Story and photos by KAREN BOSSICK
Read the original article here.
For Shannon Oliver Kerrick, skiing was second nature. She grew up carving turns on Baldy and even conquered Austria’s legendary Hahnenkamm downhill in college. But in February 2024, while skiing at Bogus Basin, a high-speed crash changed everything.
The impact crushed her T6 vertebrae, broke both arms, and caused a traumatic brain injury. When she regained consciousness, her eyes were swollen shut, and she had no movement below the waist. After a month in the hospital, Shannon began an intense rehabilitation journey at Craig Hospital in Denver, where she used locomotor training to retrain her brain to send movement signals to her legs.
Just over a year later, Shannon stood before Higher Ground supporters at the 3rd annual Muffy Davis Cup, recounting her journey back to Sun Valley, back to Higher Ground, and back to Baldy.
“The first thing I thought of after my accident was Muffy Davis, and I knew there was hope,” said Shannon, a Wood River High School alum. “I knew about Higher Ground because our son, who is on the autism spectrum, had been part of their programs. When I finally returned to the mountain with my daughter, I felt happiness I hadn’t felt since my accident. Being able to ski with Higher Ground is like candy to people like me.”
An Experience That Changes Perspectives
For two days, seven teams of six skiers each took over Quarter Dollar for an unforgettable experience. Participants stepped into the world of adaptive skiing—navigating the mountain in monoskis, as visually impaired skiers, as amputees, or on ski bikes.
They even had the chance to try a $30,000 sit ski that operates with a joystick or by blowing into a tube.
“I always wanted to create an experiential event so people could truly understand what it’s like to ski differently,” said Muffy Davis, the event’s namesake. Paralyzed in a training accident in 1989, Muffy went on to win multiple Winter and Summer Paralympic medals. “These participants get to try equipment that costs thousands of dollars and see firsthand how a therapeutic recreation program like Higher Ground changes lives.”
Each team was led by a celebrity skier, including Muffy herself, who led the Devil Dogs—the team that raised the most money. Among the participants was Zach Sherman, a triple amputee who lost both legs above the knee and one arm in a motorcycle accident.
A former snowboarder, Zach moved to Boise in search of better adaptive opportunities. He outfitted a snowboard with custom bindings for his metal prosthetics and modified an outrigger with a ball instead of a ski for better maneuverability.
“Snowboarding is a big part of my life. It’s one of the few things I can still do since my accident,” Zach said. “I spend three months a year snowboarding with Higher Ground—it’s what holds me over the rest of the year.”
The Power of Perspective
One of the most humbling experiences came when Spencer Cordovano strapped on a snowboard as a visually impaired skier. With his goggles blacked out, his only guidance came from his guide, Toby Arnett, who skied behind him calling out commands:
- “Almost there!”
- “Turn now!”
- “Across the hill!”
“It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done,” Spencer said. “On a snowboard, you have one point of contact, and I had no idea if I was going fast or slow.”
Toby, guiding a visually impaired snowboarder for the first time, admitted he was nervous.
“Being responsible for someone else’s safety was humbling. It gave me a whole new perspective,” he said.
Higher Ground CEO Cole Petrie emphasized that the Muffy Davis Cup takes Higher Ground back to its roots. Muffy herself learned to monoski from Marc Mast, the instructor who founded Sun Valley Adaptive Sports—the organization that eventually became Higher Ground.
“This event allows the community to see how difficult it is to master adaptive skiing,” Cole said. “Even volunteers who assist visually impaired skiers are getting their first taste of what it’s like to actually ski without sight.”
“At Higher Ground, we make what seems impossible, possible.”
Champions of the Day
The event ended with awards celebrating skill, perseverance, and community spirit:
🏆 Fastest Visually Impaired Team: Tony Price with guide John French
🏆 Fastest Three-Tracker: Travis Zerba
🏆 Fastest Monoskier: Colter Brehmer
🏆 Fastest Ski Biker: Sarah Burke
🏆 Fastest Celebrity Skier: Muffy Davis
🏆 Best Crash: A tie between Amber Kennedy and Daniella Stokes
🏆 Best Costumes: The Denim Destroyers
🏆 Turtle Award (Longest Time on Course): Spencer Cordovano & Toby Arnett
🏆 Fastest Team: Denim Destroyers
For the third year in a row, the Devil Dogs took home the Muffy Davis Cup trophy, raising $25,000.
“I bleed Higher Ground!” said John French, a longtime supporter and member of the winning team.
DID YOU KNOW?
✅ More than 400 volunteers support Higher Ground’s winter and summer programs.
✅ Volunteers put in 6,000 hours last year—1,000 more than the year before.
✅ Higher Ground is fundraising $9,500 to purchase a Joelette, a high-tech one-passenger hiking rickshaw that will help kids with mobility challenges explore mountain trails.
Join us. Support our mission. Help us redefine what’s possible.
Written by:
Karen Bossick
Published on:
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