Disabled skiers

A snowHead

On my course last week I made a new friend - she is recovering from breaking her neck. She is doing very well and thoroughly enjoying playing the lunatic when using the battery powered trike attachment that affixes to her wheelchair - we had a great laugh on our trip out cycling round Pitsford Water on our one free afternoon of the course. She now is very keen, as soon as medics agree her neck is sufficiently well fused (they estimate this will be within about 18 months or so), to learn to sit-ski at Braehead. When someone asked her if she had any fears she said "None. What have I got left to break?". She was keen to talk skiing trips and asked where might be a suitable resort to think about aiming for when she gets as far as planning a trip. I suggested perhaps LDA, as the actual resort is flat and easily navigated by wheelchair. Other suggestions?

A snowHead

Butterfly, Would she expect to have her own sit-ski by that time or not ?

There used to be a page on the ESF website that listed numbers of available sit-skis per resort. The largest number by far were in Belle Plagne.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

last season there was always a lot of sit skiers around Les Contamines.....not sure why but more than I've seen at other resorts....or was it that I was more aware of who was on teh piste as I lived and worked in resort....

If it was that there were more in Les Contamines it could be that there is nothing really that difficult and a lot of wide pistes which encourage confidence

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When i was in Winter Park, CO for my first ski trip i think it was the US disabled races being held there as i believe winter park is very well known for its disabled skiing???

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

if you look on trips there is a link in useful travel resources for disabled skiing will try and find it to help as i want to take my daughter who has cerebal palsy skiing. winter park is prob the Us centre of excellence. whistler in canada has the equivalent in canada. my understanding these are prob the two best centres. Pm frosty the snowman and he may give you some first hand experience in the alps. serre chevalier seemed very well set up as I saw sit skis being taken up on chairs with hydraulic sit chairs .

my only experience of adaptive skiing involved my little girl loving it till i didn't detach the sit chair from the drag lift and she got taken over the edge of the top of the drag lift due the emergency cut out not working at a ski slope in llanelli. not hurt but shook up (me shook up to). taking her again in sept. I mention this as there may be dry ski slopes set up so she can have a taster

http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=18330 hope this helps

now edited with previous thread

brian

Butterfly, Disability Snowsport UK (formerly the Uphill Ski Club) have a school at Cairngorm including sit skiing. They also run overseas trips if your friend fancied a group thing ...

http://www.disabilitysnowsport.org.uk/overseas-activity-weeks

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

Thanks all - some useful bits I can pass on now. It's going to be a while before it becomes possible for her, but she was getting rather excited about the prospect so I just wanted some bits and pieces to pass her way for now. Smile

After all it is free

Butterfly, Look at these http://www.backuptrust.org.uk/programmes.html

Butterfly, Challenge Aspen were very helpful to me.

Their rates include lift tickets lessons ad equipment IIRC.

If she ever travels down under I can put her in touch with the right folks for accom and lessons here.

Had a (very long) thread where an irish guy was looking for help for his son to ski at Livigno.
I did a fair bit of work and posted links , emails phone numbers there - which it seemed worked well. (Appeal to raise money to get kid a sit ski as he wanted to compete in paralympics did less well - like no interest at all)

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I really like Big Bear on South California. Been there 4 times now and going again in Feb. Razz

The adaptive ski school there is USARC... US Adaptive Recreational Centre. Fab bunch led by a guy called Ralf Amos. Lots of equipment and instructors. Alpine Meadows in Tahoe also has an adaptive programme but I prefer Bear!

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

Hi Butterfly, has your friend been sorted with any skiing experience? How did it go? Please let me know if you require any info regarding adaptive skiing.

Regards, Dom

snow reports

There is no doubt that USA lead the field in skiing for disabled skiers, but closer to Home La Plagne in France also run skiing courses for skiers using sit ski's One of our clients gave us great feed back.

If you are looking to rent a sit ski in the UK try http://www.impossibledream.org.uk/skiBobs.html its a registered charity run by a guy who is himself disabled, they will rent a you sit ski for little more than the cost of normal ski's and boots. You will need to get to Weybridge in Surrey to have it fitted.

Ski Line director, ummm not so sure about the first phrase... I've skied at Whistler and in USA with adaptive instructors. Whistlers program was lacking in ability to service people(not enough resources). The US I've found lacking in perceptions in many places. They run separate adaptive schools that are not integrated with the main ski school at all. The quality and range of staff is thus limited. They also tend to be limited in service by this separation. (No group lessons etc) I prefer the integrated systems myself, then no-one but the student and teacher knows if it is a disabled lesson. I have friends with MS and parkinsons that refuse to use the US adaptive ski schools due to perception.

No hire charge for sitski in Australia - the resorts have the gear available provided by Disabled Wintersport Australia. You just need to contact the person responsible for this gear at the resort.

