 Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Sorry to hear
Not a help in Europe... but Thredbo in Australia has a pretty good set up... and the DWA in Jindy has built suitable wheelchair accommodation.
I can help with getting sitskis in Italy though (having gone through that a couple of years ago for someone else)
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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swood03, also sorry to hear ... I really don't know about detailed ease of access, but I do know that most of Les Deux Alpes resort is flat. Again, don't know about disabled access, but hotels Aalborg (Nielsson), Melezes and Cote Brun are close enough to the nursery slopes to have a good view over them from their terraces, (particularly the Aalborg which has undergone recent renovation). I don't know but I think you'd also be able to get a wheelchair in the Jandri Express, giving access to the Glacier Restaurant area.
You could also contact Disability Snowsports Uk for info.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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swood03, No personal knowledge, but a chap at our club who has a wife in a wheelchair much of the time reckons Wengen is good. They take two children who ski so I presume similar requirements to you.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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In France there is a label given to ski resorts by the French state if they can offer good support and access to skiers who need it. They are called "Handi ski" certified. Search for "station Handiski" on google.fr and you should come up with many. And don't be supprised if you come across many in the French Pyrenees, it is where the handi ski olympic team trains and hence it expanded from there (thats why I know about it). Example resorts: val Thorens, Les Angles, Tourmalet, Pierre st Martin....
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Hi Steve, again no personal knowledge on this but I'd guess Wengen would be a reasonable choice in Europe, I'm just not sure how they deal with Wheelchairs on the train, but I know they do, center of village is more or less flat with (in order of expense) Sunstar, Victoria Lauberhorn, Silberhorn and Bernerhof hotels all in the high street and on the flat.
Nursery slopes are just beyond the high street and still on the level at their base, there may be a disabled toilet at the bottom station of the cablecar I'm not sure but thats right on the Nursery slopes, further up I think there may be a disabled loo in the relatively new toilet Block at Kl Scheidegg station.
Probably worth contacting the resorts tourist information center and asking if they have any details, I'm sure most will
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Yes I agree with D G Orf. Contacting the resorts tourist information center is definitely the best option that you will do. I think most resorts have their own website and you can also check it.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Hey ho Steve..
May I suggest the ski school.. Rodkullen ARE Sweden.
The kids facilities in Sweden are brilliant.. lots of large areas set aside for them.. There is a large warm room.. 30 toilets microwaves, seats hundreds overlooks kids area.. Resturant etc.. 'guaranteed' snow late in the season.. Swedes talk English.. and almost everywhere is family oriented, clean and surprisingly not expensive!
The disabled ski school (Totalskidskolan) would get your wife out of the wheel chair and onto the mountain.. The instructors there are very good (it's elite training for them) .. and the school provides lifts from the hotel (continental inn which is 'affiliated' and very disabled friendly) to the school for people taking lessons.. I've been there about 7 weeks now.. (I ski on a mono sitski..)
Look it up on the Web.. Totalskidskolan... Neilson go there..
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Just spotted this thread. I met a lady in a wheel chair at the Jungfraujoch in January. She told me that assistance had been excellent all the way from where she had started (Lauterbrunnen IIRC) and all the train stations had had good disabled loos. So Wengen and Kleine Scheidegg should be OK. I doubt if she got off at the Eigergletscher, but I suspect that would be OK, too - in which case there is access to the station restaurant there, with a spectacular view of the glacier. Of course, anyone contemplating this sort of visit should consult the tourist office - but I agree with those who are suggesting Wengen would be a good bet.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Hi Steve,
I know your question is specific to Europe but I thought you would like to hear this. We have just returned from our 2nd holiday to Whistler. The entire resort is pedestrian based, all on the flat and they completely clear the snow every morning so the resort itself is the most suitable for someone in a wheelchair that I've seen in 20 yrs of skiing. Wherever there are stairs there is a ramp next to them making everywhere accessible. The buses have wheelchair access should you need them as well so no need for you to go to the expense of a car. However, the resort isn't huge so don't worry that you'll need buses.
Whistler also has an Adaptive Ski program that takes people sit-skiing from their wheelchairs. We spent a very entertaining afternoon with a 'mature' gent from Sheffield who whilst suffering the after affects of two strokes had gone to Whistler for 3 weeks sit-skiing. This may be something that your wife would be able to consider doing.
