High Country Adaptive Sports (HCAS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2015 to remove barriers to Arizona’s mountains, forests, and waterways for people with disabilities. We believe everyone benefits from outdoor recreation, regardless of physical or cognitive challenges. Today, HCAS operates year-round across snow and summer sports.
Enrich the lives of disabled youth and adults by creating lifelong memories through meaningful outdoor recreation experiences. This mission guides our staff, instructors, and volunteers every day.
HCAS provides adaptive skiing and snowboarding in winter and kayaking, mountain biking, hiking, and rock climbing in warmer seasons. Programs use state-of-the-art equipment and are led by trained instructors and volunteers so athletes can participate at their fullest ability. Need-based scholarships may be available through the athlete portal.
Winter lessons take place on the San Francisco Peaks (Arizona Snowbowl area), with Arizona Snowbowl cited publicly as a key supporter of adaptive access. Summer programs run across Northern Arizona, including Lake Mary (kayaking) and sessions with Flagstaff Climbing (adaptive climbing).
We provide adaptive recreation opportunities everywhere north of Phoenix metro, including Sedona, Verde Valley, Prescott, Payson, Page, and the reservation areas
We welcome youth and adults with a wide range of disabilities—including physical, cognitive, and sensory—plus veterans and other individuals with permanent injuries. Family members and caregivers are part of the experience.
While our programs are delivered throughout the forests, mountains, and waterways of Arizona’s high country, the athletes we serve come from across the state.
Laura Smith joined HCAS as Executive Director in 2023 after more than 14 years practicing as a licensed speech-language pathologist in Flagstaff. She has served children and adults in public schools, early intervention, and private practice, with a focus on functional communication and access. At HCAS, Laura oversees strategy, programs, and partnerships; advances instructor training and safety; and strengthens pathways for athletes and families—including scholarships and newcomer support. Outside of work, she enjoys time with family, gardening, and staying active on trails and yoga mats.
A Flagstaff native and Navy veteran, Truman Shoaff earned his B.S. in Parks & Recreation Management with an emphasis in Community & Commercial Recreation and Tourism. He first encountered adaptive sports while volunteering with HCAS’s winter program, then completed two summers at the Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center, where his passion for adaptive recreation grew. Truman now leads HCAS programs full-time, coordinating instruction, equipment, safety, and volunteer training across winter and summer seasons. In his free time, he’s outside—reading by the water, biking, paddling, or hiking with his partner and their animals.
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