You know it makes sense.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Noticed the Sit Ski available at Oxygene in La Plagne when there last year.
http://www.oxygene-ski.com/la-plagne-disabled-skiing-lessons.htm

A snowHead

A snowHead

I'd just like to correct a comment above re "Most (not all) of adaptive lessons/programmes (US) are run by volounteers with only basic training, and yes they are not part of regular main ski school. And I do think that volounteers are very importand and they are doing amazing job but thay cant be the only one in charge - for the good of skiers."

This is not at all correct. It is true that there are a number of US resorts that have "weekend adaptive programmes" that are mainly run by volunteers but many (if not most) of the programmes have full time PSIA Qualified Adaptive Ski Instructors. I have taught for many years in both Europe and Colorado and there are many hightly respected programmes out in the US.

However, as is also stated it is far from the only option and there are now many programmes operating throughout Europe. Most of the larger resorts in the US do have full time Adaptive Ski schools with fully qualified adaptive instructors.

Like all things, you make your choices based on where you want to go and what is available. The great thing now is that there are many choices and I would hate people to think that there is only one option and a "best resort". Variety is the spice of life.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

hi, before going abroad I see your friend would like lessons at Breahead. DSUK have a full time adaptive instructor here called keira and she can be contacted on email. keira@disabilitysnowsport.org.uk .

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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Tomichi, I can only go by my experiences

1) Whistler - no staff available despite the ski school having many staff, including my regular instructor from australia, available... They would not shift that instructor over because they needed to pay those people which they apparently do not do to the disabled ski school staff. Nor do they offer any discounts on lessons booked through the regularski school nor on lift passes to disabled skiers that are not booked through their disabled ski school(or that is what they insisted when I spoke to them)...

2) Snowbird - again not possible to get a full disabled lesson because they were too busy. They did send me out with a volunteer - I'd say her technical knowledge of skiing was less than mine. She was nice and fun to ski with but was just providing me with a ski buddy to keep me in suitable places and help me get up if I fell.

3) Challenge Aspen - would have happily transferred my regular instructor from ski school to Challenge Aspen. Also did consults with that instructor when he first got lumbered with me (I have a very unusual disability - took some creative work). I understood they would also have accepted my Disabled WinterSport Australia passport as did Snowbird. Hats off to them - helpful and easy to deal with. The daily rate for instructor, lift tickets, and equipment was reasonable.

Many USA resorts insist on individual applications to them for access to services - no coordinating body seems to exist to allow one assessment to stand for access to services. If as a disabled skier I ring the resort and ask about lessons I get 'we don't do that' and they hang up(yes I rang about a dozen when I was looking at travelling there - I did not understand that the resort did not deal with disabled skiers at all)

In Australia I get access to lift tickets and lessons at half price and guide tickets simply by showing my Disabled WinterSport passport at the desk(Hats off to Ronnie Finneran - organiser extraordinaire). I can use any instructor in the ski school and am not restricted to very limited services like the USA disabled ski schools offer. My instructors are usually fully qualified disabled instructors BUT they all work in the ski school and are also qualified as regular instructors. This means I have had access to examiners for the now APSI Level 4, trainers, Staatliche amongst others. It also means if I outgrow what would be offered by volunteer staff I still have access to high level training.

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Sounds like Australia is leading the way! It certainly makes sense to me to have some kind of training system that is recognised from one resort to another. I'm just getting into this (am off to hit my first slope in exactly three weeks snowHead

), but free skiing is what appeals to me, and that means travelling from one resort to another to experience the variety you want from free skiing. I can't afford to buy my own gear right now, even secondhand is out of the question, which means I've gota hire stuff out at the resorts I go to, so I don't need to be getting fobbed off with excuses at resorts.

I've never been one for 'team' sports, I surf on my own and would like to ski on my own too. Have I got any hope of that without owning my own kit? Or am I going to have to be chaparoned everywhere I go?

Chris

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

the black boat, It depends where you go, what equipment you need and where you hire it from.
Do you know what equipment you will be using yet? I remember you asking about monoski/dualski...
For example, it is possible to hire a monoski from Praschberger www.praschberger.com last season the price was €36 per day. When you book it they want to know your height, weight, leg length - hip to knee, knee to ankle, hip width etc. so when you pick it up it is already set up to give you the closest fit you're going to get from a hire ski.
They are based near Kufstein, Austria, 10 minutes off the motorway. From there, there are plenty of choices of ski area. I'm based about 30 minutes away in Zillertal.
Once you have picked up your ski, it is yours for however long you have hired it for and it's up to you where you ski.

