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Ski for Light InternationalBy Deborah Kendrick It’s the middle of the week, a typical time to ski for more than 200-300 people. Many have never skied before, although dozens have come year after year for a decade or two. Past years have brought them to Michigan, Colorado, Alaska, North Dakota, Minnesota, New York, and elsewhere. This year the same assembly has gathered for their week in North Conway, New Hampshire. Like any group of avid skiers, they cheer when the snow falls, trade information about waxes and skis and the best kinds of poles, socks, or gloves. By day, they ski, and when the skiing is done, they return to the hotel for evenings filled with dancing, singing, and encounters with local craftspeople, storytellers, and historians – or just hang out in the hot tub or the bar. It’s an extraordinary assembly . . . really extraordinary, for the history they share and the commitment so often formed within the group itself. They are also set apart from other ski organizations in that about half of those in attendance have disabilities – most of them blind or visually impaired. Some are deaf and blind, and many use wheelchairs in their daily lives. The group is called Ski for Light International, and its 32nd annual event was celebrated in ew Hampshire just last month. Ski for Light was born in 1975, a gift from Norway to America. A blind Norwegian musician persuaded his friend, Olav Pedersen, a ski instructor who had moved from Norway to Breckinridge, Colorado to start a program teaching blind Americans to ski. The event is held in a new location each year, and skiers come from every state in the U.S. and several other countries. Participants are judges, physicians, business owners, forest rangers, college students, and homemakers. Some are world champion athletes, and others have never imagined themselves on skis. How can a person who is blind or in a wheelchair cross-country ski? The techniques are both simple and amazing. Good snow and a double set of tracks cutting through the skiing trails are the key physical ingredients. Each visually impaired and mobility impaired skier is paired with a sighted, able-bodied skier, called a guide instructor. The skier with a disability skis on one set of tracks and the guide instructor on the second. For blind skiers, the guide’s function is verbal information. For beginners, this instruction is as basic as teaching diagonal stride, encouragement about posture, and instruction for how to shift body weight accordingly when going uphill or down. For intermediate and advanced skiers, verbal information might be just quick phrases – slight downhill, slight uphill, long straightaway, prepare to snowplow (steep hill) or to herringbone (steep uphill), where the trees and curves are, etc. Because the thrill of Nordic skiing is a combination of the sport itself and the joy of experiencing the outdoors, guide instructors also describe the landscape – the trees, the mountains, the ever-present signs of wildlife. Many pairs have been known to take time out to hug a tree! For mobility-impaired skiers, different techniques are used. Skiers sit in a sled on skis called a sitski. Shortened poles are used to speed ahead, clamber up hills, or maintain control when careening down a slope. For the mobility impaired skier, the guide instructor’s function is primarily to be on hand for such interesting occurrences as giving an occasional push up a particular steep incline, or assisting a skier back into position when a flying sitski has lost its balance. And, in many cases, the guide instructor’s greatest challenge is simply keeping up with an amazingly fast sitskier! What sets Ski for Light apart from many organizations is the absolute sense of equality shared by all participants. Everyone is a volunteer – the visually impaired skiers, the mobility impaired skiers, and the guide instructors. Everyone pays his or her own way (skiing is not an inexpensive sport). The fact that participants from all three categories return year after year is clear evidence that all feel that spirit of absolute inclusion. The board and committees organizing the event are equally composed of blind skiers, mobility-impaired skiers, and guide instructors as well. Because the mission of the organization is to empower people with not only competent ski technique but also an involvement in fitness, health, the outdoors and all manner of recreational activities, the après ski hours at Ski for Light International are as important as the skiing itself. Evening hours find skiers on the dance floor, in the hot tub, or exploring tourist attractions in the surrounding community. One tradition of Ski for Light is to offer a full schedule of special interest sessions throughout the week before dinner. Sessions have been held on tandem cycling, ballroom dancing, mountain climbing, deep sea fishing, kayaking and other sports. Sessions have also been held on conversational Norwegian, origami, wine tasting, Internet access, writing haiku and more. Because Ski for Light comes to us from Norway, there is always a large contingency from Norway at the event. Norwegian influence is felt throughout the week as well, with one night dedicated to experiencing Norwegian food and culture. A team is selected each year to represent the SFL at the Ridderrenn, the annual week in Norway upon which the U.S. event was fashioned. The team each year includes two skiers with disabilities and two guide instructors. Many, however, join the U.S. team at their own expense. Jeff Pagels, the Green Bay Ski for Light volunteer who orchestrated the 2001 event, is a prime example of the SFL vitality. When he was paralyzed by a fallen tree, he thought his athletic life was history. Then, he was introduced to Ski for Light and skiing with a sitski. Not only did he progress to the point of world championship as a disabled skier, but has added such sports as ice hockey and mountain climbing to his repertoire. Like many longtime participants, he has served many years on the board of directors, recruiting newcomers to the sport and organizing events. The longtime motto of Ski for Light International is, “If I can do this … I can do anything.” The focus of Ski for Light is fitness, health, the love of skiing and the outdoors. The “magic” that gives it momentum is that for one week, roughly 300 people cohabit an environment where there is no hierarchy or even awareness of who has a disability and who hasn’t. ***************************** The 33rd Ski for Light International will be held February 10-17, 2008, in central Oregon. Participants will stay at the Riverhouse Resort Hotel in Bend, Ore., and ski at nearby Mt. Bachelor. Applications will be available July 1, 2007. To learn more, go to the Ski for Light Inc. Web site at www.sfl.org. ***************************** Deborah Kendrick is an award-winning writer, editor, and poet. She works currently as a newspaper columnist and as senior features editor for AccessWorld. |
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