Going Downhill Fast

We’ve taken up skiing as our family thing, and it’s amazing.

Wintergreen ski resort is a couple hours from us, and they have a really fantastic adaptive skiing program.

So our drill is, get up early in the morning, throw our gear in the minivan and hit the road in time to be there when the slopes open. While I get The Boy situated in the Adaptive Ski Hut, The Mom gets the lift tickets for the rest of us.

And here’s where we really hit the sweet spot!

Because the Adaptive program has to be totally accessible, the Ski Hut is right on the slope. And the handicapped parking spaces are right next to the Ski Hut, ergo, right next to the slope. 

We literally get the best parking spot and the easiest access on the entire mountain! We can keep all our gear in the minivan, and pack a lunch and it’s just so easy.

And once The Boy is in the hands of his Awesome Ski Entourage, it’s go go go for all of us.

This is the first year The Mom and The TeenGirl have skied, and they’re coming along great.

But The Boy – Oh! The Boy – is a natural! Because he skis with an Entourage of three, there’s nowhere on the mountain he can’t go. And he and I can rocket down the slope side by side, whooping it up.

I grew up skiing this mountain, and now I can share it with The Boy. It helps that he can’t wait to get out there, and never wants to come in.

I expected skiing to be good family time. We’ve got the drive up and back … waiting in line … riding the lift … all prime conversation time. And that expectation has been made in spades.

What I didn’t expect was the sheer joy of doing something with The Boy on equal footing. Bonus that skiing is developing The Boy’s core body strength and balance.

He skis on a bi-ski – like a little seat and footrest attached to a pair of skis with a big spring. Outriggers with skis on the bottom help with balance and turning. And then one of his Entourage has two long leashes to make sure The Boy doesn’t ski out of control. Who knows, he may even graduate to a mono-ski or standing ski. 

Out on the slope, anything seems possible.

Through the Roof

A Blog Supported by the Mosaic ministry of Third Church, ECO

"Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. 4 Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on." (Mark 2:3-4)

About: This is a blog about accessibility, intimacy, and community. About being welcome.  It’s also about bringing up The Boy. He's 10 years old and has cerebral palsy. Also popping up are The TeenGirl, who just turned 13, and The Mom, who is awesome. It's written by The Dad. It's my words, my view. Other people will think differently and have different opinions. Good.