Accessible Skiing Lesson

It's time to hit the slopes!

This accessible skiing lesson gives everyone the chance to try out skiing in a safe and supportive environment. 

Depending on the disability you have, there is a type of skiing that is best suited to your needs:

Mono skiing - This is a sit-ski with one ski underneath and the equipment to be skied independently. You must have enough upper body strength to hold yourself up and move on the hand-held riggers. A fore and aft movement is generally needed for mono skiing so that you can steer the equipment where you require it. It can be independent on tow lifts and chair lifts, but an instructor can also assist with this in the early learning stages. There is a large variety of mono-skis to suit everyone’s needs and your instructor will assess you to make sure you use the correct equipment to fulfil your potential on the slopes.

Stand up skiing - This is for anyone who does not need to sit down but may need a specialised instructor to assist. This can be with or without the use of equipment to aid lesson progression. An assessment by the instructor will help to decide the best way for you to ski. A complete assessment by the instructor will mean that this equipment may be needed and will help you progress on the slopes.

Bi skiing - This is a sit-ski with 2 skis underneath for stability. It is possible to ski with hand-held ‘riggers’, outriggers attached to the equipment or the instructor steering you down the slope. Depending on the assessment, it will decide the way it is skied, but the overall goal is to be as independent as possible. The instructor will guide you through a lesson progression that will suit your needs. The first lesson will be bucketing where you are steered down the slope by the instructor using your head to initiate the turns. This will then move on to either hand-held riggers or fixed riggers to make your skiing more active.

Three/Four track skiing - Three tracking is where you have three points of contact on the snow, which is usually two outriggers and one ski. People who have an amputation below the knee may ski with their prosthetic and therefore wear two skis. People who have an amputation above the knee might ski three tracks using two outriggers.
Four tracking is having four points of contact on the snow, which is usually two skis and two outriggers. The outriggers give stability and aid with direction for skiers who may have problems with balance or reduced movement. A complete assessment by the instructor will mean that this equipment may be needed and will help you progress on the slopes.

Visual impairment - Visually impaired skiers can ski in a variety of ways, including through voice control with or without a headset. Some may be able to use high visibility jackets to follow the instructor. A beginner’s lesson will teach independence right from the start. This will include safety for you and how to put on the equipment.