Skiing!!

Some people are lucky to have the unique talent of having athletic ability and excellent hand-eye coordination to go along with it. The rest of us can split our finger open on a McDonald’s straw and land back first on the pavement going down the sidewalk. I am of course the most accident prone and clumsy person on the planet and fall into the second category. But with the help of good friends and positive thoughts I am happy to say I attempted to be sporty and do something I never thought would be possible….Skiing!

Throwing myself down a mountain on a razor sharp gliding sit ski with 2 poles around my arms was not something I can say was high on my bucket list. Needless to say, I was scared to death, but just like anything I didn’t let it stop me. It did take a little convincing but I have to say it is the most fun and freeing thing I have ever done in my 29 years so far! I was surprised how easy it was, the hardest part being keeping my balance.

My best friend and our family went to Lake Tahoe and through disability support services I was fitted with a sit ski and walked through every step of the experience by 2 excellent instructors.  This included things like going and stopping, getting on and off the chair lift (hardest part of skiing sitting down), turning left and right and getting yourself up when you fall down. Given at first I felt like a dog on a leash because the instructor holds on to a strap that is tied to the back of the chair, before I knew it I was just feeling the wind through my hair and breezing by the other people on the mountain enjoying laughing and joking with 2 new friends.

Below is a video of myself skiing, believe me if you have the inspiration to try it, GO FOR IT! I had SO MUCH FUN!! Don’t let the fact that your sitting down not let you take risks! Skiing and other sports are possible, even for the less coordinated people like myself. Take a chance, experience something new and remember in the end: It’s Just A Chair!