Still time to get tickets for 'Party on the Snow'

GILFORD — The “Party on the Snow” lives up to its name, with participants arriving in costumes for a day of skiing as well as enjoying music and food at Gunstock Mountain Resort. But there’s a more serious aspect to the day: the party serves as the principal fundraiser for Lakes Region Disabled Sports, which makes skiing and snowboarding as possible for people with physical limitations as it is for the typically able residents of central New Hampshire.

Paige Davis, program director for Lakes Region Disabled Sports at Gunstock, said the organization serves up to 150 people each winter, and does so with an annual budget of around $100,000. The “Party on the Snow” raises at least half of that — last year the event raised $63,000.

“It’s a significant portion of our operating expenses,” Davis said. Money gathered during this year’s party, scheduled for Saturday, March 8, will help pay for equipment and other costs that make downhill winter sports accessible to more people.

Those joining the Party on the Snow are asked to raise a minimum of $200, which grants them a lift ticket, a welcoming continental breakfast, and what Davis called a “world-famous cookout”, served around 11:30 a.m. Awards, for the highest fundraisers as well as for the best costumes, will be given out after the cookout.

There’s still time to register at secure.frontstream.com/party-on-the-snow-2025 for this year’s Party on the Snow.

Those who sign up will enjoy a day on the slopes, while also helping others to experience the same.

Davis said the people the organization serves includes local students and disabled veterans, and 55 volunteers help to run the operation.

“[We’re] serving a population that would not otherwise be able to participate in outdoor recreation, socioeconomically or just for access due to a disability. We try to serve as many people as we can,” Davis said. “We provide fitness and recreation, there’s a mental health benefit, a social aspect of people participating among their peers, engaging in what other people in their community are doing. It’s beneficial for everyone involved.”