Allard, and Deb Creten – next attached a set of tethers and edgy-wedgies to his skis, which seemed to give him the freedom and movement he desired. After successfully loading and unloading
the conveyor lift with Noah, one instructor would tether from behind while another skied backward in front, applying pressure to Noah’s hands to signal which way to turn. Noah smiled throughout, loving every minute of it… and he naturally slowed himself by using a wedge. Like any other student, Noah occasionally fell, but he was quick to laugh about it rather than get ruffled. He needed assistance to stand, but providing too much help made him go limp. (As we continued to work with him, we realized this was his way of playing a joke on us.) By using basic hand-on-hand sign language (for stand up, sit down, and count- related timing) – plus tethers to help keep the ski tips up and physical cues like arm pressure to guide him up and down – we helped Noah learn to safely negotiate the chairlift.
NOAH PROGRESSES NICELY WITH COMMITTED TEAM
Noah quickly progressed. By tapping his leg several times with the tethers to notify him which way to turn, we phased out the hand squeezes. Te biggest problem was that the tethers would often catch on his bindings.
tethers looped through the carabineers, Noah felt which way to turn. Tis approach provided proper positioning, freedom of movement, and permitted us to effectively and safely communicate with him. Te years and lessons progressed with the same two instructors – me and Deb – to maintain continuity and minimize trial and error. A standard student file containing lesson sheets, progress documentation, and successful communications was created to maximize communication, minimize frustration, and continue to improve his skiing.
NEXT MILESTONES: MAPPING THE HILL, GOING ELECTRIC
A tethering system with Velcro leg straps and carabiners helps instructors guide positioning while allowing Noah freedom of movement.
Tethering from the waist, however, gave him too much assistance and he’d sit down. Taping his tethers to his legs was deemed unsafe. Another instructor, Chip Cobb,
suggested using Velcro straps on each leg with carabineers attached). By wiggling
Te next milestone in his progress was when Noah started mentally mapping the hill. He’d hug the edge of the trail until Deb or I turned him to avoid the snow fence. On the next run, Noah would turn himself without prompting. Every year, with the snow fence moved, Noah would re-map the hill. After removing the edgy-wedgie so he could steer his inside leg when turning, we knew that for Noah to progress to the next
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