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During the first week of February last month we had the amazing opportunity to take a group of people with spinal cord injuries, along with some of their family members, to experience the thrill of sit-skiing at Liberty Mountain Resort in Fairfield, Pennsylvania along with helpers from BRASS (Blue Ridge Adaptive Snow Sports). For several years we’ve done many sit-ski adventures for people with spinal cord injuries, and this year’s adventure was one of the best; a fantastic two-days full of skiing and camaraderie.
One of the people who came on our adaptive ski adventure this year was Stacey Shumaker, a C5 quadriplegic injured in a diving accident in 2007. Now 29 years old and working as a social worker at a SCI rehab hospital, she’s grown to love adaptive skiing despite her initial fears. “I want people who are new to skiing to not be afraid of the lift! That was definitely the most daunting part for me but I always feel very secure with the instructors,” she says.
Shumaker’s first time trying adaptive skiing was in 2012. She’s also tried snow tubing, kayaking and parasailing. Before her adaptive ski adventure with SPINALpedia this year, she wanted to set goals she could achieve in one weekend. “My expectations were to learn and have fun and they were exceeded.”
“During the weekend itself,” says Shumaker, “the lessons were intensive, making sure the participants were able to fully understand the importance of various adaptive skiing methods in order to stay safe. “I only went for one day but I learned how to shift my weight and make turns as well as get the optimal speed while staying safe.”
For anyone interested in trying sit sit-skiing, Shumaker has only good things to say. “I would describe it as very fun and freeing. I was hesitant to try it at first but it is something that I enjoyed right away and have continued to enjoy for years. The community aspect is also so fun and enjoyable.”
Another participant who attended our adaptive adventure was Bong Delrosario, 48 years and and from Annapolis, Maryland. Born with Arthrogryposis, this was the first time he tried any kind of adaptive sport, so he was especially excited. He had only one goal being that he was a newbie, “To ski and to have fun doing it.” Not only did he describe his experience over the weekend as “fantastic,” but he had one more thing to add, “It was exhilarating and worth trying!”
— Watch a video of our adaptive ski weekend (video made by Ricky Chang, quadriplegic, professional video editor)
ideas@spinalpedia.com
