Hunt Hollow Ski Club gives families a lift: Here’s how

Sarah Milko wanted to teach her son, Ted Milko, to ski. “He has always wanted to do it — but I am not skilled enough to teach him,” she said.

Ted, 20, was eager to learn. “He has a need for speed,” said Sarah of her son’s attraction to the sport. But given the challenges Ted faces with autism, a developmental disability, he needed just the right teacher and just the right program.

Enter Hunt Hollow Ski Club in Naples, a private ski and snowboard resort on County Road 36. The club’s Hunt Hollow Youth Skiing Fund provides youths who wouldn’t otherwise be able to ski with free equipment, lift tickets, professional lessons, and a wholesome meal each week.

The fund benefits individuals with financial and/or adaptive learning needs, teaching them to ski so they can enjoy the winter outdoor season. The program is fully funded through fundraising and member support.

Program coach Jeff Riesenberger, co-president of the fund’s board of directors, coached ski racing teams in the Rochester area for 26 years. He said the mission entails reaching out to young people in the Finger Lakes region “and welcoming them to experience our facility in a very special way.”

Hunt Hollow sports 21 trails on 300 acres in the Bristol Hills.

A father of two teenagers with autism, Riesenberger understands the challenges of teaching children with special needs. He and his wife, Christine, live in the resort’s Hunt Hollow Village in the winter and Jeff counts himself “blessed to live an amazing life.”

“My task has been to share our good fortune and happy place with others that may not otherwise have had the opportunity,” he said.

Ted’s ski lesson began last week at the base of the hill near the T-bar, where Riesenberger offered a steady arm and help clipping on Ted’s skis. After a few moments to adjust to the T-bar, up the hill they went to reappear a few minutes later — crisscrossing down the slope in what looked like a choreographed dance with a few hiccups.

“What (Jeff) is doing is amazing and it is such hard work,” said Sarah, who is executive director of AutismUp in Rochester, an organization that supports those with autism spectrum disorder and their families. She admires Jeff’s skill and determination.

“Most of all, he’s so patient,” she said.

The Shearing family from Naples is having a similar experience as the Milko family from Penfield. Alliet Shearing, 19, has autism and Down syndrome, challenges that would otherwise have prevented him from learning to ski. Alliet’s mom, Stacey Shearing, said they tried introducing Alliet to the sport when he was five or six years old. “He didn’t have it in him then,” she said. So they gave up.

Two years ago, Alliet entered the program at Hunt Hollow. He is a new person on the slopes. Jeff Riesenberger took Alliet under his wing — as Stacey put it, Jeff “grabbed him and said, ‘he’s mine.’”

Skiing is challenging for Alliet. Stacey said Jeff understands him and is able to teach him and that has made skiing fun and a confidence builder for Alliet.

Hunt Hollow General Manager Joe Callahan said the program in past seasons has had between 30 and 35 participants. With safety precautions due to COVID-19, this year the program is limited to 12 students. Callahan said he looks forward to the program building back up again. He is putting the word out to local school districts and others in the community.

Learn more at https://hhysf.org/ or call Joe Callahan or Arden Neubauer at the Hunt Hollow business office, 585-374-5428.

This article originally appeared on MPNnow: Hunt Hollow Ski Club gives families a lift: Here’s how

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