By Lori A. Wood
In recent years, adaptive skiing has become a popular winter sport for people with disabilities, but that wasn’t always the case. Tom Catalonga, a C6-7 incomplete quadriplegic, helped to change that. He founded www.sitski.com, an adaptive skiing Web site, in 1995.
“I founded it out of necessity,” Catalonga says. “When I first started skiing, there wasn’t a whole lot of information on adaptive skiing on the Internet, because it was pretty new back then. I started writing about my own skiing experiences on another Web site I had about custom electric guitars, and it started getting a lot of feedback. I started reviewing some of the places to ski.”
Still, Catalonga maintains that these places aren’t necessarily the most wheelchair accessible. “The reviews are based on the access of the places that I go to. Good or bad, they’re a heads-up as to what to look for when you get there. They’re about my experiencing them from the point of view of being in a wheelchair. I put the information there so that others can use it to not make a mistake and wind up pushing their wheelchairs across a parking lot, if they don’t have to. Sometimes older lodges that are grandfathered are split-level and don’t have elevators, and there are ways to get around that, but you have to know who to talk to and where to go.”
Some of Tom Catalonga’s favorite mountains:
Hunter Mountain
Hunter, NY
www.huntermtn.com/
Phone: 800-486-8376
This location has handicapped parking, accessible restrooms, and level access to snow from the lodge. Smooth terrain makes for easy runs and bumps. Chair lifts are extremely disability-friendly, including one that takes skiers to the summit of the mountain. Season: November through April. Catalonga gives Hunter Mountain a five-star rating. “I’ve only skied a few places, but of the mountains I’ve been to,” says Tom, “Hunter Mountain is my favorite. It’s the most accessible with the best terrain. There’s plenty of other mountains I haven’t been to that might be better, but Hunter Mountain is a piece of cake. You can park real close and get your gear right in, the bathrooms are accessible and everything.”
Okemo
Ludlow, VT
www.okemo.com/okemowinter/resortinfo/ okemodifference/mountainimprovements. asp
Phone: 802-228-4041
This resort has handicapped parking, helpful lift attendants, two quad lifts outside the Sitting Bull Lounge, and ramps to the snow. Catalonga gives Okemo four stars. “Okemo has some great terrain. The accessibility is good, and the staff is helpful.”
Camelback Ski Area
Tannersville, PA
www.skicamelback.com
Phone: 570-629-1661
Camelback has two high-speed detectable quad chair lifts, Season: late November/early December-late March. The resort also boasts a roomy concession area, helpful staff, and plenty of equipment for disabled skiers, thanks to the adaptive ski program offered by the Pennsylvania Center for Adaptive Sports, www.centeronline.com. Camelback Ski Area has earned a four-star rating.
How does Tom weigh a mountain’s accessibility against its skiing? “As far as the skiing, these days, any mountain that does not make their own snow is going to have a late start to the season or possibly even an early end to the season. I live and ski in the east, and just about every mountain from Georgia to Maine starts making their own snow as soon as they can. If the mountain is totally accessible and they don’t have any snow, it doesn’t matter to me or someone who’s standing up. The choice is going to be whether or not it’s worth the drive to go up to the trails that are open.”
More Mountains
More and more mountains around the nation are adding adaptive ski programs. Here’s a sampling of some of the best, in no particular order:
Adaptive Ski Program New Mexico
Santa Fe, NM (Sandia Peak)
www.adaptiveski.org/
Phone: 505-995-9858
This resort caters to students with a wide range of disabilities, including spinal cord injury, cerebral palsy and Down Syndrome. Mono-, bi-, two-, three- and four- track skiing are available to skiers. Students can participate in a snowboarding program, as well. Instructors receive disability-specific training, as well, learning about medications and proper equipment fit.
Loon Mountain
Lincoln, NH
www.loonmtn.com/info/winter/adaptive.asp
Phone: 603-745-6281, ext. 5663
The White Mountain Adaptive Ski School, a member of Disabled Sports USA, dedicates itself to making snowsports available to those with disabilities, ages four and up. Experienced skiers may choose to ski with the New England Disabled Ski Team. By adding a lift and an elevator, Loon Mountain has made the Governor Adams Lodge more handicapped accessible.
Mount Hood Meadows Ski Resort
Mt. Hood, OR
www.skihood.com/epicenter/adaptive/default.asp
Phone: 1.800.SKI.HOOD
Well-groomed Nordic tracks provide excellent surfaces for skating lanes and molded tracks. Cross- country coaching sessions offered daily.
Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center
Breckenridge, CO
www.boec.org/ver2/program_adaptski.cfm
Phone: 970-453-5633
The center, which is fully accredited by the Association for Experiential Education, www.aee.org, offers an adaptive ski program with a selection of the most recent equipment to better meet the needs of skiers with disabilities. One-on-one instruction is offered, employing the latest adaptive techniques. In January 2006, the center held a Junior Adventurer’s Camp for children with special needs, ages eight through twelve, providing them with opportunities to enhance their self- esteem through skiing and snowboarding.
Heavenly Mountain Resort
South Lake Tahoe, CA
www.skiheavenly.com/ski_ride_schools/lesso ns_clinics/adaptive/
Phone: 775-586-7000, ext. 6206
At this resort, coaches are selected according to an individual’s disability and experience level. One-to-one student-teacher ratios are guaranteed in each session. Time is taken in each beginner session to familiarize the student with their equipment. Two-, three- and four-track skiing is offered. The resort uses Freedom Factory mono-skis with both medium- and large-seat capability, and bi-skis in a variety of sizes.
Lori A. Wood is a regular contributor to Action.
