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Adaptive ski committee tests Mountain Creek lifts

| 16 Feb 2015 | 02:20
    The PSIA adaptive instructor demonstrates how to exit the Cabriolet lift observed by Susanne Ebling and other ski patrollers.
    The PSIA adaptive instructor demonstrates how to exit the Cabriolet lift observed by Susanne Ebling and other ski patrollers.
    The PSIA adaptive instructor demonstrates how to enter the Cabriolet lift by backing into the cab with Susanne Ebling observing.
    The PSIA adaptive instructor demonstrates how to enter the Cabriolet lift by backing into the cab with Susanne Ebling observing.
    The plan to enter the sugar chair lift is tested by the PSIA adaptive instructor and Susanne Ebling.
    The plan to enter the sugar chair lift is tested by the PSIA adaptive instructor and Susanne Ebling.
    Skiers wait for Lift Operator Laurie form Vernon to open the Cabriolet lift at Mountain Creek.
    Skiers wait for Lift Operator Laurie form Vernon to open the Cabriolet lift at Mountain Creek.

VERNON — Most people who visit the Mountain Creek Ski Resort are able to ski and snowboard without the resort having to make special accommodations.

In fact many diehard skiers and riders gather every morning waiting for the lifts to open so that they can enjoy “first tracks” on freshly groomed ski slopes.

However there many people with disabilities or handicaps who are unable to ski or snowboard without some adaptation of the ski resort operations to accommodate their handicap or disability.

At the end of the 2014-15 ski season, a committee began the process of creating an Adaptive Sports Program at Mountain Creek which is now being developed in partnership with the Helen Hayes Hospital.

Part of this process included the identification of the barriers that needed to be overcome so these special athletes might be able to enjoy skiing and riding.

One of the main barriers is the lift that carries skiers and riders to the top of the ski slopes. Individuals with a handicap might be unable to access the lift normally. Members of the Adaptive Sports Advisory Committee scheduled a work session to work with the Mountain Creek Lift operations staff to evaluate the changes needed to make it possible for a disabled skier to access the Cabriolet lift and the Sugar chair lift.

The process began with a planning session that focused on steps needed to allow a handicapped skier to access the lifts and the adaptation to the lift operations to make it possible for a skier using a mono-ski to enter and exit safely while minimizing disruptions to lift operations.

The next step was for the PSIA adaptive instructor, a disabled skier, to test the plan. An analysis indicated a disable skier could access the lift safely. The plan also included testing that the skier could exit at the top of the mountain.

The analysis was repeated on the Sugar lift, which required a skier to safely get on a chair, as opposed to entering a cab. This work session confirmed that special athletes could safely enter, ride and exit the lifts at the Mountain Creek Resort safely.

— Photos courtesy John Whiting