High Fives Foundation & Darn Tough Vermont: Strength in Sharing Communities

Darn Tough Vermont has been a partner of choice for the High Fives Foundation for nearly a decade. Our partnership has sustained throughout the years because Darn Tough Vermont believes in the High Fives Foundation mission and vice versa. Aligning together allows us to relate on our dedication to the outdoor community, which opens the doors to a world of collaborative opportunities.

Darn Tough Vermont, their team, their supporters, and their customers have supported us in many different ways at many different events, camps, and fundraisers, and we’re excited to highlight a few of those partnerships today. Most recently, they collaborated with us in creating the High Fives sock; these ski socks give back 5% of sales. 

The High Fives Foundation is a non profit located in the heart of Tahoe, California, that focuses on preventing life-changing injuries and providing resources and hope if they happen. The Foundation formed as a way to “pay-it-forward” by our founder, Vermonter Roy Tuscany after his own recovery from a spinal cord injury.

“We have the opportunity to allow individuals to fall back in love with something that they thought they had lost. We restore hope." — Roy Tuscany, Founder & CEO

Since its inception in 2009, High Fives has helped over 505 athletes and veterans. Together, we can create a universal shift in adventure sports that expands what is possible for those who have faced life-changing injuries.

Darn Tough Socks, Darn Tough People

A company that bases its product, vision, and company on the mantra of “Darn Tough” is a company that has many of the same values as High Fives. A company that prides itself on being tough is a company we feel great working with because to be a High Fives Athlete, you’ve got to be tough.

Our Athletes define darn tough. We often show the smiles and high fives shared as an Athlete rides a beautiful wave in Hawaii or makes a stunning turn at Sugarbush. These Athletes are genuinely happy, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t take a heck of a lot of grit and determination to get to that point.

Not one of our incredible athletes ever wanted a life-changing injury, of course not! What our athletes did do is they decided that they would be bigger, stronger, and, most importantly, tougher than any curveball that life could throw at them.

They chose to put their head down and get through the storm, and for that, they are now able to reap the fruit of their toughness and experience the joys that come to those who can get through the hardest moments of their lives and come out on the other side ready to ride!

“I’ve been a Veteran and amputee for 10 years. I’ve been blessed to take advantage of so many opportunities provided by nonprofits but in my experience, High Fives Foundation is THE best organization for adaptive athletes in the country, maybe the world.“ — #HighFives Athlete Tommy Counihan IV

Darn Tough and High Fives Present...

Here's a few ways Darn Tough has supported our mission — past and present:

Past Highlights

• High Fives Across America x Darn Tough $2500 MATCH
• Military to the Mountain Palisades Tahoe
• Colorado Military to the Mountain
• Darn Tough Vermont x High Five the Hill

The East Coast Experience: From the Green to Trails to Racetracks

Over 4 days, High Fives has partnered (yet again) with Darn Tough Vermont to provide adaptive athletes and veterans with some extra special experiences.

Multiple East Coast Athletes who have overcome their injuries and gone on to become valuable members of both their community and the High Fives community will be invited to get together and attend the 10th Annual High Fives Vermont Golf tournament. Here they will be asked to represent Darn Tough and High Fives in the way that we know they can.

The funds from this tournament will go directly to helping out our existing Athletes while also helping newly injured athletes through the recovery process.

Following the Golf tournament, Athletes will be loading their bikes and checking out the trails at Sugarbush for some fantastic riding as the first of two bike stops in the East Coast experience.

Sandwiched in the middle of bike days in this jam-packed week, Athletes will be headed to the Thunder Road Speedway for the 60th Vermont Milk Bowl, where they will be treated to the East Coast Hospitality as they watch the High Fives and Darn Tough branded race car battle with some of the best drivers in the world to secure a spot on top of the podium.

This event holds an extra special place in our hearts, as we are able to honor our brother Scott Roberds who passed away last April. It was always Scott’s dream to own a race car, and we will be dedicating the car to him.

To make things even more special, the car will be piloted by Nick Sweet, who is a four-time winner of the Milk Bowl. After Nick’s fourth win, he said he would never race the Milk Bowl again. When High Fives contacted Nick and told him the story, it seemed like too good of a fit to pass up on. Nick Will be going for his fifth Milk Bowl win in the High Fives Darn tough car in honor of Scott Roberds. Good luck Nick!

Once the excitement of car racing is complete, the next stop for Athletes is to The Beast of the East, Killington Resort, for some more high-speed excitement as they load the lifts and hit the trails on adapted mountain bikes. Riders will be able to spend time riding beautiful berms, catching air, and bonding over bikes.

Setting a World Record with Adam Jaber

As if Darn Tough hasn’t already done such an unbelievable amount to support High Fives, they are also supporting Adam Jaber from Out of Collective Podcast as he attempts to break an excellent (if not slightly smelly) world record.

Adam Jaber is going to be wearing the very same pair of Darn Tough socks for 55 days in a row in the name of philanthropy. Adam is looking for donations every day in his journey, and Darn Tough is going to be making donations on the 10th, 20th,30th, 40th and 50th day of the campaign.

Funds raised in this world record attempt will be donated to High Fives so we can continue to support Athletes. You can find out more information and make a donation here.

Together, we are creating a universal shift in adventure sports that expands what is possible for those who have faced life-changing injuries. Make sure to come find us shredding brown powder at our adaptive dirt biking camp this fall or ripping up the slopes at Sugarbush this winter for the Annual FAT Ski-A-Thon.

Fun Fact

Our Founder Roy’s dad’s house is closer to Darn Tough headquarters THAN ANYONE else!!!

About the Author

As a 501(c)(3) non-profit, the High Fives Foundation is a leader of education and recovery of life-changing injuries in outdoor sports. Through High Fives Grant Programs, they help athletes pay for adaptive sports equipment, supply financial support for different rehabilitation resources, and so much more. They provide a community to improve quality of life. For more information, visit www.highfivesfoundation.org.