A ski and snowboard program that opens the slopes at Grouse, Seymour and Cypress mountains to people with developmental challenges is seeking more volunteers for January.
Vancouver Adaptive Snow Sports supports nearly 100 skiers and snowboarders of all ages who otherwise might not ever have had the chance to lay first tracks in fresh powder.
“VASS has beenextremely positive and beneficial for our son,” said Monique Nelson, whose 15-year-old autistic son Nick has discovered independence and friendship on the slopes at Grouse Mountain.
Once too inhibited by his fear of heights and moving at a fast speed, Nick now skis blue runs, rides the gondola and socializes in ways he didn’t before.
“He self-talks his way through the gondola ride,” said Nelson. “He doesn’t talk much at all but that’s how much he’s motivated. He goes, ‘It’s OK, it’s OK…’
Nick’s trepidation comes from a feeling recognizable to everyone who’s ever bounced up a vertical face.
“It’s the sensation of when the gondola goes over the tower and when you have that elevator feeling in your stomach. He’s learned to have his own way of adapting.”
Nick’s enjoyment for skiing has brought more than self-determination and new athletic abilities.
“He can be with his peers,” said Nelson. “It give him a skill that helps him makes friends and to be with everyone else.”
He joined his high school peers on a day trip to Whistler, a personal accomplishment that had him beaming for days.
Although Nelson can’t ski because of her knees, the sport has become a family passion for Nick and his sister Julia and father Bryan, who now volunteers at VASS with other children.
“They bounce out of bed at six in the morning and get themselves ready and out the door,” said Nelson.
“I like to ski together and we are both at kind of the same level because he can learn really well,” said Julia, Nick’s younger sister. “It’s another opportunity for me to spend time with him.”
Katrina Carlucci, 14, also learned to ski with VASS and, like the Nelsons, her family now spends time together enjoying the winter sport.
“It makes me feel happy,” she said, adding that her favourite things about skiing is going fast and making “pizza,” which is the snowplow shape skiers make to slow down and maintain control.
Katrina’s mother Marta Carlucci said volunteers and adaptive ski equipment made a tremendous difference. Controlling the direction and speed of her skis took several years with the help of a key piece of equipment that hooked the tips of her skis together so Katrina could successful make the essential triangle “pizza” shape. She now skis without any aids and her parents have joined her.
“I went back and got all the ski equipment I needed,” said Carlucci, who outfitted herself and her husband as their daughter’s love for skiing grew. “We can go to Whistler now and we can have these days we spend together.”
The Nelsons can relate.
“It’s really life-changing. It’s elevated all of our quality of life,” said Nelson. “We’ve always tried new things with Nick. He’s got a really adventurous spirit.”
For every two additional volunteers who join VASS, one more student is moved off a long waiting list and onto the snow. Volunteers are especially needed for weekend mornings.
VASS weekend training sessions begin in January. For details, visit vass.ca or call 604-646-VASS (8277).