The nursery slopes at Blackcomb are at the base of the mountain so perfectly placed next to bars / toilets / etc. You will also find the facilities in Canada far cleaner than their European cousins'. The nursery slopes on Whistler are at the 1st stage of the gondola but we shared the gondola regularly with people in wheelchairs so please don't feel that your wife cannot use them. The mountain top restaurant on Whistler mountain has wheelchair access directly from the gondola station so no need to fight your way through the snow meaning your wife would be able to travel around the mountain as well. The staff were so helpful & thoughtful for everyone from the 2yr olds to the wheelchair users so in my opinion Whistler would be the perfect destination for your family.
My experience of European ski resorts over the last 20yrs or so do not compare at all to what Canada offers for people with disabilities.
Hope this helps.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Just to let people know, our latest France ski reviews on http://www.mountainpassions.com/winter_ski/resort_reviews/index.html all have Handiski information including availablility of adapted accommodation, whether there are accessible public toilets, parking near lifts, specialist instruction, equipment hire and any other outstanding services.
I am gradually adding Handiski details to all our other resort reviews too. If you see a review without Handiski info and would like to know more, just contact us and we will add it asap.
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Thanks to all who have provided advice. It's good to hear that many of you face the same issues and triumphed.
We have adopted a softly-softly approach and have started at Hemel snow dome. The facilities there are superb and the staff (and users) bend over backwards to help my wife. Good loos too for those that can't transfer on their own. There are multiple indoor and out viewing galleries and a lift services all areas. Lots of disabled parking at the door. For any other folks in wheelchairs with kids learning (or who want to ski themselves) this is the best place I've seen in the UK.
Thanks again for your kind and helpful comments.
We will get there. We will ski. (We will also be able to use loos with dignity. Not too much to ask)
Steve
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You know it makes sense.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Poster: A snowHead
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Plus 1 on Are in Sweden, fantastic facilities for disabled visitors, very accomadating and down to earth without being patronising in the slightest. Most taxis are at least people carrier in size so easy to move around the resort with a chair if you don't want to rely totally on the free shuttle buses, which would perhaps give your wife the opportunity to visit the spa and meet you guys in other areas of the resort for lunch after the lessons are over and your ready to explore the resort further.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I know this topic has been for a bit now, but it is a big subject and I have a feeling that few things are worth adding (SnowMonkey69 mentioned some of them already  . One thing is suitable ski area and second one is the ski resort itself (as a town).
Ski area is very important - it is everything related to skiing itself: adaptive ski schools, adaptive equipment hire, suitable slopes - good progression from beginner to advanced skiers, wide slopes rather than narrow pistes, accessible lifts (chairlifts, cable cars, drag lifts - with extra ramps, additional paths for disabled skiers), friendly staff with special training on how to help and what to do, accessible restaurans and toilets on the slope).
Ski resort/town centre - it is everything else not directly skiing related: distance from the nearest airport and accessible transfers, accessible hotels and chalets, distance from the town centre/accommodation to the local ski area (some accommodation is ski in/ski out and some can be up to 30-40mins away!), is the town centre flat or hilly - tricky to move around in a wheelchair, padestrianised town centre in my opinion is the best option - safe to move around specially when walking with kids, accessible shops, restaurants and bars, other accessible activities when off the slope - swimming, cinema, .... (when the weather is bad and slopes are closed you can have other options and not sitting in a hotel all day).
It can be a chalange when going to a ski resort where you have never been before, thats why it is good to do your homework You need to be sure what is the most imprtant for you as you might have to give on something else. Depending on skier disability, age, goals, ... some resorts will be more suitable to ones and less suitable to the others.
If anyone is thinking about adaptive ski holidays in Europe and would like some more info regarding wheelchair accessible resorts (many countries and resorts), there is a lot of information on Ski2Freedom website: www.ski2freedom.com
Hope you will find it usefull
Dom
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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I clicked on the link Dom but there does not seem to be much information?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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At the top, go into 'Disabled Skiing Europe', you will have various countries to pick from and resorts with a bit of info on each (related to accessibility for disabled people). If you would like any advice I am more than happy to help, as I have visited many resorts and might be able to help you, please let me know.
