challenges while snowboarding as she continued to be limited by the products she was riding. In Winter 2022, Burton and DWA teamed up to bring Holly to Thredbo for the first time, with the goal to make her snowboarding experience more accessible. Burton created custom snowboarding gear for Holly and with the help of Thredbo’s talented instructors, she made some serious progress during her time here!

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Coming Soon: Adaptive MTB

Thredbo Resort & DWA are working hard to make all of our mountain activities accessible to those with adaptive needs. Stay tuned for updates on adaptive mountain biking!

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How it feels to win the Kosci100 2023 🏆 @ultratrailkosciuszko Congratulations to the winner @uedaruy & every runner who brought a new level of endurance to Thredbo’s trails today!

The Thredbo crew have been learning all about where our food organics end up this week ♻️ As composting becomes a key component in tackling waste-to-landfill, it was awesome to see how our everyday choices can make a difference! Shoutout to The Concious Crop in Jindabyne who are doing amazing things with their closed-loop market garden! 🪴

Day 1 @ultratrailkosciuszko 💪 Runners have been pushing the limits at altitude in the Kosci27 & Kosci50 races today! Congratulations to all competitors! Bring on the Kosci100 & the KosciMiler races tomorrow 🤯

The countdown is on for our Kids Summer Adventure Festival these school holidays! With treasure hunts, arts and crafts, rock-climbing, circus workshops, face painting, Mission Inflatable, movie nights, sport sessions and more, the family fun will be non-stop 🎪🤸‍♂️ Our huge festival of free family activities is on everyday from December 22 - January 14! Link in BIO to find out more…

Thredbo Summer Music Series presented by @balterbrewers is about to bring three straight weekends of free live music to Alpine Bar 🙌 Get ready to rock this NYE with @steveedmondsband on December 31, dance to all your favourite Fleetwood Mac songs with @tusktributeband on January 5, and enjoy an intimate indie folk set from @felipebaldomir on January 13! Link in BIO for more information 🎶

We’re proud to announce that Thredbo has been crowned ‘Australia’s Best Ski Resort’ at the @worldskiawards for the 7th consecutive year! … & that’s not all! For winter 2023, we also won ‘Australia’s Best Ski Resort For Families’ at the @outandaboutwithkids Readers Choice Awards for the 6th year in a row, and ‘Best Australian Resort’ at the @sia_snowsportsindustry awards for the 2nd year running 🏆 Alongside our winter wins, we’re also very proud of the recent recognition for our environmental initiatives 👉 We’re the 1st Aussie snow resort to receive @earthcheck Gold Certification for the 3rd year running & we’ve been nominated as 1 of 4 finalists for the Sustainable Tourism Award at the @banksiafdn @visitnsw 2023 Sustainability Awards 🌍 These wins are a result of the hard work of so many. Thank you to all our staff, community & guests who choose to visit us. See you on the slopes at Australia’s Best Ski Resort again in 2024 🤍 Link in BIO for more information.

Wildflower season has begun and the mountains are blooming with pops of purple, yellow and pink🌼 Did you know that hundreds of wildflower species grow across Mt Kosciuszko with 21 that are unique to the area? Don’t forget to stop and smell the wildflowers while you’re hiking or biking this summer!

Last chance to save on Early Bird Festival Passes ⏰ Countdown is on for one of our favourite weekends of the year 🕺🏼 When the blues take over the mountains! The 29th Thredbo Blues Festival is back from 19 - 21 January, 2024! With over 20 of Australia’s best blues acts performing 60+ gigs at 15+ venues over 3 days, this is the ultimate music lover experience 🎶 Early Bird Festival Passes are almost sold out 👀 Link in BIO to buy now & save!

Have you explored the Thredbo Valley Track this summer yet? It’s a picturesque shared use trail for hikers, bikers and sometimes even local fauna 🦔 Weekend plans sorted!

Summer is ON! Our season of mountain biking, hiking and non-stop adventures has officially kicked off 🙌 Day one 👆 was a banger and we can’t wait to keep these good vibes rolling all summer! Link in BIO to check out everything that went down on opening weekend…

Lace up your hiking boots because the Kosciuszko Chairlift is now officially spinning for scenic passengers 🌞🥾 Lifts start spinning for MTB this Saturday 🙌 Link in BIO to check out the top 5 things to do this opening weekend…

3 days, over 20 acts and more than 15 venues! Get ready for non-stop blues, gourmet food & wine and good times in the mountains 🎸🍷💃 The 29th Thredbo Blues Festival is back this summer from January 19 - 21, 2024! A limited number of Early Bird Festival Passes are available to purchase now! Link in BIO to lock yours in today and save ✅

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Thredbo sits on the traditional land of the Monero – Ngarigo people who have looked after this land, water and community for over 60,000 years. We thank them for all they have done and continue to do to look after their country, a special place which we all love and respect.