One-legged skier talks about descent of Denali

VERMONT - The Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum’s virtual Red Bench Speaker Series will present “The First Disabled Ski Descent of Denali - Breaking Barriers with Vasu Sojitra” on Thursday, November 17, at 7 pm via Zoom.
Sojitra is breaking barriers as an adaptive athlete as well as an advocate for racial justice and inclusion. Sojitra is climbing and skiing the highest peaks on one leg. He climbed the Grand Teton, and in 2021, he and fellow adaptive skier Pete McAfee did the first disabled descent of Denali, the highest peak in North America. The excursion was featured in the latest Warren Miller ski film. He is also a co-founder of Inclusive Outdoors Project. Sojitra began backcountry skiing as a student at the University of Vermont, where he graduated in 2013. His first pursuits as an adaptive athlete in Vermont were the subject of a 2014 film, “Out On A Limb.” Sojitra will discuss his Denali descent and his other adaptive skiing accomplishments with moderator David Goodman, as well as his ongoing work to make the outdoors more inclusive for marginalized people. Viewers will also see excerpts from recent films featuring Sojitra.
Goodman is the author of “Best Backcountry Skiing in the Northeast” and host of “The Vermont Conversation,” on WDEV and VTDigger. Goodman profiled Sojitra in The New York Times earlier this year.
Zoom tickets and a link are available at vtssm.org/new-events/sojitra. The discussion will begin at 7 pm. The event is complimentary, but a $10 donation from each guest is encouraged and helps keep the series going.