U.S. Marine Sergeant Carlos Evans just returned from a ski run down one of the Beaver Run Resort hills in the town of Breckenridge, Colorado.  For Sergeant Evans the experience is exhilarating because, being from Puerto Rico, he says he’s never skied before.  What makes this remarkable is that Sergeant Evans has no legs or a left hand.  His hand and lower limbs were blown off by an improvised explosive device (IED) seven months ago while leading a foot patrol in Afghanistan. Today, Sergeant Evans laughs as he tells Fox News, “And now I’m here, skiing.  I’ve never been skiing in my life.  So yeah, this is awesome.”

This week, 154 men and women who were injured in Iraq and Afghanistan are skiing and snowboarding at the invitation of The Hartford Ski Spectacular, the largest winter sports festival in the country for the disabled.  The Wounded Warrior Project works in partnership with Disabled Sports USA to bring the wounded veterans for an all expense paid trip, that includes training and education.

“It’s a struggle because I’m learning how to walk,” Sergeant Evans says of his prosthetic legs, “…but when I am here and skiing, you know, I feel free, you know because just moving around, just the moving motion, it feels great.”  Trainers assist those who need it, to help them get down the mountain and safely use their adaptive equipment.  They also get some of these warrior athletes in prepped for a spot on the U.S. Paralympic team that will compete at 2014 games in Russia.

Daniel Gale, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Adaptive Action Sports, a chapter of Disabled Sports USA (a non-profit) is working with Army Sergeant Matthew Kinsey this week, teaching him to snowboard.  Gale says, “There’s definitely a difference in training somebody in any sport who has been in combat.  There’s a lot of things to consider in regards to just, sensitivity, things like the crowds that are around.  I mean, it’s something that’s particular to each individual person.  So in Matt’s case, he’s gun hoe.”  Sgt Kinsey says of the loss of his right foot to a land mine in Afghanistan, “I joined the infantry, and we all know the chance we take and so you get injured.  Yeah, it’s not the greatest thing in the world, but it’s not the end of it.”  The 25 year old from Indiana is now stationed at Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington, DC, where he was treated for his amputation.  He tells Fox News originally he had doubts about being able to live a normal life, let alone get up and go skiing. “I never knew any of this existed: Disabled Sports, Wounded Warriors Project, anything,” Sgt Kinsey says, “and once I got into my therapy, I saw guys that were missing limbs, missing parts and they were out doing stuff, that was kinda a big, you know, encouragement for me.”

The Wounded Warrior Project was established around the onset of the U.S. war in Iraq, according to Disabled Sports USA executive director Kirk Bauer.  Bauer is referred to by colleagues as the visionary behind bringing these young vets to the slopes.  Bauer has been a leg amputee for 41 years, ever since losing his limb during the Vietnam War.  Bauer tells Fox News of this programs birth, “We knew there would be casualties, we knew that they would need sports to rebuild their lives.” Bauer, who is also spending this week skiing, says this is about far more than playing in the snow.  “When they find out, ‘I can go down that mountain, well maybe if I can do that, well maybe I can go back and relearn my job, maybe I can go back and be active again in my community.  And if I can do this, I can do anything is what this week teaches us.”

Not to mention most here are adrenaline junkies, according to Bauer and seconded by Sgt Evans.  “It just makes you feel much better as a person,” says Sgt Evans, “and it’s a morale booster, you know? When people tell you you can’t do something, ‘hey, gotcha, I’m doing it. And if I’m doing it, I guess anyone can do it.”

All costs associated with the trips, adaptive equipment and training for the members of the military are covered by Wounded Warriors and Disabled Sports USA.

For more information on the program, the website is www.dsusa.org.

Check out still pictures taken by Fox News Videographer Lloyd Gottschalk.