Sending email...

Finding resorts...

Accessibility options
Accessibility options
Helped to make the magic of winter mountain experiences truly inclusive and accessible

    Sign Up to Our Newsletter

    * indicates required
    Interests

    Please select all the ways you would like to hear from the Ski 2 Freedom Foundation, our newsletters will be sent no more than once per month:

    You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. For information about our privacy practices, please visit our website.

    We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By clicking below to subscribe, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing. Learn more about Mailchimp's privacy practices here.

    We are delighted to welcome you to the empowering magic and enlightenment of the mountains in winter!

    A unique gateway to accessible snow sports and winter experiences for hope, health and mental well-being.

    What is the Ski 2 Freedom Foundation?

    We are a small, dynamic UK charity created to be an inspiration for winter-based activities and experiences for anyone affected by life-changing needs, serious health conditions, disability or where health and mental wellfare is affected by economic or social disadvantage.

    The concept was the brainchild, of Catherine Cosby, whose daughter Alexandra was born with a rare genetic neurological disorder (Rett Syndrome). Catherine discovered a renewed strength and mental-well-being from respite trips to the Alps in winter. She believes passionately that these same healing and spiritual qualities of the mountains could and should be shared with other families to help bring about a fundamental and emotional change in their lives.

    What is the essence of Ski 2 Freedom?

    Empathy, understanding and innovation to give families, individual's or groups reassurance, guidance and a helping hand towards a more enriched and inclusive life.

    For 1000's of years the Alpine regions have been well-known for their winter therapeutic and health-restoring qualities. Indeed, visitors first came to the Swiss mountains over a 150 years ago for their health during the summer months. Encouraged by the fresh air, good food, healthy activities and wonderful family run hotels, having discovered the delights of skiing, the British were the first to really help open up these therapeutic destinations for winter fun!

    What makes Ski 2 Freedom unique?

    Our strength in offering a very personal approach that has defined our work for over 10 years and made us a renowed source of ideas for people to achieve a sense of purpose. Ski 2 Freedom shares a wealth of personal experiences, knowledge and valued friendships which connect people to the best mountain winter activity

    I cannot thank you enough for all your kindness and understanding. It is like a breath of fresh air when I explain about the needs of my daughter and the other person totally gets it. Thanks to you, we are going to go skiing for the first time as a family.

    "Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you've imagined"
    Henry David Thoreau

    What We do

    We love to help with inspiring ideas and the reassurance needed to find the most suitable adaptive or assisted ski lesson, guide or sit-ski equipment, ideal ski resort, most appropriate place to stay – all our work is carried out with the empathy, integrity and personal touch that has become our bench-mark.

    We want to meet people’s aspirations and help make dreams come true by sharing with you all our knowledge and experience in a very personal tailor-made way:

    • Helping to inspire and make dreams a reality - bringing the winter wonderland to everyone and making people laugh and find renewed strength. Lasting memories and a sense of purpose.

    • Making small individual grants towards the provision of specialist ski instruction or other winter sport assistance such as lessons, guided sit-ski trips, care packages which could include sleigh rides, or other winter magical experiences.... as and when appropriate.

    All we ask in return is that if you can, in some small way, help in keeping our garden of inspriation growing then we can all help each other to achieve a lasting memory in the mountains!

    All donations are used exclusively in helping everyone to feel a sense of empowerment and provide enlightenment and hope.

    Who We Help

    Those we have helped so far range in age from 2 to 90 years old, all with a very diverse range of medical, health and social needs including, sadly, many with life-limiting conditions. This is about making dreams come true and providing lasting memories for family and friends. Giving anyone who cares for a relative the opportunity of getting the respite and normality they so richly deserve - especially young people.

    We have supported families, groups, members of the Armed Forces, main-stream and special needs schools, ski clubs, disadvantaged young people and other members of society so that all generations - facing challenges in their lives gain self-confidence, self-esteem, life-skills, respite, social inclusion, hope, a better physical and mental health, lasting memories and a powerful sense of personal achievement with family or friends!

    Ski 2 Freedom has helped enrich the lives of over 7,000 children, young people and adults affected in some way by a life-changing or life-limiting condition, social inequality, social unrest or conflict (physical, special-needs, mental, trauma, neurological, cognitive, degenerative, genetic, cancer, sensory and auditive functions, or a disability). We enable our beneficiaries to gain improved mental and physical health, respite, social inclusion, hope, life-skills and lasting precious memories with family and friends.

    • "I just wanted to let you know my dreams have come true and I wanted to thank you as soon as I could... I've already cried a few times with my instructor from ESF Les 2 Alpes Loic!!!!!!"
      - Susan (Addison's Disease) Feb 2014
    • "We cannot thank Ski 2 Freedom enough - it's such a wonderful thing for Barnaby to be able to do and, perhaps more importantly, it makes him so much more part of the skiing holiday - on an equal footing with his sister, Olivia, and the other family we ski with. Thank you also to Simon, Lionel and Agathe at ESF La Rosiere who were all so accommodating and to the ski lift operators at Sainte Foy!"
    • "I just wanted to email you to thank you so, so much for putting us in touch with the wonderful Reini of Active Motion in Grindelwald. We've had the most amazing week skiing and Eli has loved it. Thank you so much, we are definitely going to do this again next year so I'll be in touch again!"
      - Mother of daughter with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy 2014
    • "Thank you so much for all your help and sorting this out for me. This holiday has been a massive achievement for me!"
    • "People should believe that their children can do anything. My mum wasn't sure if I would walk, but she believed in me, and so did my dad and now I can ski!!"

    News

    Blog