About Adaptive Skiing

Series Summary

Wintertime sports and activities, like snowshoeing, skiing and sledding, can be enjoyed by everyone, including those with disabilities. Adaptive skiing provides the right equipment for people of varying special needs, such as people with spinal cord injuries, cerebral palsy, paralysis or other physical limitations. Such adaptive equipment includes walker skis, sit skis and pull sleds. Everyone can enjoy the pleasures of a winter playground with adaptive sports. In this free video on adaptive activities, a sports instructor demonstrates different types of adaptive skiing. Learn about different equipment that is available and proper use. Find out ways to increase safety while adaptive skiing with a buddy system, and get tips on being supportive for skiers who may need extra balance or assistance. Adaptive skiing is a special needs sport that makes the great winter outdoors accessible to everyone.

Video Transcript

"And today we're going to learn about finding adaptable and accessible ways to take people outdoors during the wintertime. We have a variety of different adaptable and accessible equipment for people with disabilities to use during the wintertime, so we can get out year-round. The first thing we have to take into mind...into consideration when doing outdoor recreation for people with disabilities is the right mind...set of...mind frame, there I go! So to get ourselves in that right mind frame, we use the quote, "Be open. Be open because some communicators are deaf, because some visionaries are blind, because the only mover....or, because some movers and shakers are paralyzed, because the only true disability is a mind stuck in the closed position." And that quote really motivates us to set up this adaptive equipment and be ready to do outdoor recreation for people with disabilities."