Don't Let Cold Weather Slow You Down!

Winter is cold! The cold makes everything run a bit slower, including muscles needed for coordination. Ice on the ground is the last straw, I want nothing to do with it. However, winter provides the opportunity to participate in some pretty amazing adaptive sports.

My friend Matt just sent me his latest article that he wrote for Sports 'n Spokes magazine. In the article, Matt presents all aspects of adaptive skiing encouraging all disabled athletes to face the cold and have some fun! Download the article HERE.

Here Are Some Highlights:

"My favorite things about skiing can be summed up in two ways. First, freedom from disability. Skiing makes me feel physically strong, powerful, and free from any limitations. Skiing is a true vacation from muscular dystrophy..." - Lisa Kus (Reno, Nev.)

"I don’t have the balance to carve a mono-ski, and I wanted to be able to ski independently with my friends, so the staff at Disabled Sports took this into consideration and taught me to ski using a dual ski,” he says. “Now I live for skiing fast, deep snow and cold face shots of fresh powder. The equipment needs to progress more, especially developing a better suspension system for the dual ski. But in the meantime, I will continue riding hard and pushing the limits of myself and my dual ski." - Brad Carr (Mt. Hood, OR)

“Adaptive crosscountry skiing is a blast; it’s absolutely addicting, and you simply won’t believe how much fun it is until you try it,” says Bob Vogel, a T10 para from Loomis, Calif. “With this very simplepiece of equipment and a desire to get your heart pumping,Mother Nature puts a big white accessible ramp into the great outdoors,” he says.

"This winter when the snow flies, instead of hiding indoors and wasting time on the couch, take a risk, take a chance. Go outside and try something new. An active body leads to a healthy mind, and winter weather should no longer trigger thoughts of cabin fever. It doesn’t matter what your disability is, with the specialized adaptive equipment available today, the beauty, serenity, smells, and excitement of winter can be yours to enjoy. See you outside!" - Matt Strugar-Fritsch

I also want to share a perspective from a fellow Ataxian who continues to push her personal limits. Dynah Haubert writes about her experiences with adaptive skiing in these two blog posts:

I skied, and now I ski

XC excitement

I am planning a couple Ski trips this year, I am pretty stoked to get on the mountain. It promises to be more fun than last year: