 Poster: A snowHead
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(No, no, not eight track...you're showing your age now!)
I had a go at three track skiing this morning with Mike Hammond. Mike is himself a three-track skier - although you'd never know it if you saw him on or off piste.
[quote=www.spinal-injury.net/three-track-skiing.htm]Three trackers use a full size ski and outriggers giving them three points of contact on the snow. These skiers usually progress quite rapidly. Outriggers are metal elbow crutches with the tip section of a ski pivoted on the bottom of the crutch. Some outriggers have adjustable brakes attached to the back edge of the ski to give some speed control. Outriggers are used to aid balance and/or to give support. Outriggers are used by mono-skiers, bi-skiers and standing skiers needing aid with balance.[/quote]
So, we abandoned one of my skis and my poles at a friendly restaurant; fitted me with a spare pair of Mike's outriggers and headed to the nursery slope.
The first thing that strikes you is how difficult it is to do the things you take for granted - clearing snow off the bottom of your boot, traverse on the flat and side-step / herringbone up a slope.
The next thing that strikes you is how uncomfortable the kit can potentially be. The outriggers are quite tight around the forearm, so that you can get leverage, but they're not fully enclosed, so that they can come off. If you put pressure on the outriggers then the leveraging effect on your forearm - and in particular the gap in the forearm band - is, well, very horrid.
Next, the drag lift. There are three choices here:
- take one outrigger off and carry it in the other hand, so that you've got one hand free to grab the poma
- leave both outriggers on and get someone else to put the poma between your legs (requires very good timing on everyone's behalf)
- leave both outriggers on and do a delicate maneouver to grab the poma with one hand, whilst still holding poma.
The first of these is the easiest to get off at the top as you have a hand free. But it's also the most difficult as you travel up as you've only got two points of contact. The other two are easier for travelling up, but complete sods at the top. I'm four for four on falling over on the poma.
And the quad agony!  I thought telemarking is tough on your quads. That's nothing in comparison to riding a 150m poma on one leg!
The skiing bit is remarkably "easy" in comparison to the other issues. A few little techniques to learn, but anyone who can ski to a reasonable standard will be comfortable with what's going on.
It is, however, absolutely brutally revealing of any faults you have. Mike spotted my three key skiing faults on the first 3-4 turns.
We then hit a chairlift (not as difficult as I'd imagined) and a blue run.
So, how hard was the entire experience?
Very. It's absolutely brutal on your legs. And upper body. And arms. And you've got to think a lot. On the blue run I had to change legs every 6-8 turns.
It is, though, both utterly fascinating and very rewarding in terms of what it did for my alpine skiing immediately afterwards. I can't begin to imagine the freedom that it must give someone who has lost a leg.
After two hours I'm absolutely knackered. I've crawled back to my apartment for a nice shower. Mike's gone to ski the pow. There was talk of hiking. 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Good report. Just increases my admiration for disabled skiers.
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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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rob@rar - I suspect that you're going to be very tired on the course 
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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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| FlyingStantoni wrote: |
| rob@rar - I suspect that you're going to be very tired on the course |
So what's new...
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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.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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FlyingStantoni, great report.
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