A day trip from Las Vegas to Brian's Head, Utah, produced these shots from my first ever snow skiing trip. Too bad I didn't try this before my injury so I could've really made an attempt to hurt myself.
The first lesson I learned with this kind of skiing is that the mountain is a lot harder than the river.
Even in this obscure location, the facilies and staff were well equipped and trained on handling disabled skiers. They put me in a kayak-looking thing and duct taped my hands to the pole so I could (for lack of a better term) steer. The teather rope coming out of the back is so an AB skier can follow behind and help turn and, most importantly, stop when I'm headed off a cliff.
When you're next in line for the lift, they stop the chair and strap you onto it somehow. But I don't recommend this if you have any problems with heights. You're just stuck out in the air about a hundred ft above the ground on the way up so get ready for an exciting ride up the hill.
It is definitely worth the price of admission though to catch the view and shush down some slopes. Granted, it's a little more dangerous than other rec activities, but it's also more exciting. Check out Page 2 for more pics of adaptive ski equipment.
Here are some good links to get you started:
http://www.nac1985.org (Natl. Ability Center - Utah)
http://www.adaptiveadventures.org/alpine.html
http://www.usarc.org/html/equipment.html (equipment)
Mono Ski:
The perfect candidate for the mono ski would be an individual with (T-4 to T-10)or any other type of mobility impairment. A mono ski candidate should be in good physical condition and ready to have fun.
Bi Ski
The typical candidate for this piece of equipment would be an individual with a mid to high level spinal cord injury(C-1 to T-3), involving Cerebal Palsy, Spina Bifida, or MS. Turning the Bi Ski can be done with subtle movement of the head or if one is strong enough, turns can be initiated with the use of outriggers.
2-Track: Stand up alpine skiing. For those that can support and balance their body weight. People with these disabilities might 2-track: Visual impairments, Cognitive disabilities
3-Track: Stand up skiing using one ski and two hand-held outriggers. People with these disabilities might 3-track: Amputees, Post-polio
4-Track: Stand up skiing using two skis with two hand-held outriggers for balance. Students may use a variety of other stabilizing equipment in addition. Provides student with four-points of contact with the snow. Designed for those with leg strength and/or stability issues. People with these disabilities might 4-track: Cerebral palsy, Multiple sclerosis Post-polio, Spinal cord injury Stroke, Muscular dystrophy Spina bifida, Amputees
Mono-Ski: A piece of sit down ski equipment, with one ski and using two hand-held outriggers. Designed to be skied independently. People with these disabilities might mono-ski: Brain Trauma, Double amputee Post-polio, Muscular dystrophy Cerebral palsy, Spinal cord injury Multiple sclerosis, Spina bifida
Bi-Ski: A sit ski with a molded bucket seat and two skis that can be skied independently in a similar fashion as the mono-ski with hand-held outriggers, or can be skied with the assistance of an instructor using stabilizing outriggers and tethers. People with these disabilities might bi-ski: Cerebral palsy, Multiple sclerosis Muscular dystrophy, Amputees Spinal cord injury, Severe epilepsy Spina bifida, Severe balance impairment Snowboarding: For those with a variety of disabilities. Visually Impaired: We use a variety of techniques to teach people who are visually impaired. Our guides are trained to use voice commands and techniques suited to the students needs.
