Skiing With Spinal Cord Injuries: First Steps

Video Transcript

"Hi I'm Dave Schoeneck, and I'm discussing once you've decided that you want to continue to ski, the steps, the learning progressions starts with the bunny slope, the easier slope and then that's with a tether. Your brakes are structured behind you, tethered to you. So once you get comfortable making the turns, initiating the turns, sliding the ski and then you're controlling your own speed and linking turns one after another, that's the progression. And once you're doing that without the tether on the easier slope then we will move you, usually within a couple of days of lessons to a more intermediate slope where you could continue to progress and get comfortable with those turns and making the ski work for you. Once you've advanced to more of an intermediate slope, that means you've been able to keep your shoulders down the hill, facing down the fall line and you're able to link turns one after another and control your speed and you are arcing the ski just like an able bodied skier. And then it's a matter of continual practice and getting up as much vertical time on the mountain as you can possibly get. And as time progresses you can move forward to a little more advanced slopes where gradual is always a good thing. You never want to get in too far over your head. Because again, confidence and having fun is a priority. We have individuals that have gotten so advanced that they're obviously are competing at very high levels in the Paralympics and we see just amazing things out of these skiers. I don't think I want to go back having three people to help me get on and help me get onto the lift and all that. I thought it would be a little too complicated. But they convinced me to give it a shot and it was a little challenging for the first three days and then I just got totally addicted to the sport. I love it, it's great fun really the sensations are fantastic."