By Ryan Flaherty for Sask Sport
Alpine skiing enthusiasts in Saskatchewan refuse to let a lack of topography stop them from spending a day on the slopes.
While the province may not boast any lofty mountain peaks, there are still a few places where one can enjoy the sport, making it accessible without having to travel long distances.
For the Regina Ski Club, accessibility also means giving as many people as possible the opportunity to take part. Club volunteer Luc Lemoine, whose daughter Emilie is blind, knows all about the positive impact that can have.
“She was in sixth grade and her classmates were going to do some skiing, so I called up the ski hill and said ‘I don’t imagine there’s a way we could do this but is there anything you could do to accommodate her? And their answer right away was, ‘Oh yeah, for sure. We’ve got an adaptive ski club out here,” Lemoine said.
“A week from trying skiing, she was racing and that’s because we have a club that has the equipment and know-how to help people out like that.”
That was 12 years ago. Emily has been skiing ever since with the Regina Alpine Adaptive Ski Program (RAASP).
The RAASP uses Adaptive Sport Equipment grants administered by Sask Sport with funds from the Sask Lotteries Trust Fund to purchase specialized gear that makes it possible for skiers with a variety of disabilities to carve up the slopes.
Among the more recent additions is a Dynamique Bi-Ski, more commonly known as a sit-ski, designed for people who have limited or no use of their legs. It features a seat with a suspension and two skis that each tilt independently based on how the skier leans, allowing the edges to bite the snow the same way traditional skis would.
With additional parts that allow the device to be modified for users of different sizes, one sit-ski costs around $13,000.
“The amount of fundraising we’d have to do in order to buy one sit-ski would be almost unreachable. If we didn’t have the grants we do, I don’t want to be too negative but I don’t think we could possibly have a club,” Lemoine said.
The club has also upgraded its support for visually impaired skiers like Emilie, who ski with a guide who calls out instructions as they travel down the slope. Some also employ a device known as a T-bar connecting the skier to their guide, allowing them to feel changes in direction and speed. Grant funds helped the RAASP purchase a headset microphone and speaker system that facilitates clearer communication between guide and skier.
Funding supports also help to maintain and upgrade the adaptive devices when needed, not only bolstering the RSC’s ability to accommodate a diverse membership but strengthening its ties with other clubs.
“If another club was to phone us and say, ‘Hey we’re doing this thing and we need a sit-ski of this type and I know you guys have one, could we use it?’ The answer is pretty much gonna be ‘Sure! Who wants to pick it up and when?’” Lemoine said.
“We all help each other out.”
And in turn, continuing to help more people hit the slopes.