Where to Ride Adaptive

 I skied able bodied and was a good skier in the Tahoe area growing up in  northern CA and in the alps when I was stationed in Europe during my military  career. My military service contributed to a 17 year break in skiing as well as  losing my left leg in the service above the knee. 

After retirement I made it to the DAV National Disabled Winter Sports Clinic Apr 2014 and was introduced to  adaptive skiing in a sit ski and 3 trekking. At DSUSA Hartford Ski Spec Dec 2014  I was introduced to skibiking  on a Stalmach Rockyberg and Cayman and an Iskibike.

 
It was natural and good method for me as an amputee. Quickly in  minutes I got the hang of it and balance and in hours was from green to blue  runs. Tasted a black run by the end of the week. It was easy for me to marry the  skiing fundamentals I learned as an able bodied 4 trekker skier with the skibike  configuration. 

In the 5 years now that I have been skibiking I have connected  with different programs and groups as well as mostly skiing on my own getting  better all the time. I am independent and expert and have skied from one end of  the country to the other at 19 different resorts in 11 states.  YOUTUBE VIDEO 

 My name is Josh Franklin. I am a 25-year-old double-below-knee amputee from Houston, Texas and therefore haven’t partaken in any winter related sports activities in my life. However, on January 31, 2004 I tried snow skiing for the first time. It was an incredible experience and I wanted to pass along this letter, which briefly describes my experiences.

 On January 31 I traveled to Colorado to go snowboarding, mono-skiing, and to ride ski bike. I found snow skiing to be a lot of physical work and had problems learning that skill. Therefore, I did not care for it that much. Snowboarding and mono-skiing were a lot of fun, however, riding the ski bike was an awesome experience that I will never forget. It required very little work to ride, which makes it perfect for any amputee-either single or double like myself.

 My instructor was Jeff.  He taught me several things on the ski bike such as: slowing myself down as I ride down a slope, hockey slides, cuts, and turns. Jeff was a wonderful instructor and made learning all of these skills very easy. In fact, after being under his instruction for only a few hours I felt comfortable enough to take the ski bike down some steep green runs!
  The entire experience was very gratifying, and I am looking forward to hitting the slopes again very soon.  

After a friend and my sister in law called our attention to the article about snow bikes in the Sunday Inquirer, my wife and I read it on line here in Montana at Big Sky Ski Resort. We want to mention that it's added years of skiing for skiers who've had to give up skiing because of back problems or other conditions that affect one's ability to stand for a period of time. My wife suffers from degenerative disk disease, including scoliosis resulting from two compressed vertebrae. For mobility, she uses a walker and canes for support. We've been skiing for 18 years, and the last couple of years after her retirement from teaching, skiing has been increasingly difficult, to the point that it looked like she might have to give up skiing soon. 

Last winter at Telluride and Durango the adaptive staff at both places introduced her to the ski-bike as a possible solution. It was so great that she bought her own through the help of the Director of the Adaptive Program at Vail. The handle bars of the snow bike provides support like her walker, with the foot skis used for turning and braking. For both of us, this ski bike is a miracle, and is going to add years to our skiing life, as she biked this winter at Copper Mountain, Keystone, Arapahoe Basin, Beaver Creek, and Breckenridge, in Colorado, and Heavenly Valley at Tahoe in Calif. With special permission from the lift managements and/or adaptive ski offices, she snow-biked at the following ski resorts: Steamboat Springs, Colo., Snowbird in Utah, and Mammoth Lakes and Squaw Valley, Calif. After spending the week at Big Sky, we will be at Jackson Hole, Wyo., where she again obtained permission to use the ski-bike as an adaptive device in accordance with the Americans for Disabilities Act.

At those ski resorts that do not normally allow ski-bikes, a member of the staff from the ski patrol accompanies both of us for a few runs to ensure that she can ski-bike safely and handle the lifts. Because of her back, she is unable to lift or carry the bike. So I as her buddy carry the bike to the lift and hold it while she uses my ski poles for support and the foot skis to get on and off the lift like other skiers. Upon dismounting the lift, I set up the bike and she skies over to it and takes off.

So far all the resorts that do not permit ski-bikes have been pretty accommodating in giving her the opportunity to ski-bike at their resorts, sometimes after a little pressure. For adaptive skiers who wish to ski-bike at a resort that does not allow ski-bikes, it is recommended that they contact the lift management operators or head of the adaptive ski office to request permission to use the ski bike as an adaptive equipment. Explain that the ADA requires such reasonable accommodations. We even had our lawyer draft a letter explaining this for those who were more reluctant.

In closing, we want to recognize the wonderful staff of those ski resorts that don't normally allow ski-bikes for giving Carolyn the opportunity to enjoy their mountains. We also appreciate the time and patience the Adaptive Program staffs of Telluride and Durango took in introducing us to this wonderful piece of equipment that will enhance our retirement for years to come.