Following the passion everyone here has for winter sports, another pretty neat event took place in Sun Peaks last week.
From Thursday to Sunday all the attention was on the Sun Peaks Adaptive Snow Sports Festival and the activities there were diverse: CADS Instructor Certification Courses, Race Development Programs, Western Canadian and BC Para-Alpine Championships and much more. It was also a great opportunity for the public, both able-bodied and those with disabilities, to come and try adaptive skiing. (Click here to find out more about the Disabled Skiers Association of BC)
Ski races have always held my attention, it's beautiful to watch really skilled skiers or boarders carving every turn trying to beat the clock. So Friday I stopped at the bottom of OSV run to watch the guys from BC Para-Alpine Ski Team train.
They were racing on a Slalom course, so the gates were set close together, forcing them to ski tight lines. And yet they were extremely fast!
I met Rob and Caleb, two of the racers, at the bottom of the Sunburst Chairlift and joined them for a few runs. Of course I was not able to keep up with their speed, actually they were always waiting for me at the bottom of the chairs... but we had great fun!
After watching all those races I felt like trying one of the sit-skis.
Although most racers use the mono-ski, as a first timer I tried a bi-ski, the one in which you have two skis supporting you on the snow.
It's a totally different balance. Unlike standing skiing, I was told to move my head, shoulders and hand-held outriggers to turn the sit-skis.
The feeling of sliding that close to snow was intense; you definitely face speed in a different perspective.
I also tried the Nordic sit-ski and I must confess that after 8 minutes my upper body was totally exhausted, what a work out!
Thanks to everyone from Adaptive Sports at Sun Peaks and the Disabled Skiers Association of BC for the great opportunity and all the information you gave me. And of course, congratulations to all the racers and volunteers that participated in the Festival!
Thiago,
The Snow Bum
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