Adaptive ski programs broaden access
Adaptive ski programs broaden access to the sport for those with different physical and cognitive abilities.
The aim of an adaptive ski program is to accommodate those with different cognitive and physical abilities.
There aren’t many winter activities that match the thrill of standing on top of a mountain and then taking it on with the help of skis or a snowboard.
The sensations created by letting go, gathering speed as you cruise down the snow-covered terrain while the cold kisses your face are downright exhilarating.
That’s why Pam Kleinle, an occupational therapist from Chester Springs, Chester County, who loves skiing, feels it’s a sport that should be accessible to all, regardless of a person’s physical or cognitive ability.
“I feel with my passion for skiing, my goal is to have anyone attempt the sport,” Kleinle said. “I want to see them out, and I want to see them smile and say, ‘Wow, I can do this, too.’”
With that in mind, adaptive ski programs are offered at many ski resorts, including Jack Frost in the Poconos and Blue Mountain Resort in Palmerton, Carbon County.
The aim of an adaptive ski program is to meet the student where he is and accommodate him in a way that gives him as much independence as possible.
“We pair them with an instructor who has experience,” said Sheri Miltenberger, a manager at Blue Mountain’s ski school, who also is also an adaptive private lesson instructor.
“We have instructors who have been special ed teachers, and one of our snowboard teachers works with the blind,” she said.
Miltenberger and many other instructors at Blue Mountain have an adaptive certification.
“I have twins on the autism spectrum, so it was an easy fit for me,” Miltenberger said of her motivation to get her certification. “Since my own children have autism, I’m very aware of the challenges guests face and want to help make their skiing experience as good as possible.”
Blue Mountain caters to those with developmental delays, low muscle tone, cerebral palsy, visual and hearing impairments and Down syndrome.
In December, Carson Bealer, 7, of Pottstown, who has Down syndrome, was able to have his first experience on a mountain when his family went on a ski trip to Wintergreen Mountain in Wintergreen, Va.
Kleinle, who was Carson’s occupational therapist, told Amanda and her husband, Brian, about adaptive ski programs.
“She was heavily encouraging me to explore skiing for Carson and that he would love it,” Amanda said.
Kleinle said that skiing would have many benefits for Carson.
“It provides such input to your body, just being outside and helping with balance and coordination, strength and flexibility,” Kleinle said.
Well in advance of Amanda’s family heading to Virginia to meet her sister’s family for a week of skiing, she researched its adaptive program and filled out an online application.
“They ask for their insurance information and how mobile are they — are they wheelchair bound or physically handicapped in another way,” Amanda said. “They want to know how communicative they are and if they can follow a series of instructions.”
The application helped the ski school match a child with an instructor to meet his needs.
While Carson was physically capable of doing an adaptive lesson on skis, Amanda, Brian and the director decided it would be best for Carson to get a feel for the mountain in a bi-ski due to his sensory issues.
“A lot of children with special needs have sensory issues, and the skiing equipment can upset some children,” Amanda said. “They don’t want to wear a helmet on their head or thick gloves on their hands or the boots.”
A bi-skier sits in a molded fiberglass shell above two specially designed skis that can easily load onto a chair lift without the student having to leave his seat.
“It’s great for a child who is wheelchair bound,” Amanda said. “They can get out on the slopes and enjoy the fun even though they can’t stand on skis.”
While some resorts offer biskis, some, such as Blue Mountain, aren’t equipped with them and have an adaptive program that uses skis and snowboards.
When it came to preparing Carson for his lesson, Amanda picked up the helmet he’d be wearing the day before, which she said was helpful in familiarizing him with it. It also helped that he had a chance to watch his big brother, Chase, 10, ski.
“He was fine with the helmet, but when we got there and started to put on the gear, he was uncertain,” she said.
She said that he was engaged and curious the first time he saw the bi-ski.
Three young adults from the ski school greeted the Bealers for the lesson and then skied behind the bi-ski to fully control it during each run.
“They were just so warm and so encouraging and really kind,” Amanda said. “I think children give cues when they are nervous and upset, and I felt these young adults read every cue so he never had a chance to get upset.”
Amanda said that the bi-ski enabled Carson to ease into the whole concept of skiing in a sensory-friendly way and prepared him for any future experiences on the slopes.
“We wanted to try this first and thought that if he likes it, then he can go ahead and do skiing and do the additional gear needed for skiing,” Amanda said.
Amanda said that the sensations Carson was able to experience during his time on slopes served as motivators in expanding his gross motor skills.
“It’s the extra speed you get from an incline, the wind on his face, feeling the cold and what it’s like to be in the snow on a ski mountain,” Amanda said. “That is going to be something to motivate him to be more physically daring to try more things and be excited to experiment, to keep on trying and exploring.”