Monoskis enable those with disabilities to enjoy the sport of snow skiing. Learn how to ski with a disability in this winter sports video.
Monoskis
Begin with heavy brakes
Move to increased turning
Outriggers
Safety equipment
Dave Schoeneck has been an instructor with Wasatch Adaptive sports for over 20 years. Dave has helped literally hundreds of adaptive and special needs individuals enjoy the beauty of the Wasatch Mountains through adaptive sports. Dave Schoeneck's lifestyle is focused on health and wellness particularly for those who have adaptive needs.
DAVE SHOENECK: Hi, my name is Dave Shoeneck. I'm with Wasatch Adaptive Sports here in Snowbird, and I'm going to talk to you a little bit about the mono-ski and how much fun it is and why you should come out and check it out. This is a Yetti. We have a number of different types of mono-skis. The Yetti is generally used for some lower-level spinal cord injuries. We have other skis for higher level. I had two actually today, two brand new skiers, that came out and had a ball for the first time and we're able to initiate turns. It's a very subtle progression. We start them out just on a straight line with a lot of break on these outriggers and that controls the speed. And then as time goes on and the individual gets comfortable with it, we take a little brake off of the outrigger. And to initiate the turn, it's a very subtle opening of the outrigger. To explain a little bit about the equipment for the mono-ski, these are the outriggers that are basically used to a certain degree like your legs would be or for an able-bodied skier your pulse because you're steering with the outriggers and they're also giving you stability as you come down the mountain and keep you from going downhill, shoulders downhill and opening up the outriggers. So that's what the outriggers are used for. There are different types of mono-skis. This Yetti has a very big shock absorber spring. So for compression, as an individual makes the turn and gets the ski on edge and arcs the ski, this takes the compression of his weight and then the up-weight and so they could able to come down the mountain in a very smooth rate of arcing your turns and coming and down the mountain. There are all kinds of what they called kidney belts to hold an individual depending on their injury level into it, safety latches as well. And then the carabineers, it's for evacuation from a chair lift. We've only had in over 22 years, but it's still all about safety and making sure that everyone is comfortable with that. And then we also have what we call a safety carabineer that goes around the back of the chair lift to so make sure again that no one could fall out of the chair lift especially at the height of it. So basically--and then we put this bucket right into the ski binding. We put in a block in the back of the binding to ensure that it doesn't release, and it's a basic downhill ski. And we use this one right here. It's fantastic because it's a shaped ski.
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