DWA Memberships & Benefits

Since 1978, DWA has been supporting our members to find their freedom on snow at Australia’s major snow resorts – Mt. Buller, Mt. Hotham, Falls Creek, Perisher and Thredbo.

At DWA, we have two types of membership - Individual and Associate.

Associate membership is for those who want to support DWA programs as a volunteer snowsport guide or, in some other voluntary role. More information about these roles can be found in our volunteer section. This page is all about Individual membership.

DWA defines Individual membership for those with a permanent disability “that require additional assistance such as adaptive equipment, physical support above that of an able body person and/or specialist instruction to be able to participate in winter sport activity”.

We partner all year round with the resorts to improve accessibility, promote inclusivity. All these partner resorts provide DWA members with concessions of up to 50% on day and season lift pass and adaptive snowsport lesson prices. Members are encouraged to check pricings at their preferred resort.

During winter we also provide access to a range of adaptive equipment as well as our skilled adaptive snow sports guides to accompany our members on the slopes.

The 2024 price for the season for new individual members is $280.

The 2024 price for the season for renewing individual members is $190.

Important information about DWA membership

Our membership year runs from 1st April to 31st March, and in February each year we open up the membership process. If you would like to find out more about DWA membership, please contact us.

Before renewing or becoming a member, it is important that you familiarise yourself with our policies, which set out expectations and the scope of our services. For the safety of participants and guides, it is essential that you consult our weight policy, as some restrictions to services and equipment apply to those weighing over 80kg.

You can renew your membership or register for a new membership below.

Join or Renew

When your application is complete and your payment has been made, you may be contacted by our Membership Coordinator to supply DWA with supporting medical documentation outlining your disability/medical condition. You will need to provide confirmation from your medical professional by downloading and completing the supporting medical documentation template which outlines the information DWA requires. You can email your supporting medical documentation to our Membership Coordinator.

Once verified, your DWA membership card will be sent to you to present at resorts to access your member benefits. From this point onwards, you can use our booking system to book an adaptive snowsport guide and equipment at your favourite resort.

Adaptive Snowsport Guide

Any DWA individual member that requires assistance can book a volunteer guide. DWA's adaptive snowsport guides help facilitate the on-snow experience for our members. They can assist with getting safely around the mountain, using adaptive equipment, loading and unloading the lifts and communicating with mountain staff. You can book a guide at any of the resorts in winter here.

Please note that our guides are not instructors, so cannot teach you how to ski or snowboard. It is strongly recommended members book an adaptive lesson to learn to ski or snowboard.

Adaptive Equipment

Equipment such as sit-skis, outriggers and other equipment allow people with disabilities the opportunity to enjoy Australia's alpine resorts. As a DWA member, you have access to this specialised equipment to use while on snow in Australia. This is subject to availability and we only charge a hire fee of $50 per day for a sit-ski, due to the significant purchase cost and ongoing maintenance requirements of this piece of equipment.

To make an equipment request, contact the Bookings Team.

What our members say

"We cannot believe how much our daughter enjoyed the runs down the mountain and how she was just able to join in with what we were doing. It was a joy to watch her and be part of sharing it with her."

"My intention for this trip was to introduce my husband and my children to the sport of skiing and hopefully inspire in them a desire to come back. The result is better than I could have hoped for. Everybody wants to come back."

"I don’t think we could thank DWA enough. Last week was amazing in the effect on my daughter. It was great to see some of the signs of the person she was before her accident coming back out."