Adaptive skiing Alaska

Monday, November 3rd, 2008 | Accessible Travel, Adaptive skiing, Handicap accessible communities

It’s time to start what I expect will be one of many posts about an activity that has brought great joy and fun to my family…adaptive alpine skiing. Every day I check the webcams at Alyeska ski resort and count down the days until Nov. 26…opening weekend!! Alaskans are unique…we live in a place of brutal winters and yet we simply love winter. And, what’s more, we love to play outside in the winter. Rob has been a downhill skier since he was a kid and I’ve learned to love it once I started living with him, so our children didn’t stand a chance. Unfortunately, when we realized that Quincy would probably never develop the ability to walk we thought we would have to give up skiing. But, lucky for us Alaska happens to have one of the finest on-mountain adaptive ski programs in the country. Challenge Alaska ski school changed our lives. We were able to use the facility to learn about the equipment and skills necessary to take Quincy skiing. We’ve been part of the Challenge family for at least seven years…first as clients and eventually on our own. We purchased Quincy her own bi-ski and spent hours on the mountain being trained on how to safely use it. Rob has earned his Professional Ski Instructors of America (PSIA) Level I Adaptive certificate and will soon be Level II. On the mountain we have complete freedom…this little family of mine can ski all day long without any one’s help or assistance. Of course, my other children learned to ski about the same time they learned to walk and they have incredible talent. Both of my children are members of the local ski team and spend their weekends honing their racing and free skiing skills. So, every weekend once the mountain opens you know where to find us…tearing up the slopes at Alyeska. Rob, Quincy and I aren’t hard to spot…we are the ones with the bi-ski and the huge smiles on our faces!!