Amputee
Skiing
I began skiing as an amputee as a direct result of my
swimming achievements. I was asked one time if I was
interested in trying what was then referred to as "Track
Three Skiing" for amputees, consisting of one ski, and
two outriggers for balance, making three tracks in the snow,
get it? Any, off I went in search of new spills and thrills. I
got both. We learned to ski at Fonthill, Ontario, which
consisted of two lifts; a rope tow and a T Bar. I
f you've ever used a T Bar lift as a beginning skier
with two legs, I'm sure you can imagine trying it with one
leg. What a riot. We were dropping like flies and laughing our
heads off all the way up and down. It was a lot of work for a
very short run, but I think I was hooked right away. I could
"run" again. Move fast on my own. Gravity was cool.
After a few lessons at Fonthill, near St. Catherines,
Ontario, I moved up to the big leagues by travelling
south of Buffalo, New York to Kissing Bridge Ski Resort. This is where I
really learned to ski. This must have been around 1978 to 1981
or so. I was hooked. I must have fallen about 30 times that
first day. What a blast. After a few more weeks, I was able to
keep up with my buddies in most terrain. I took to skiing like
a fish to water. I was mobile again.
I tried out in my first ski race at Kissing Bridge.
It was an easy slalom type race for amputee skiers sponsored
by 7-Eleven. I gave it a go on a wet slushy course and ended
up second in my class. I became more and more involved in
racing at this point, joining the Ontario Disabled Ski
Association and training and racing at Collingwood, Ontario's
ski resorts. I trained with some good coaches and raced a bit.
I also raced with Sheridan College's Ski Team in Brampton,
Ontario against able bodied college skiers. I trained
seriously for skiing for awhile, and raced for about 3
years.
The biggest and best ski events for me happened
between 1979-1981, when I took part in the Canadian Disabled
Skiers Association's annual event at Sunshine
Village in Banff, Alberta.
In 1980, Shell Canada
began a major
sponsorship of The Canadian Disabled Ski Championships as a part
of the Shell Cup Series. Athletes from France, Sweden Japan,
Austria, West Germany, Australia and United States made The Canadian Disabled Skiing Championships a major international
event.
Having grown up in
southern Ontario, skiing on little hills, Banff was
unlike anything I had ever experienced. This was a
mountain. The skiing and racing were fantastic fun. I
met Steve Ellefson and Bill Harriot through a friend of
mine in Calgary, and we drove up together and hung out
for the duration of the week.
Steve was a great guy and we remain friends
today. Bill was too cool to fool, with his special
racing Levis and wild attitude. It was the beginning of
two great athletes careers at this stage, as both these
guys went on to become distinguished in the field of
paralympic sports. For me, it was soon to be the end of
my competitive sporting days, but for Steve and Bill, it
was just the beginning.
I took part in the
slalom, giant slalom and downhill events. I completed
both runs in the slalom, in finished the race, but I had
an unfortunate fall at the top of the first GS run. I
got and raced it out, and prepared myself for the
downhill. At this point, I had not had a lot of coaching
or experience, and this was the first time a downhill
event had been held in Canada. Also, there were other
countries represented, such as Austria, United States,
Sweden and few others. Most of the AK amputee races were
won hands down by this Austrian guy who skied with poles
instead of outriggers. His thigh was a tree trunk and he
had to be in excellent condition to be able to ski that well
with poles. I've tried it, and it made for faster times, but
it was brutal on the leg without the outriggers for weight
shifting and balance.
I placed 5th overall
in the downhill, and I was pretty pleased with that. I
was clocked at about 50 miles an hour coming down
Brewster, and I will never forget that sensation as long
as I live. What a rush! After my thigh stopped burning,
that is. Here is a shot of that race near the top of
Brewster.
Learning
to ski was perhaps the second most important thing I
ever did for myself, as far as becoming an amputee at
such a young age. Skiing and ski racing were two
different things, however, and after 4 years of swim
training and competing I was burned out, and no longer
interested in racing. I continued skiing for many years,
and I have skied recently at Mt. Baker in Washington,
Cypress Bowl in Vancouver, Silver Star Resort in Vernon,
BC, and also spent a few years skiing at Apex Mountain
in Penticton, BC. Although I haven't skied much in the
last couple years, I'm getting the urge to get my ass up
on a mountain real soon.
Skiing
as an amputee was probably the most fun I have ever had
physically since losing my leg. I was able to ski just
as well as most normies and keep up with my friends. It
created a feeling of freedom that I could go wherever I
wanted as long as there was gravity. It was like being
able to run again. I truly love skiing and highly
recommend it for people with any type of disability. You
would not believe how much fun it can be.
For
links to amputee sports, please view the Amputee Sports Links Page.
Got a
skiing or other amputee story? Please forward it to amputeestory@amputee.ca with
any photos, and I will post your story on this site.
For more
information about Disabled Skiing in Canada, visit the Canadian
Association of Disabled Skiers at this link: http://www.canuck.com/cads/index.html
AMPUTEE
STORY LINKS