At the same time I would like to mention that from this winter I am operating in Polish mountains where I run adaptive programme suitable for everyone (all disabilities welcome). I provide professional instructions, big choice of adaptive equipment, transfers from the airport (cheap airlines operate from the UK), suitable accommodation, and the most important - affordable prices!
Regards, Dom
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Thank you Dom. I was after resorts that are good for access with limited mobility. We`ve just got back from La Rosiere with my 88 year old Aunt. Her only mild complaint was that she could not get near to the ski lifts at Les Eucherts to watch her great nephews go up and ski down. (We took videos and photos and put them on the tv at the end of each day for her) The little indoor shopping arcade combined with a disabled parking place outside, in La Rosiere itself, and strong lads to help her walk into restaurants etc meant she managed to join in a lot of the non-ski activities.
She is however, now talking about the next trip  !
I chose La Rosiere because I was travelling by plane and train with her separately from the rest of the family who drove, and I can get by in French if I have to, plus I had been to Bourg St Maurice before.
If we do manage to go again I would also consider German speaking resorts (or even Italian/Spanish?) if there was direct easy access by train and suitable accommodation available preferably overlooking the piste.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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CaravanSkier, Wengen would be good for your Aunt, centre of the village is flat, no hotels right on nursery slopes but several overlook though she'd possibly need binoculars to be able to pick out individual children, plus side is that virtually all the mountain restaurants are within a short walk of a nearby station so skiers and non skiers alike can meet up at lunchtime, there's a winter walking pass for the area but skiers under 20 and over 62 are eligeable for various levels of discount on the ski pass which can mean its cheaper for a non skier to have a ski pass.
The newer WAB trains are low to the ground requiring just a single step up into them and in Wengen the Train and Cablecar stations are right in the middle of the village, also because the Brits have been going there for so long almost every local speaks some English even the people on the checkouts at the coop
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Wengen sounds a possibility, it was one of the resorts favoured by my husband when we first discussed this holiday, only I have very limited German! We don`t really need nursery slopes, accommodation/restaurant easily accessed on foot without a long walk from anywhere, overlooking anything except the most horrendous blacks would allow her to watch the great nephews (all in their 20`s) on the slopes.
How would you get to Wengen, which airport would we need to use, and is there a direct train link? Sorry for all the questions.
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CaravanSkier, no problem, If you can find someone flying to Bern airport it's only 50mins from plane to Lauterbrunnen station by bus, but you probably won't, which means Zurich, Geneva or Basle airports, Basle is closer but you have to get a bus to the train station then a train to Interlaken Ost before Changing and going to Lauterbrunnen and then changing and going to Wengen, (these changes are due to narrow gauge railways), Geneva and Zurich you're looking at 4 hour transfer times  If I recall correctly there are some through trains from Zurich to Interlaken Ost but I think from Geneva you will have to change at Lausanne or Bern (I might be wrong). But whichever route you take theres some stunning scenery, driving is pretty easy as well, motorways will take you as far as Interlaken and there's a multi story carpark connected to Lauterbrunnen train station.
The village only really looks at the Nursery slopes though you can see people coming back at the end of the day, on a sunny day however take the Aunt up to the Mannlichen or to Kleine Scheidegg for lunch and there she could sit in the sun maybe with a blanket over her legs to keep her warm and drink hot chocolate/coffee/gin  whilst watching the skiers come and go then take the train or cablecar back to the village.
In the last 20 years or more many Swiss have taken English at school and most of the younger ones speak it very well, all the stations cablecars etc have enough English that you will be able to manage as do the restaurants, coop, tourist shops, ski shops and so on
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Thank you. Definitely food for thought!
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Hi CarvanSkier, St Anton might be an option as well. Flying to Innsbruck and getting train to St Anton, only 60 miles. Many bars and restaurants in the town from where you can see the slopes. There are 3 cable cars with restaurants at the top stations from where you will have a good view.
Wherever you will end up it is worth checking a local ski school if they do any adaptive as you could treat your Aunt with having a go in Tandemski or Piloted Dualski (with instructor controling everything) so all of you could ski together
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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That last suggestion is certainly novel! I shall consider St Anton as well. Thank you
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