Ski Monday

Physical activity is important for everyone and I am always on the lookout for activities for E and when the chance came for her to try skiing we jumped at it.  As I said before, E is in a wheelchair and needs help to sit and stand, so she skis in a bi ski (or sit ski).  As you can see it’s an amazing piece of equipment which is controlled by the skier leaning and looking in the direction they need to turn.  E really enjoys skiing and like many children her age enjoys hurtling down the hill at top speed.

At Hillend, the bi-ski will use the chair lift but through some ropes it can also use tow bars.  

 

The ski group is led by volunteers who are experienced skiers and is open to all ages and from what I have seen they are able to find a way for just about everyone to experience skiing.   Each skier is accompanied by one or two volunteers, depending on their requirements.  Parents/carers do not need to take part but the group have organised a number of lessons to help parents /carers learn to ski. 

The Edinburgh group meet weekly on a Monday evening at Hillend and sessions are allocated by matching volunteer availability with skiers.  There is no skiing at Hillend from December through to March but the club do organise two ski trips to the Cairngorms in that time at a very reasonable price.  There is also a group based at Xscape in Glasgow and during the skiing season, there is a team based at the Cairngorms for booking individual sessions.   DisabilitySnowsport also organise week long skiing trips abroad.

We have been on the  ski weekends twice now,  the last one funded through Take a Break, and E had a great time on both.  This year, with conditions at the Cairngorms being so good, we have also had two separate visits, arranging a session through the team based there.  Once again E had a great time on the slope.

For contact details, I recommend you visit the DisabilitySnowsport website where up to date contact information and membership costs are available.