ACCESSIBLE TOURISM SKIING DESTINATIONS


Freeto ski


Don’t let a disability put your clients off a ski and snow holiday, writes Mary Novakovich


A


nyone who watched the Winter Paralympics


in PyeongChang this year would have been awestruck by what disabled skiers and snowboarders are capable of doing on the slopes. But it’s not just Olympians who fall under the spell of the mountains – their magic can be enjoyed by all visitors, regardless of physical condition. Over the past 20 years, winter


holidays in the mountains have become more accessible and inclusive, thanks to advances in technology as well as a shift in attitudes. And it’s not just holidaymakers in wheelchairs who have been feeling the benefits of specialist help: clients who have other mobility issues, are blind or deaf, or have conditions such as multiple


sclerosis, autism, cerebral palsy and Down’s syndrome have become better catered for in ski resorts, with specialised training and equipment available for them as well. France is one of the world leaders in adaptive skiing and has 150 ski schools that offer specialist equipment and instruction for disabled skiers – what the French call ‘handiski’. Clients can book the equipment through ski schools, usually the local branch of the Ecole du Ski Français, but it is also included with lessons. Resorts that have the adapté label offer handiski as well as adapted accommodation and restaurants, so are a good place to start, although there are other resorts with similar standards of services.


Resorts that have the adapté label offer handiski as well as adapted accommodation


Holidaymakers looking for


an overview of what’s available can check out resort reports on the website ski2freedom.com, run by charitable foundation Ski 2 Freedom. This was set up in 2008 by Catherine Cosby, who was inspired by her severely disabled daughter. The charity links holidaymakers and tour operators with ski schools and tourist offices.


 WHERE TO SKI La Plagne, which is part of the Paradiski ski area, is one of France’s best resorts for adaptive skiing. Its ski school features the usual equipment, such as sit-skis, in which skiers are strapped into seats while they manoeuvre themselves with outrigger-type poles, and tandem-skis, in which an instructor steers a sit-ski from behind. La Plagne is unique in France for having the Vertiski, which gives paraplegics the ability to ski upright, and the Go To Ski, which enables people with partial disabilities to stand upright with a guide. Nine villages make up La Plagne and because they’re purpose-built, they can be easier to get around than many older villages with hilly cobbled lanes. Aime 2000, in particular, has


13 December 2018travelweekly.co.uk63


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