Lake, Wanaka, NZ (22 July 2010) - Each year, skiers and boarders with disabilities from around the country come together at the Adaptive Snowsports Festival to celebrate life, freedom and the joys of snowsports, to improve their skills, and to compete.
Photo: Group Shot at the 2009 Adaptive Snow Sports Festival
The Adaptive Snowsports Festival is for people with a permanent disability - individuals faced with cognitive, physical or sensory challenges, and their families and friends, who wish to enjoy the fun, challenge and focus on the snow through riding, whether new to the sport or an elite racer. By adapting equipment, instruction, and attitudes, all people can experience snow sports, which is why it’s called Adaptive Snowsports.
The Festival, which begins this Saturday evening, is the highlight of the adaptive snowsports winter calendar, offering instruction and coaching for recreational skiers/boarders with social and elite level events for the competitive skier/boarder and après ski in the evenings.
“The festival offers a unique opportunity to feel the freedom and exhilaration that snowsports brings, and that many may find difficult to achieve in their daily life.” said Snow Sports Adaptive Manager, Libby Blackley.
“We look forward to an exciting week ahead.”
“Some of our athletes have arrived already to participate in a pre-festival development camp.”
Most of the festival will take place at Cardrona Alpine Resort with a day trip to The Remarkables and optional night skiing at Snow Park or Cross Country Skiing at Snow Farm.
An awards dinner celebrating 35 years of achievement and success in adaptive snows sports in New Zealand closes the week-long festival on Friday, 30 July.
Trained volunteers from the seven adaptive programmes based at New Zealand’s ski-fields help competitors and participants during the event.
The NZ adaptive team is led by Wanaka-based Adam Hall who brought home Paralympic Gold this year and is now the number one ranked adaptive slalom skier in the world.
ABOUT ADAPTIVE SNOWSPORTS NZ
Adaptive Snow Sports NZ is a national charitable organization that helps to remove participation barriers and encourages people with physical or intellectual disabilities to get involved in Snow Sports. Snow Sports New Zealand is the national advocate for Adaptive Snow Sports, supporting programmes run at New Zealand’s alpine resorts. Support includes promotion, adaptive training for instructors and volunteers, fundraising for new equipment, and hosting national fun and competitive events |
