Photo courtesy of the Regina Ski Club Alpine Adaptive Ski Program

Whether it’s at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, or the slopes of Fort Qu'Appelle, skiing is a popular winter sport.

So popular in fact that this year marked the 20th anniversary of the SaskTel Classic Challenge Cup, which took place February 7, 2026, at Mission Ridge Winter Park. This year’s event was once again a huge success.

The Challenge Cup is an inclusive, fundraising dual-slalom ski and snowboard event that supports the Regina Ski Club Alpine Adaptive Ski Program (RAASP), providing training, specialized equipment, and lessons to individuals with various disabilities.

The Challenge Cup features corporate teams of five people paired with adaptive athletes to promote accessible, community-driven winter sports. The teams take turns racing down a slalom course where each group member is timed. At the end of the day scores are tallied and the winning team is declared.

A past participant in this event and a former member of the Regina Ski Club is Kurt Oatway who captured a bronze medal in Alpine Downhill at the Paralympics held in Milano Cortina.

This year, 16 teams, including 16 skiers experiencing disability, numerous coaches and volunteers participated in the event.

Ashley McCann, a SaskTel employee, was a member of the SaskTel Team who participated in the event.

“This was my first time taking part in the event,” said Ashley. “My kids have a school friend that has just started with the Adaptive Ski Program and seeing them cheer him on while practicing the week before made me so proud.”

“It was such an amazing day, the energy and excitement, the smiles on everyone's faces as they were racing down the hill. It was heartwarming to see adults and kids from the program being able to partake with such enjoyment.”

For participant Devin Heidt, this was his eighth time he has participated in the Challenge Cup.

“It's a nice feeling knowing that taking a little time out of your schedule and spending a day at the hill helps these athletes participate in a sport that they love,” said Devin. “It’s a fun opportunity for anybody to come out and test their skills or even learn how to ski, anybody can participate no experience or gear is needed to join.”

Congratulations to the Adaptive Ski Club Challenge Cup Planning Committee for putting on a successful event.