The 2014 Sochi Winter Paralympics made us all more aware of the growing number of winter sports for disabled people. They also highlighted the opportunities available to people with varying disabilities.
The games showed that there truly is no limit to what the human body can achieve. This is especially true when taking part in intense sports on snow or ice.
Exploring vast, snow-covered scenery can be hugely challenging for people with disabilities. Safety and stability should always come first.
However, with determination and a little innovation, many challenges can be overcome. This can help people with disabilities enjoy the same winter sports fun as everyone else on the piste. So what’s available?
Depending on your disability and your requirements, there are several variations on the standard ski. For example, the dual-ski pilot involves sitting on an articulated seat above two short skis. A pilot then pushes and directs you down the run. They don’t have to be specially trained, but they should be a confident skier.
The Kartski is another alternative, offering skiers the opportunity to ski independently with the use of their upper arms but do not have enough balance for skiing. The skier sits on a harnessed seat and steers the Kartski with handles on each side for navigation and braking.
The Uniski and Dualski are also both different variations on the sit-ski, and are similar to the pilot and the Kartski. As the names would suggest, the Uniski only have one ski, whereas the Dualski has two, and the skier uses ski poles to gain speed and change direction.
Adaptive snowboarding refers to a modified version of the original snowboarding sport, with changes in rules, equipment and some technical specifications which allow people with physical disabilities to participate in both recreational and competitive snowboarding. It involves an ‘outrigger’, a board with a handle attached for balance, and sometimes a pilot, but the adaptive snowboarding equipment depends entirely on the ingenuity and creativity of the specialist instructors at the resort, many who customise their own equipment in order to provide for those with disabilities.Appropriate equipment is ability-oriented and based on whether a student has sufficient balance and strength to ride vertically.
