Disabled and Smiling....The Power of Skiing.

[Tap]

You're probably like me.....damn lucky. Maybe you're more blessed, maybe less...but you're blessed all the same.

A lot of my life has been lucky. 38, healthy, employed, hot wife and two beautiful kids. I've got all four appendages and they are well used...riding, skiing, biking, wakeboarding, swimming, photographing, working, eating, screwing....feeling good and living life.


But what if you didn't have any of that?
What if you didn't have all your arms and legs?
What if you were confined to a wheelchair your whole life?
What if you couldn't feed yourself, dress yourself, clean yourself?

What if you couldn't feel the joy of rushing down a snow covered mountain?

You'd thank your lucky stars for people like the volunteers at Oregon Adaptive Sports to take you or your brother/sister/son/daughter out and share that joy...a joy that you and I take for granted. These people are the true unsung heroes of our mountain culture, and I am lucky to count a few people in OAS as friends. Last weekend they asked me to join them for their season ending blow-out at HooDoo just outside Sisters, Oregon for their "LuWOW", a joint venture with the Wonders on Wheels group out of Eugene.

I was very touched to experience this day and wanted to share it with you. Here is what I saw:

2 hours before anyone else gets there, Kendall Cook, OAS President, waits in the basement of HooDoo, preparing the 15 or so sit-skis for the day


Sammy is 8. He was one of the first kids there and wanted to go straight to the summit. He kept asking, "What are you going to do with my wheelie?" as he got set up in the sit-ski.


He kept telling Kendall that his parents were slow. Lil' ripper, this kid.


CHARGE!!! Sammy's folks said that last year they had to tear him off the hill. I believe it.


Truckin' down the backside cattrack.


Disabled or regular. A solid lift chat goes down.


This is how I feel inside too. Happy to glide.


4 years old. The power of skiing knows no bounds. Melody the Driver shares the love


Fly like an eagle...and never forget it.


Kendall and the two brothers. The young man in the sitski had to be duct-taped down to prevent him from falling out. What would you do to share the joy with your brother?


Nothing beats getting down


This young lady loved, I mean LOVED, skiing. She lives in a wheelchair and needs help with the most basic of human necessities.


Her joy...her smile when gliding....it says it all to me.


I'm not really sure how to wrap this up in some powerful way without sounding dramatic.....

but the smile on my face and warm feeling in my heart at the end of the day was unlike any deep powder day I've ever had. It was really wonderful. And I encourage you to share your love of the mountains with those who love it as well, but who need some help doing it.

Our mountain culture is strong. Share it, and make it stronger.

You'd be amazed at what it gives back.

K.I.R.

[calisnow]

Excellent post. I'm studying for my anatomy and physiology final right now, and your post reminded me of just how damn fortunate we are that these intricate, complex, delicate yet strong devices we are in - our bodies - take us through the mountains over and over in one piece.

I take for granted way too often that my body functions perfectly (well, as well as a 32 y/o can expect it to).

These kids in your pictures, and the volunteers who take the time to help them. Well, no words. Those are great people.

[45hill]

FUCKING AWESOME.

[ill-advised strategy]

This is one of the best TGR posts of all time...

way to go!!

[calisnow]

You're right also - the volunteer work is important. I missed the training session for the disabled skiers group at Mammoth Mountain this winter, but I'm hoping to get in some days helping out next season. I love volunteering and love skiing - this seems like a great way to combine both.

[LightRanger]

Tap,

Thanks for posting those photos. Amps me up more than just about anything.

I'm going back out on the hill on Friday for the first time in over 13 months. I'm going to be looking for that feeling.

This reminds me that I really need to do some adaptive volunteering. So cool.

[Steeze nuts]

FUCKING AWESOME.

My thoughts exactly. So great, makes me smile looking at them.

[The Duke of Hurl]

Any chance of this show touring? I mean I realize there's a lot of skill involved in fitting untrained people for sitskis and safely guiding them down the hill but IMHO every ski town in the country could benefit from an event like this.

[Out_to_lunch]

This is fantastic!!! Smiles are probably the best cure for anything.

[buttahflake]

I totally needed that. It's been raining for three days, kinda puts in perspective. Thanks for one the most positive posts ever.

[calisnow]

Duke of Hurl - I would imagine most major ski mountains have disabled programs. I know Mammoth does - http://www.disabledsportseasternsierra.org/ . But maybe some of the smaller hills don't. It would probably take a lot of sponsor money to get something like this to be a traveling production.

[MTT]

I signed up to do the training, this past December. I am sorry to say I blew it off.

Now I feel like I really missed out.

[PearlJam09]

FKNA! Awesome post. Looks like a great day out there for everyone!

[jonesy]

Hey Tap thanks for shooting LuWOW last weekend. I didn't know that was you. Kathy and I were w/ Bulldog Jamison. I spoke to you briefly about camera issues, guy with the gray hair. Again thanks for your efforts and great pictures.
Kendall,Greg,Jermey and all the rest of the OAS crew.

[Tap]

Hey Tap thanks for shooting LuWOW last weekend. I didn't know that was you. Kathy and I were w/ Bulldog Jamison. I spoke to you briefly about camera issues, guy with the gray hair. Again thanks for your efforts and great pictures.
Kendall,Greg,Jermey and all the rest of the OAS crew.

damn, jonesy, can't believe that. so close, so far! we've got to take some turns, mang. thank YOU for your efforts, it was really cool to be a part of.

[Sessiøn]

So rad. I ran into people doing the same thing at Timberline a few times this winter. The amount of stoke they provided surpasses any bro/gnar TR.

[Huckwheat]

Shit man.....making me tear up at my desk. That is rad!!!

I would love to drive one of those for some kid.....would be fun to share that.

[Corest to the Morest]

Disabled or regular. A solid lift chat goes down.

I'm pretty sure he's telling that dude on the right to quit skiing like a pussy:

"Dude, if you speed check the top of that air again, I'm leaving your ass behind."

Tap, thanks a lot for sharing this awesomeness.

[iscariot]

So good.

[pogs4ever]

this fucking rocks, really awesome way to start the day. #9ftw

[SKIORFORGETIT]

Seeing disabled skiers gets me more psyched than seeing little kids or older people skiing.

FKNA AWESOME!!!!!!!!!

[emr]

This is one of the best TGR posts of all time...

way to go!!

x2

Brings a smile to my face that isn't manufactured, but comes from deep within. This made my day... Thanks for sharing...

[SorryBro]

Great thread. Thank you for taking the time to volunteer and help those who just need a little help to experience the joy of skiing.

[Huckwheat]

I signed up to do the training, this past December. I am sorry to say I blew it off.

Now I feel like I really missed out.

MTT, where was the training? Local for us?

[t.odd]

awesome! yesterday we were riding up red chair and a group with a sit skier were coming down upper insanity, the sit skier was killing it geting faceshots on this steep steep run and everyone on the chairs were losing their shit, it was amazing! watching the paralympic athletes couple weeks back was pretty inspiring, can't believe the things they do!