Being an avid skier I get in a lot of days on the ski hill, and I’m a pretty indiscriminate skier. I’ll ski when conditions are marginal, when the weather is ferocious, when holiday crowds descend upon the high Sierra, and when no one else I know will ski. Consequently, I sometimes take certain things for granted. Like being able to stand up.
My skiing adventures started as an adult when my dear friend, Kim, introduced me to the beauty of the mountains, the clarity of the cold mountain air, the coziness of a warm fire and the contentment of hanging out with friends in a group cabin. Envious, I would watch her slip effortlessly down steep slopes while I struggled with my wedge and tried to control my speed. She had a gracefulness that was born of many days on the snow from a young age.
Five years ago Kim was seriously injured and our lives were never the same. She suffered a spinal cord injury after being hit by a drunk driver that left her partially paralyzed. For days we didn’t know if she would live, for weeks we didn’t know whether she would ever move any of her limbs. The first year of rehab was a blur of hospitals, rehabilitation facilities, physical therapy, procedures and endless hard work on Kim’s part. The second year brought more of the same. Amazingly, Kim continued to gain improvements that I never thought possible. First, movement in one arm came back, then the other. After many, many months she was able to move one foot ever so slightly. We celebrated every milestone with wild cheers and elation.
Then, the culmination of so much hard work came last year when we shared an experience that I thought was unattainable for us forever. We skied together again.
One wintry day we met at the Tahoe Adaptive Ski School at Alpine Meadows and were greeted by Dave, who immediately put us at ease with his gregarious, confident, easygoing style. He set Kim up with a sit-ski (a molded bucket seat mounted on a ski), two outrigger poles (ski poles with short skis on the ends), and then hustled us out of the ski school and onto the snow. I had very low expectations and just hoped that Kim would be able to experience something of the freedom that she craved, the sensation of slipping down the snow. I thought we would spend the day on the bunny slope and that I’d be walking on the snow beside her sit-ski. Dave looked at me quizzically and said, “Where are your skis?” I hopped into my skis wondering what was next. Dave and his assistant gently lifted the sit-ski onto the chairlift and we were off. With Dave holding onto a rope securely attached to Kim’s sit-ski, we did a couple of practice runs on the beginner slope. To my amazement we were soon on intermediate, and ultimately advanced runs. We covered the whole mountain, exploring runs that we used to ski, enjoying the views and the sheer joy of being outside on a cold, snowy, winter day. Kim had a huge smile on her face the entire day and was completely oblivious to the near-blizzard conditions. She whooped it up as they bounced down the moguls and shouted with delight when they picked up some speed. By the end of the day I could see Kim exploring her ability to control her speed using her hips to maneuver the sit-ski and her outrigger poles for balance, and I caught a glimpse of the natural grace she has always had on the snow. It was inspiring to run into two men in sit-skis skiing independently without being tethered to a rope, and they chatted with her and encouraged her to keep working so she could ski independently without needing a guide roped to her sit-ski. Dave knew that on the first day out the most important thing was to get Kim out on the mountain, ranging over varied terrain and experiencing the freedom of movement. Later he began introducing some drills to show Kim how she could control her speed and direction. She was game to try anything and soaked up the instruction. She was hooked all over again!
Dave and the rest of the staff at the Tahoe Adaptive Ski School are to be commended for getting Kim and others with various types of disabilities comfortable on the snow to provide confidence, independence and delight at interacting with the outdoors.
We have experienced many highs and lows in the last five years but the joy that I experienced our first day of skiing after the accident was the highest point of all. Kim is excited about spending more time on the snow gaining skills that will help her move independently. I, for one, will never take for granted the ability to enjoy the sensation of sliding on the snow.
INFORMATION:
Tahoe Adaptive Ski School
530-581-4161
www.dsusafw.org
Alpine Meadows Ski Area
Main number 530.583.4232
Snow Report 530-581-8374
www.skialpine.com
Inga, Kim, Steve in a snowstorm
