Adaptive skiing

I need to update my blog more. I have a lot of catching up to do.

First off, I volunteered with the Three Rivers Adaptive Sports group last weekend. Really an amazing, amazing experience.

We arrived at the Ski Resort around 8:30 AM, after a blustery drive up from Oakland. At first we were concerned that perhaps the weather had caused TRAS to cancel the event, but after wandering around the lodge a bit, we ran into the TRAS group.

Mark gave us a firm handshake and informed us that the skiers had yet to arrive, but they were expecting 4 people. We met the rest of the staff, mostly skilled skiers trained in tethering, while we waited. After an hour or so with still no sign of participants, Mark began calling the expected participants.

With two participants bailing out because of driving conditions, our turnout was reduced to two. Robby was a young man in his 20s maybe, a severe head injury due to a car accident left him with nerve damage and wheelchair bound. He was there in a great spirits, very excited about skiing, with his father in tow. A woman arrived in few minutes later, informing the staff that Jason would be a little late. Her van’s chairlift had not been working, so Jason and his assistant were walking/wheeling there instead. A few minutes later, Jason arrived with his assistant and a family member, all covered in snow.

As we waited to get everyone set up, Mark called us over to his table. Andrea and I were originally supposed to help out at the chairlift, while Shannon skied interference. However, the ratio of volunteers to adaptive skiers was so off-balance that he suggested Andrea and I try out the adaptive ski equipment. This would give us more insight into how an individual would use the equipment as well as give the skiers more experience with tethering. And it would be a lot more fun than standing around getting cold near the ski lift.

Mark explained the different types of skies to us, based on ability level. For instance, Jason, with Cerebral Palsy did not have enough upper body control to use outriggers. The chair was equipped with pontoons instead, shifting his weight right and left would be his primary means of navigating down the hill. Andrea and I would have enough arm strength to use the Bi-ski, made by a company called Bi-Unique. It looked like a plastic scoop chair with a footrest for your feet atop 2 long skies bound together. He explained that the chair part where a participant would be strapped in was like a ski-boot. You want to be strapped in snug and tight, so that your energy in moving was directed at the ski and you weren’t flopping around. We would be using outriggers that looked like short ski poles with mini ski blades to help steer us down the slopes while a volunteer skied behind us with a tether.

So Mark and another volunteer, Amy, brought me outside and strap me into the seat. I was amazed how many straps and belts they use to make sure I’m secure. I tried out the outriggers by gripping the handles and pressing the attached cord on the pole to release the blades down in ski position. The upright or collapsed position creates a crutch-like option, with crampits on the edge allowing the person to push off the snow and move themselves forward or back on a flat surface.

I didn’t realize at the time that Amy was holding on to the sled behind me, she left me go thinking I was balanced, and I promptly fell over into the snow. It was extremely difficult to get myself back up, especially since I couldn’t rely on my legs at all. Amy and Mark had to lift me back up. I was already feeling a little helpless, aware of the limitations of my upper body. Mark asked me to try the crutches to move myself around. It took me a couple minutes to find my balance again. When I did I found it hard to use the crutches. It took a lot of effort and strength to even move a few feet. I was very surprised at how hard it was to move myself around! After some adjusting, I managed ok. It seems that most of the equipment was very adjustable, as needed based on people’s skill and physical makeup.

Mark explained all the safety features of a ski like this, from ejection tools, if a bi-ski needed rescue from stuck ski-lift to ski-lift loading/unloading features. He emphasized that someone with a strong upper body could easily ski using this device without assistance from others, with the bi-ski’s features even allowing them to get on/off the lift easily. Getting an impaired individual as close to independence as possible was something that was stressed many times throughout the day. This was sometimes accomplished by getting the skier involved in the process, e.g. reminding the volunteers to hook/unhook the safety clip when getting on/off the ski-lift. I thought that was pretty cool.

Besides learning a completely new way of working with my body, being in that bi-ski was an enlightening social experiment. I got to see first-hand how other people react to a person with a disability. The reactions were varied. A group of teenage boys saw the equipment and were awed and excited, “wow that’s awesome”. A few teenage girls stared over from the ski-lift looking awkward and a little nervous, backing up a few steps. A middle aged man sort of smiled over at me kindly. But almost all stared in some fashion. On the slopes themselves, I found that people didn’t seem to notice as much or care. It was oddly comforting that people didn’t make huge efforts to move out of the way. I was treated like any other skier.

The skiing experience itself was fun. It was awkward at first- I fell over a few times- but then fairly fluid and intuitive. I felt really safe having a volunteer and tether behind me guiding me along. We ran into Jason, along the way, when I was still getting used to the skies. He smoked me, whizzing past with a cheerful goodbye. It was incredible to see the contrast between Jason somewhat immobile and restricted in his wheelchair to Jason whizzing past me gracefully on his adaptive ski.

I wonder if they have adaptive snowshoes...