Putting gravity to work so I can play on my birthday.

March 4, 2016.  My 66^th birthday turned out to be one for the ages.  I skied Alta with my daughter Erika and granddaughter Ellie…something I never thought I’d do.  I had given up downhill skiing in 2003, when a neurosurgeon  cautioned me about skiing because of the weak spot in my neck from my original spinal cord injury. So I took up cross country…safer, great exercise and a lot cheaper.  But I missed being at the top of the mountain, and I missed the adrenalin rush and effortless fun of bombing down the slopes. 

 With granddaughter Ellie at Alta. Behind me is Ginger,
a freestyle coach at Deer Valley, who was assisting that day.
At the bottom is the ski instructors pin  I earned a
month before I broke my neck.  I took it along for good luck.

Ellie ripping GS gates.

I resigned myself to the sidelines, as I watched my granddaughter Ellie turn into an accomplished skier and member of the Alta Race Team.  Then when my daughter Erika was able to overcome her CIDP and return to the slopes, it got even tougher sitting in the lodge while they hit the slopes

. 

Enter Dr. Jeffrey Rosenbluth, head of the University of Utah Spinal Cord Rehabilitation unit.  He suggested I try a sit-ski, through TRAILS (Therapeutic Recreation and Independent Lifestyles) a recreation program at the University of Utah hospital for spinal cord injury survivors like me.  New technology had made sit-skis much easier to use and shortened the learning curve.

   

At the top of Sunnyside with
Mt. Superior behind me.

The bi-ski I was on is basically a frame with a bucket seat mounted on two regular skis.  It’s designed so that as the skier transfers weight to one side or the other, the skis articulate and turn effortlessly.  It also has a handle in the rear that provides for a stand-up skier to ski behind, providing stability and assistance in learning.  It’s a bit like learning to ride a bike with your dad running behind you holding on to the saddle.  Mostly it was a big rush.

 

My co-pilot was Casey, an exercise physiology graduate, expert skier and sit-ski instructor who works for the TRAILS program.  I would start the turns by angling a left or right outrigger attached to my arm which would turn my body in the proper direction and Casey would help me finish the turn and provide the necessary stability. My previous training as a ski instructor prior to my injury was invaluable, as the physics of turning a sit-ski are very similar.  Lead with your head, keep your shoulders on the same plane as the slope and you’re on the right track.

 

Ellie and Erika ready to
shred the Alta pow.

We didn’t pussyfoot down the hill.  We were cranking it, making some great turns and passing a lot of skiers at what felt like Mach 2.  We skied Sugarloaf and Sunnyside lifts and even got in a black diamond called Extrovert. But the best part was having my two girls with me on the hill.

My next move will be to a mono-ski, which has the same dynamics, but is more advanced.  You sit higher and have more freedom…and there’s no co-pilot.  You’re flying solo on one ski.  I can’t wait.  To think that I can get back on the hill and share some turns with my family is beyond belief.

I learned once again that having a spinal cord injury doesn’t spell the end of a fun, dynamic outdoor lifestyle.  You just have to open your mind to new ideas, problem solve and adapt your thinking.   That’s why they call it adaptive recreation.

 

My sincere thanks to Dr. Rosenbluth for his visionary TRAILS program and for urging me to give it a try and to Casey, who worked so hard to make sure I had a great time.  Casey, by the way, just got accepted to medical school at the University of Utah. Congratulations! He’s going to be one great compassionate doctor!

Header Photo:  Cycling in Capitol Reef National Park, Utah    Photographer:  Bill Raddatz