Remarkable neighbour

I dont usually have much time to chat to my neighbours, I am usually at work or doing some-thing. I have been home this week mostly out in the garden. Got chatting to my neighbour and we got on to the subject of ski-ng. He is an avid skier and goes about three times a year. Usually France or Austria. The remarkable thing is he is totally blind, he goes every-where with his guide dog.
He skis off piste, all the normal slopes, he just hires a guide in resorts to go with him. He says when he went blind he had to give up so many things but could never give up ski-ng.

When skiing in La Plagne we quite often see blind skiers and also disabled skiers, most humbling to watch them :)

Amazing. Its hard enough to become good at it, let alone without being able to see. What does he do with the dog though? Is it on a mono ski or a board?

Top post Rose 8)

I was lucky enough to coach a teenage lad who only had one leg ... You should have seen the faces of the racers he beat in head to head races ...

The respect I had for his attitude was unlimited :D

Jan

Tony_H wrote:Amazing. Its hard enough to become good at it, let alone without being able to see. What does he do with the dog though? Is it on a mono ski or a board?

I should have said, the poor dog has to go into kennels that week, he is not allowed to ski.
I was dying to ask my neighbour more about his experiences, but I dont know him that well, may-be later on. He also said he used to drive tanks when he was in the army, many years ago and they still let him drive them, some-one just tells him which way to go. Thats scary.

Jan I Stenmark wrote:Top post Rose 8)

I was lucky enough to coach a teenage lad who only had one leg ... You should have seen the faces of the racers he beat in head to head races ...

The respect I had for his attitude was unlimited :D

Jan

I am off to Ruka next year and I noticed that they have disabled ski coaching, I have never seen it advertised before.
My son is a tennis coach but once or twice a week he coachs a wheelchair tennis club. He says they are amazing, their attitude is one of sheer determination, and never a cross word between any of them.

When i was in Winter Park for my first ever ski holiday it was made known to us that the resort the centre of disabled skiing (or something along those lines) in the USA. They were holding their national championships when we were there and to see the speed at which these people were thundering down the slope was amazing! All that sat down in a single ski device thingy! Fantastic and a reminder of how lucky we are!

RoseR have you heard of Gordon Reid of the wheelchair tennis fame? If not ask your son!!