DESTINATIONS
r wonders o
The Canadian mountain resort of
Whistler offers accessible activities for all seasons, discovers Matt Dennis
ver the noise of the wind rushing in my ears, I heard a shout: “Left turn! Use your core!” I twisted
in the bucket seat of my sit-ski, using my body weight to slalom left and then right, kicking up clouds of powder snow as I careered down Whistler’s Enchanted Forest blue run. This was my first time back on the slopes for 30 years, since I lost the use of one of my legs – and it felt like freedom. In the world of adaptive winter sports, the British Columbia mountain resort of Whistler is the vanguard: in 2010, it hosted the Paralympics, and in February 2025, Vancouver and Whistler together hosted the first winter-sports edition of the Invictus Games. The tournament, founded by Prince Harry, sees injured, sick and wounded military personnel (active or veteran) compete in adapted disciplines.
travelweekly.co.uk 12 JUNE 2025 CANADA | ACCESSIBLE TRAVEL
BARRIER-FREE SKI Whistler’s Olympic and Invictus Games legacy has created an adaptive sports haven, where the impossible becomes routine. At Whistler Olympic Park, my instructors Natalie O’Connor and Jen Brown from the Whistler Adaptive sports programme guided me into my first sit-ski, their fluorescent jackets bright against the pristine white landscape. “Start with small movements,” Jen advised as I dug the ski poles into the crisp snow. After I edged forward, the initial glide – a wonderful weightless sensation – sparked a feeling in me that I hadn’t felt for a long time. I had a sense of uninhibited movement through this winter playground. Along the flats, it felt as smooth as silk, and on downhills I gently slipped through the snow as gravity pulled me down, but the inclines challenged my arms. My burning biceps eventually betrayed me, and panic rose in my chest as I
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