Oregon Adaptive Sports helps to share the mountain

By Nancy Raskauskas

Gazette-Times Reporter

This weekend, Leela Davis of Portland and Dana Owen of Corvallis went skiing together for the first time. This might seem like a small feat, except that both Davis and Owens have already overcome major obstacles in their lives, while living with Cerebral Palsy, a neuromuscular disorder. A special volunteer program at Hoodoo Mountain Resort made it possible for them to venture onto the slopes together.

Oregon Adaptive Sports (OAS) was founded in 1996, with the goal of providing a positive and safe winter recreation experiences to individuals with disabilities and their families. The many volunteers of OAS work to instruct people with disabilities to become proficient and confident on the slopes and to teach their families and friends how to assist them in reaching that goal.

They outfit skiers with conditions such as blindness, paraplegia, quadriplegia, amputation, neurological diseases and cognitive disorders with ski equipment and lessons.

Adaptive skiers can range in ability from Paralympics champions, to those who simply want to get outside on the slopes.

Because of the variety of adaptive skiers, there are many different types of equipment. For instance, "two-track," are skis that can be used by double amputees; "four track" refers to skis plus two outrigger poles with small skis on the bottom; "three track" is a single ski and two outriggers and can be used by single-leg amputees. There is also a "mono-ski," a ski with a seat attached that a person with strong upper body strength can use with outriggers; and a "bi-ski" is pair of skis with a seat attached that has more stability than a mono-ski and can also be used with the assistance of a driver.

Davis and Owens, both 25, were adopted at the age of two months from orphanages in Calcutta, India. Davis grew up in Portland and Owens in Corvallis, and although their families were friends, they didn't meet until college. They've been a couple for more than a year.

Davis is very independent, and can walk and drive. She works in Salem and is pursuing a career in work therapy. Owens, however, must use a wheel-chair and enlist aides to assist him with the daily grunt work of being an Oregon State University student, such as transcribing class notes, taking dictation and transporting him from place to place.

After talking with volunteers at Hoodoo Mountain Resort on Saturday, they both decided to try out the bi-skis.

Owens had a cavalier attitude about having others steer him down the slopes on the bi-ski.

"If I die, I die," he joked.

But he needn't have worried, as he and Davis had an entourage of volunteers that included Ben and Sharon Sparrow of Sisters, Steve Miller of Prineville and Jerry McVay of Jefferson to assist them with their equipment and navigating the chair lifts and slopes.

"We're always looking for more volunteers," said Ben Sparrow, "If you want to put some joy back into your skiing this is a great way to do it."

Volunteers get other benefits such as the chance to earn free lift tickets.

Program Coordinator Amber Blanchard of Sisters keeps things running smoothly with the volunteers, but noted that Hoodoo Mountain Resort owner Chuck Shepard and his staff deserve credit for helping turn Hoodoo into a mecca for adaptive sports athletes.

Hoodoo's lodge has the advantages of being ADA-compliant and also gives the program a secure ski storage room and permission to run their program at no cost. According to Blanchard, Hoodoo has a great community feel that works well with the program's goals of inclusiveness, and they hold the majority of their events and lessons there.

Owen's had been adaptive skiing once before at Lake Tahoe. At the end of the day, he was glad to have found a place to adaptive ski that was much closer to Corvallis.

Davis finished the day stoked by her first experience skiing and looked forward to trying out another piece of equipment on her next trip that would allow her to stand up and ski with modified walker that rides on the snow.

"We'll be back," said Davis.

OAS's next event is a ski day for veterans at Hoodoo on Feb. 9. The focus will be on outfitting soldiers who have lost limbs with equipment that empowers them to try skiing.

MORE INFO

To learn more about Oregon Adaptive Sports events, schedule a lesson or get volunteer information see Oregon Adaptive Sports at www.oregonadaptivesports.org and Hoodoo Mountain Resort at www.hoodoo.com