LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — This March marks the return of "Feel Good Fridays" at Lee Canyon, a fundraising effort to benefit the High Fives Foundation, a nonprofit that helps locals with life-altering injuries access adaptive outdoor sports.
Locals like Shelby Estocado, a Bishop Gorman graduate and former NCAA athlete, who we introduced to you several years ago. It's been nearly five years since Estocado suffered a severe spinal injury while snowboarding in Lee Canyon.
▶ Watch Las Vegas woman overcoming paralyzing injury through adaptive sports
Estocado told us back then that despite her injury, she still wanted to inspire others and carry the message forward that nothing should hold you back.
"I want other athletes to know there’s a lot you can do," Estocado said in 2021.
"You can be set back and just think about it, but living in the moment and for what today has to offer, I’m just fully invested in that because, yeah I’m in a wheelchair, but that doesn’t hold me back from anything."
Fast forward to today, Lee Canyon told us Estocado is training to compete in the 2026 Winter Paralympics as a para-alpine skier in the sit-ski category.
This is a central message of Feel Good Fridays at Lee Canyon
So, how does Feel Good Fridays work? Regulars to the ski resort may already be familiar with the weekender event — but for those who are being introduced for the first time, every Friday, $5 from each $25 daily lift ticket sold goes to benefit the High Fives Foundation. Feel Good Fridays take place in March this year.
Since its launch in 2017, Lee Canyon said Feel Good Fridays have raised more than $100,000 for the High Fives Foundation — which went to benefit individuals like Estocado and more than 900 others, including 219 veterans.
"Feel Good Fridays is one of Lee Canyon's most meaningful traditions because it combines our love for the mountains with giving back to the community," said Josh Reid, Lee Canyon's regional marketing director. "By coming up and skiing and snowboarding, Las Vegas is helping people reclaim their passion for outdoor sports. It's inspiring to see this partnership's positive impact on adaptive athletes."
Roy Tuscany, the founder and CEO of High Fives, and a team of adaptive skiing athletes will also be holding a celebratory day at the resort on Friday, March 28. To Tuscany, it's all about expanding opportunities for a community that never gives up.
"Feel Good Fridays is a perfect example of how partnerships can create lasting change," Tuscany said.
"By teaming up with Lee Canyon, we’re not only supporting adaptive athletes like Shelby Estocado in reclaiming their passion for the slopes, but we’re also building a stronger future for adaptive winter sports in Las Vegas. Together, we’re showing that the mountains are for everyone, and I’m excited about the possibilities for expanding these opportunities in this incredible community."
Tuscany himself is a former competitive skier who sustained a severe spinal injury in 2006 while skiing that left him paralyzed, but like Estocado, he didn't give up — undergoing months of physical therapy and community support that led him to founding High Fives in 2009, helping people in similar situations for more than 15 years.
Lee Canyon's winter operating hours are open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. More information can be found at leecanyonlv.com.
