COVER FEATURE
For more information about adaptive snow sports and other
programs, consider the following resources:
•• Canadian Adaptive Snow Sports - www.adaptivesnowsports.ca
•• Disabled Sports USA - www.disabledsportsusa.org
•• Special Olympics - www.specialolympics.org
•• Special Olympics Canada - www.specialolympics.ca
•• Ski 2 Freedom Foundation - www.ski2freedom.com
•• Higher Ground USA - www.highergroundusa.org
•• Rocky Mountain Adaptive Sports Centre -
www.rockymountainadaptive.com
•• United States Department of Agriculture Accessibility Guidebook
for Outdoor Recreation and Trails (free guide) - bit.ly/2MYBksc
block to the success of your program, to
say the least.
Yes, there is federal legislation that
sets certain standards for accessibility
of public spaces such as hotels and restaurants.
But there are other, more localized
laws that can sometimes get in
the way of ensuring anyone who comes
to a mountain town has a suitable safe
place to eat, sleep and have fun.
“Our organization is based out of
Canmore, Alberta, but we operate
throughout the whole area,” said Mc-
Cullough. “Just this past summer, we
have had four brand new hotels built.
Two of those hotels don’t have any accessible
rooms. You can’t get away with
that in Ontario, and British Columbia
is starting to follow suit. But the other
provinces? No. There’s very little legislation
there. It’s incredibly frustrating.”
The change that needs to happen begins
on the slopes, within ski schools,
within the hearts of instructors and directors.
It’s recognizing the opportunity
to not only increase revenue over time
by widening the target market, but also
positively impacting the quality of life of
everyone who wants to participate in
snow sports – not just people who are
able-bodied and can afford it.
“Let’s not forget that there is a business
behind every ski resort,” said Cosby.
“By ensuring you make (the resort) as
accessible and inclusive and welcoming
as possible, then that is income for the
local community, more jobs for people
in the area and a greater chance of making
people more aware of their environment
with life-changing experiences.”
People who are confident in themselves
and their abilities tend to contribute
positively to the lives of others
and to the world around them, whether
it’s through their work, their hobbies or
their relationships. This is no different
when it comes to the confidence level of
individuals living with disabilities. Being
part of cultivating confidence and
seeing the change in someone as they
learn and master a risky skill like skiing
or snowboarding is why McCullough,
Burley and Cosby do what they do.
“Learning to ski on their own gives individuals
the self-esteem, the opportunity
to approach other challenges they
may be having in their general life, and
understanding they can break all those
other barriers, too,” said McCullough.
“My wife is Muffy Davis,” said Burley.
“She was an able-bodied, walking person
who broke her back ski racing. She
made the national team then broke her
back while training, then came back
and competed as a disabled athlete and
won four medals; 25 world cup golds.
(Now, she has) seven medals in the Paralympic
Games and is in the US Ski and
Snowboard Hall of Fame. Then she went
to cycling and won three gold medals in
the London Paralympic Games when
she was 40 after she’d had a kid. She
won her 16-kilometer race in over two
minutes. There are people who look at
Muffy, who’ve lost limbs, etcetera and
they know they can get through it and
go on to do great things because she’s
done all these great things.”
Allow yourself to imagine what it
might be like to have a different set of
circumstances than what you have right
now. Visualize the first mountain you
ever skied or the local hill where you
were taught to ski as a child and remember
what it was like to fly through that
powder or come to the bottom of the hill
on your own for the first time. Feel the
excitement, the confidence, the sheer
joy as you look forward to this next season
and all the plans you’ve made to
take advantage of the winter months by
shredding all across different hills and
mountains because they are fully accessible
to you as an able-bodied snow
sports enthusiast.
As an instructor, a resort owner, a
volunteer, a family member – be the
change the industry and the world
need so the blind person next to you
can experience that same excitement,
that same joy – and be sure there’s
shredding for all.
PHOTO COURTESY OF ROCKY MOUNTAIN ADAPTIVE
snowopsmag.com | SnowOps 21
/www.adaptivesnowsports.ca
/www.disabledsportsusa.org
/www.specialolympics.org
/www.specialolympics.ca
/www.ski2freedom.com
/www.highergroundusa.org
/www.rockymountainadaptive.com
/snowopsmag.com
/www.adaptivesnowsports.ca
/www.disabledsportsusa.org
/www.specialolympics.org
/www.specialolympics.ca
/www.ski2freedom.com
/www.highergroundusa.org
/www.rockymountainadaptive.com
/snowopsmag.com
