I sit at the top of the slope, the piste below hidden in mist, and tighten my helmet and goggles down against the alpine chill. The sign says RED and I search for the old confidence to ski into the blind whiteness below, dreading the dizzy sensation it will bring. I wish for the blue sky and sparkling slopes of yesterday.
We’re skiing blindly, trusting that the red poles will keep us right and out of the white soup, when there appears a grand view of the valley below, black streaks of rock scarring snow-laden meadows and mountains. The view takes my breath away, almost as sharply as the cold air.
The lure of the European Alps gets me every year, grabbing the bit of me that craves the fun and freedom of the white stuff, in a land that looks like it belongs in a fairytale kingdom. Quaint Alpine ski resorts with traditional chalets and cosy apartments are part of the appeal, yet they are riddled with steps and narrow doors, so finding accessible accommodation close to the slopes never seems easy. With 15 years of sit-skiing in the French Alps, my skiing hasn’t improved as much as my knowledge of where to stay.
Increase in Accessibility
The popularity of sit-skiing combined with modern-day thinking about accessibility, has seen an increase in the options for wheelchair accessible accommodation. For a number of years I skied in one of two resorts (La Plagne and Avoriaz), because I knew some accessible apartments and didn’t want a repeat of a couple of disaster ski holidays where I’d spent most of my time ‘bumming’ around the apartment floor through narrow doors.
Erna Low, a British Tour Operator, invested some time in researching the niche of accessible accommodation/ski-resorts, and published a brochure offering options for independent holidays. The brochure isn’t current anymore, but Erna Low is a good contact for finding accessible places to stay. They also deal with MGM apartments, who have a good choice of mostly very accessible places, dotted around the French Alps. Last month I stayed at “Les Chalets du Gypse” in St Martin de Belleville, in the giant 3 Valleys resort.
The apartments have a great ski-to-the-door position, but with only a small bubble cable-car to ride up the mountain. Dreading the shenanigans of getting into the bubble in a sit-ski, I was surprised with “le chariot”, a little wheeled buggy which the chairlift guys dragged my sit-ski onto, and wheeled me into the bubble. After that we sought out more cable-cars, choosing them in favour of chairlifts, but unfortunately the “chariot” system hadn’t spread resort-wide yet.
Nevertheless, Alpine skiing seems to be getting more accessible. Most resorts offer two-for-the-price-of-one lift passes if you’re a disabled skier, and the number of sit-skis on the slopes is definitely on the rise.
Useful Contacts
For more information on accessible European skiing / accommodation, here are a few useful contacts:
• Erna Low (independent ski holiday specialists, accessible accommodation) 9 Reece Mews, London SW7 3HE
Tel : 0171 584 2841. Note that most of the MGM apartments are very wheelchair friendly—wide doors, slope-side, etc. http://www.ernalow.co.uk/useful-information-mgm.aspx
• Bob Greig (equipment hire in UK) Tel: +44 7740 283808
• Disability Snowsport (equipment, instructors, holidays), Tel: +44 1479 861272, http://www.disabilitysnowsport.org.uk/
• Back-Up (UK charity with organized group holidays for spinally-injured), Tel: +44 208 8751805
• Ski Evasion (equipment hire, instructors in Chamonix), Tel: +33 450 555223
• Avoriaz Alpine Ski School (also sit-skiing instruction), http://www.avoriazalpineskischool.com/ Tel: +44 1244 344216
• Tessier (French sit-ski manufacturer) www.dualski.com/liens-uk.htm
See Related Articles
See Adaptive Skiing More Available for People with Disabilities to learn more about adaptive skiing with a disability and how you can get started in this exciting and rewarding sport.
Hockey has a whole new meaning for these players with disabilities. See Sled Hockey 101: The Pucks Are Flying to learn more about accessible sled hockey for disabilities.
