The One Where Adaptive Snow Sports are King of the Mountain

Who ever knew that when skiing with a vision impairment, it is nearly impossible to tell how fast you are going, or when you’ve come to a complete stop, or that the little black ball in front of you is actually a small child? Despite having near perfect 20/20 vision, I had the terrifying opportunity to learn first-hand what skiing with a vision impairment felt like while training this weekend with The Remarkables Adaptive Snow Sports School. After applying to be a volunteer and spending a day on the snow with the current staff, I was offered a full-time position with the adaptive program. Seeing as we were going to be working with skiers and snowboarders having a variety of different disabilities, it made sense to train by becoming disabled ourselves. But first, lets back up…

Typically this time of year I would be spending an amazing week immersing myself in adaptive sports through the Ability First Wheelchair Sports Camp. The camp runs once a year at Chico State and plays host to a rambunctious and awe-inspiring group of kids, coaches, and support staff. Rugby? Water skiing? Rock climbing? Yep, they do it all! For obvious reasons I was unable to attend camp this summer, so I opted out for the next best thing I could find in wintery New Zealand – adaptive snow sports!

The past two days I’ve had a tremendous experience learning how to assist others on and around the snow. Day one was spent working with two different types of skies: a bi-ski and mono-ski. These babies are the equivalent of highly technical wheelchairs on snow and boy are they fun! At first being strapped into a sitting position completely unable to use my legs was rather uncomfortable. It really hit me in those first few moments while sitting in the bi-ski how lucky I am to have the use of my legs and how much I take my mobility for granted. But once we got moving down the beginner slope my discomfort changed into a sense of elated joy. This was so freaking cool! If using a sit-ski was that incredible for me as an able-bodied person, I can’t imagine the kind of freedom and sense of mobility disabled riders must feel while skiing.

After a few runs in the bi-ski it was my turn to guide and support. Our instructor Kate strapped into the ski and was more than happy to let us drop her onto the snow to learn how to get the ski upright after a fall. We practiced a technique called ‘bucketing’ in which you ski directly behind the rider holding onto the back of the seat to control or support the speed and direction of the rider. Next we moved onto tethering, in which ropes are used to achieve speed and directional safety, as well as assist riders in making turns. My own skiing isn’t that great, so I was a bit nervous when we lifted Kate onto the chairlift to take her down an actual run.

Things started out great as we turned our way across the beginner run. Around the first bend the terrain dropped steeply but we pushed onward, Kate confidently in front of me as I tethered behind. Suddenly mid-turn, my right ski caught an edge, launching me off balance. A disastrous fall was imminent so instead of taking Kate with me in my out of control plunge, I wordlessly let go of the tether ropes. BAD IDEA! Kate rapidly picked up speed and began sliding out of control toward the edge of the trail. Our other instructor Nate began shouting “TURN KATE TURN!!!” as Kate plummeted into ungroomed snow and abruptly slammed onto her side.

Regaining my balance, I joined the rest of our training group as we rushed to Kate’s aid. Luckily she was unharmed, and apart from a jacket full of snow, she was still cheerful and smiling. Terrified to repeat my drastic mistake, I didn’t want to finish the run. Nate convinced me to ‘get back on the horse’ so to speak so we got Kate upright and then proceeded slowly down the rest of the mountain without incident. Once reaching the bottom Nate pointed out that we train for a reason, and that falls are a regular part of any kind of learning snow sports, regardless of ability. His words of wisdom made me feel much better about the blunder with Kate.

Our second day was spent learning how to guide the visually impaired. Scrunching plastic cling-wrap into our goggles, our vision quickly became full of blind spots and a few shadowy shapes. I couldn’t even distinguish my guide’s skis from the snow and could only really see her bright red pants in front of me. Relying on my guide’s vocal directions, I slowly inched my way down the hill unable to distinguish my speed or the terrain in front of me. I even had to rely on Kate telling me, ‘you are stopped.’ to know when I wasn’t moving anymore. Again, the experience has made me so grateful to have the use of all my senses.

After two days of training I am exhausted but incredibly excited to get on the slopes to guide and assist. If the experience of training in adaptive snow sports with such enthusiastic and genuinely caring instructors is any indication of how this season is going to go, I may just have the most rewarding ski season of my life ahead of me!

 -Ashley

Fun Fact: According to my work safety video, 30% of ski accidents happen in the parking lot. I don't know about those guys, but I fall just about everywhere!