Ski chance for disabled

Press, 26 May 1977, Page 20

Ski chance for disabled

A project being promoted in the South Island this year will give hundreds of disabled people the chance to enjoy the thrills of ski-ing. The New Zealand Association for Disabled Skiers is promoting a scheme aimed at informing disabled persons that ski-ing is one sport they can participate in. Gillian Macdonald, a ski instructor who has been involved with disabled skiers both in New Zealand and the United States will be employed by the N.Z.A.D.S. as an instructor.

She has visited Crippled Children’s branches around the island and has names of about 50 persons interested in trying the sport. However her instruction will not be restricted to crippled people. Last year, while an instructor at Coronet Peak, she taught a mongol and blind woman to ski. Anh person with a disability qualifies for instruction.

Miss Macdonald said that one of her main problems has been to persuade more handicapped people that they can go up a mountain and actually ski. The technique she uses is not too different from standard procedure. The only special equipment required are elbow crutches (poles with ski tips) for anyone who is a lowerlimb amputee or has a paralysed leg.

The N.Z.A.D.S. was started in Christchurch and will use fully qualified instructors and physiotherapists for a preseason orientation and fitness class. These will be followed by day trips from Christchurch, Ashburton and Timaru to the Mount Hutt field. It is intended these trips will run over a sixweek period once a week. The association will also be available each weekend at Mount Hutt and some week-ends at Coronet Peak and Mount Ruapehu. On all fields spetrained instructors will be provided.

The N.Z.A.D.S. is emphasising the therapeutic benefits of ski-ing for disabled persons, but at the same time it wants the therapy to be fun. It is expected that a day trip to Mount Hutt will cost $8.50 a person, including transport, instruction, lift tickets and rental equipmentThe association will have two subscriptions. An individual member will pay a token $5 and companies will be solicited for membership at $2O. The subscriptions will help subsidise the cost to groups and individuals.