Saying that, as a beginner monoskier you are going to need someone with you to help you get around and to get on and off the lifts. As a ski instructor I think everyone should have some lessons (of course I do, that's my job!). Once you can use the lifts independently then it's possible to ski by yourself though I always suggest having someone with you just in case...
Just in case of what? Someone who can pick up your ski when it comes off after a big crash (very occasionally happens), someone who can get you off the mountain if you break an outrigger (very occasionally happens), someone who can pull you out of a mound of snow when you end up upside down and stuck...

Until you're competent and confident to ski all over the mountain, I'd suggest that you go to places that have a qualified instructor and where the ski resorts have seen adaptive equipment before. It makes life easier for everyone, but you don't have to be "chaperoned" if that's not your thing.

Good luck with your first lesson. Let us know how you get on.

After all it is free

I've always been kinda independent, and living with my injuries has probably made me more so. After I left the Army (where I served in a special unit with just 8 people in it!) I taught myself how to surf kayaks, including learning how to roll. Initially I spent a lot of time upside down followed by even more swimming, but after a couple of years I got the hang of it and now haven't swum out of my boat in over 5 years (and that was only because my paddle snapped!!!), and that's despite surfing some good waves with severe consequences...

Not bad for someone completely self-taught, eh?!? That last one was the one where I broke my paddle in two, snapping three ribs at the same time. Still managed to get myself, my boat and the half of the paddle I was still holding back to the car and off to hospital rolling eyes

I know I will need lessons for sitskiing, and if nothing else I will need to try out various equipment to see what does and doesn't work for me, but as soon as I can, I will want to be out there doing it on my own!!! I'd love to find people, able-bodied or otherwise, who would go and ride the mountain the way I ride waves, but in 12 years of surfing kayaks I've found less than half a dozen guys who do it my way.

Well, maybe I'm looking at this wrong? I know there are some used frames on the tessier website, but is there anywhere else I can get second-hand stuff? I think the sooner I get my own stuff the better, and then at least I can hit the indoor slopes here in the UK until I can get out on a real mountain. That way I can at least get plenty of experience of getting about independently, then a few lessons on a mountain and some help to get around the first few times and then I'm on my own!!!

I LOVE talking to you guys!!! Just gets me thinking and dreaming, not to mention counting down the days 'til I get my ass in one of those skis! 20 days and counting now... Embarassed

Chris

Chris
I am glad to here from someone else who both kayaks and skis. I'm more of a white water boater as i dont live anywhere near the sea with surf.
I have found that sitskiing was easy to pick up after kayaking. I find the edging works the same, the fore/aft trim is simular, with the leaning weight forward to engage the front to make a move, like you do when entering an eddy. My outriggers feel the same in my hands as paddles and kind of do the same job of allowing me to turn.

You need to make sure the kit you get is the right size, like boats sitski seats vary in size and its important that you are tightly fitted into it. You can roll a monoski like a kayak ( but its not advised, it hurts) its also worth getting a few lessons just to make sure you dont have any really bad habits that will result in injuries, broken collar bones and shoulders hurt, as does slamming down the hill resulting in your head hitting the snow about 60mph.

There is a charity called impossible dream. They have sitskis that can be borrowed for a fee and its worth chatting to them. I didnt end up hiring one as i managed to pick up a second hand prash but they were helpful talking about skis etc. You also need to make sure the ski is properly fitted to the skibob and not releasable.
I suggest that you will need help in the skidome for the first few months, if only to load onto the drag lift and to pick you up. Also the skidomes wont allow anyone on the slope unless they have basic skills and can use the lifts. The idea is everyone has a few lessons, even AB people. DSUK has a snowsports school in all of the indoor domes and have kit so you get to test kit and to learn in a subsidised 1:1 lesson.

Having been outside skiing for the first time this year getting on and off of chairlifts takes some getting used to.
Since you are ex army have a search for CSDST, i met the coach a few weeks back and he is lovely. There remit also includes ex servicemen. I emailed and got a really positive response and there are various training courses available.

I'm off to the alps next week for some whitewater and sunshine

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Sweet!!! I figured the two had to be fairly similar, and I've even been visualising using the outriggers as paddle blades! The one thing I'm really looking forward to in a ski is having my centre of gravity raised well up compared to a boat; in my kayaks I have the seats raised a couple of inches, much more isn't practical, to allow more lean into my turns to give a more agressive carve, so the idea of being sat so far up in a ski is very appealing.

Thanks for the heads-up on the charities, I'll certainly look into them. That's one area where this forum has been invaluable, as it has proven incredibly difficult to try tracking down available help on my own, so thanks for that. And it's nice to hear from someone who has made the same transitions I have, especially about the lifts. I've watched a few videos where the guys just hop on and off the lifts, making it look super easy, but I guess they've been doing it a while and I haven't!

Anyhow, thanks for your help and enjoy the water time!!!

Chris

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Disabled skiers

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