At 6 a.m. on Saturday morning, when much of the Flathead Valley will still be asleep, Chance Cooke will head out to hike up Big Mountain on his uphill ski touring setup. By the time he completes his first lap, Cooke will only be one-tenth of the way through a momentous day of skiing and fundraising for DREAM Adaptive Recreation’s third annual Shred-A-Thon.

“DREAM is a great organization and I want to be able to support the organization,” said Cooke. “For over 35 years, they’ve been supporting the adaptive athletes in our community and I wanted to be able to support that group of people.”

Cooke is hoping to complete 10 laps at DREAM’s third-annual Shred-A-Thon, a fundraiser in which participants raise money ahead of time and compete during the event to see who can ski the most vertical feet, uphill or downhill, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Anyone who meets the minimum $100 fundraising requirement can participate in the day’s festivities, which include food, drinks, music and costumes.

If Cooke reaches his 10-lap goal for the day, he will complete 20,651 vertical feet, 341 feet more than the total height of Denali, North America’s tallest peak.

Cooke previously achieved this ambitious goal at the 2021 Shred-A-Thon, all while wearing a white Elvis costume.

His motivation to continue climbing up Big Mountain springs from his 12-year-old daughter, Kate.

Kate, who underwent a traumatic brain injury when she was three weeks old, is an active participant in DREAM’s adaptive recreation activities all year long.

She attends weekly programs in which volunteers and adaptive equipment help her to ski, mountain bike and do water sports.

“DREAM really has changed our lives,” said Cooke. “She doesn’t have to make adaptations like she does in most settings.”

“They focus on the things she can do rather than the things she can’t do,” he added.

Cooke hopes his efforts on Saturday will help sustain DREAM’s mission and bring those opportunities to more athletes like Kate.

DREAM set a fundraising goal of $40,000 this year after raising more than $36,000 last year, although DREAM Executive Director Julie Tickle said the organization had only reached $25,000 by Thursday.

“Final push, here we go,” Tickle said.

Equally important as the fundraising itself is the awareness Shred-A-Thon brings to DREAM’s programs.

“The goal is just to continue to raise awareness,” said Tickle. “We want more people to know about the services we provide.”

DREAM serves 300 individuals with disabilities throughout Northwest Montana. The organization provides 1,200 lessons and opportunities each year.

In the winter, the nonprofit spends seven days a week at Whitefish Mountain Resort, plus three days a week Nordic skiing. In the summer, DREAM usually has activities going on five days out of every week.

Each lesson costs Dream approximately $220 per participant.

DREAM also relies upon approximately 150 volunteers every year.

“We always need more volunteers,” said Tickle.

Registration for the DREAM Adaptive season lasting from spring to fall opens for both participants and volunteers on May 1.

To donate to Shred-A-Thon, go to https://www.dreamadaptive.org/events/shred/.

Reporter Bret Anne Serbin may be reached at 406-758-4459 or bserbin@dailyinterlake.com.