Hall out to inspire others

ALPINE skier Adam Hall is hoping to inspire the next wave of para snow sports athletes.

The twotime Winter Paralympic gold medalist will be on hand at the Adaptive Snow Sports Festival next month to meet those interested in trying the sport out.

The festival will be held at the Remarkables in Queenstown on August 1719.

‘‘It’s a great chance to meet new people, and have fun on the snow,’’ Hall, who was born with spina bifida, said.

‘‘It doesn’t matter if you’re a complete beginner and never even tried skiing or snowboarding, or whether you’re an expert, the festival is open to everyone.’’

Hall will be happy to share his experiences from learning to ski and snowboard as a child to becoming an elite athlete.

‘‘Learning to ski and snow board gave me a new sense of freedom.

‘‘It started out as something I just wanted to do for fun and became an amazingly rewarding fulltime career.’’

Alongside winning gold at the in the standing slalom at both the 2010 and 2018 Games, he also claimed bronze in the super combined event at this year’s event.

He also won the Whang Youn Dai award, given to one male and one female athlete who best exemplify the spirit of the Paralympics.

The festival can help provide a pathway for those interested in getting into competitive adaptive snow sports.

For those purely focused on the recreational side of snow sports, the festival will offer three days of fun activities including team fun races, subsidised lessons, information evenings and plenty of social activities.