Established in 1974 for Rotarians and their families worldwide who enjoy the winter sport of skiing, the International Skiing Fellowship is open to all ages and abilities. It provides the opportunity to keep fit, sharpen skills on the slopes, see the world on cross-country skis, make lasting friendships and appreciate Rotary ideals.
The two main types of skiing that Fellowship members enjoy are Downhill (Alpine) – as the name implies, this is skiing down slopes – and Cross-Country (Nordic), which involves skiing across land. Ski Jumping is also included in the Nordic category.
In the late 1990s, the Ski Fellowship established the Davis Boyd Memorial Foundation to expand its reach. Named after one of the Rotarians who established the Fellowship, the Foundation’s focus is to raise funds from various events it promotes for adaptive ski programs. It also provides the funding to train “trainers” at adaptive ski schools, facilitate the purchase of adaptive ski equipment for targeted programs worldwide, and raise awareness of adaptive skiing benefits for physically and mentally challenged athletes and war veterans. Recipients of grants from this Foundation are worldwide, including Disabled Wintersport Australia, a national sporting organisation for adaptive snow sports in Australia.
Another aspect to the Ski Fellowship is The Brian Anderson Scholarship Foundation, named after the co-founder of ISFR, which grants an annual scholarship to a prospective adaptive ski program participant without the funds to participate in the program. Based on need, the grant is made to an adaptive ski program that the Davis Boyd Memorial Foundation funded two years prior.
Skiing has existed for many centuries in the northern countries of Scandinavia, but was primarily used as a means of transport. It was in the mid-19th Century that snow skiing became a form of recreation and sport. Since ISFR was established, Rotarian ski events have been held in the USA, Italy and Austria. The Ski Fellowship’s annual meeting and ski week is held each year in a different location. Area Rotary clubs sponsor and host events throughout the week and partner with ISFR to organise ski week activities. Host clubs and local Rotarians provide expertise in planning and organising the week of events for both skiers and non-skiers. Activities may include mountain tours, home-hosted dinners, restaurant dine-around, après ski activities and visits to interesting local and historical sites.
For more information visit: https://www.isfrski.org/