A Brief Hiatus

Unfortunately this summer I will be taking a bit of a break from ski training, this is because I will be having an operation on my legs on the 27^th of July (as I am writing this - tomorrow). The operation will be to release tendons in my ankles and toes, to try and bring my heels down, as at the moment my feet are fixed in a pointed position with no movement at the ankle. Afterwards I will have both legs in casts for six weeks (hence why I will be unable to ski).

This surgery is much needed, as I haven’t been able to get my heels down to the floor for about five years now, and in the last couple of months the condition of my legs have worsened to the point where I can no longer put weight through my legs without my knees buckling, I am hoping that with better positioning and a lot of hard work in physio afterwards I will regain my ability to stand and take a few steps with my splints and walker (I will always need my wheelchair for functional mobility but I may be able to stand for and walk for physio purposes).

I am a bit nervous about this operation but I am excited to finally have it done (it has been 2 years since it became apparent that non-surgical methods would not help my ankles), I am looking forward to seeing what the result is and I hope that this will help me.

A successful operation will also have the side effect of helping my skiing a bit, as it has the potential to mean that my feet will sit much more comfortably on the footrest of my monoski, so they won’t fight the position quite so much (my legs like to try and wiggle out of the straps, which often throws my balance off whilst skiing).

I can’t wait to get this over with, and get back to skiing as much as I can.

Milton Keynes Snozone Summer Invitational Race

A couple of weeks ago I once again made the trek down to Milton Keynes for a day of skiing with the British Parasnowsport pathway team, this day began with training both in and out of gates, and finished with a mini GS race. This was a long day but well worth it to ski with and compete against my fellow monoskiers.

In the afternoon the Snozone Summer Invitational Race took place, the course set was based on a giant slalom course, which I was pleased with, as on indoor slopes, most races are of the slalom variety, a discipline I find more difficult. However, that did not mean that it would be easy, as after a full day of training, the snow had become quite rutted and bumpy, with some rather significant icy patches, which proved a bit of a challenge to navigate. The race consisted of four timed runs, with the fastest run being counted.

I initially skied the course with the aim of just getting down it, I was determined not to fall, however, I am quite aware of the fact that in race situations I tend to get nervous and stiffen my arms up, which has a major negative effect on the quality of my skiing. In this particular situation I played it safe and skied the course fairly wide to try to avoid any bumps that were trying to throw me over (although all this really did was bounce me about in the mounds of snow created by other racers). After successfully completing two runs of the course, I began to relax, and my skiing changed quite dramatically, I took a much tighter line and my whole skiing technique was closer to my best, I managed to knock three and a half seconds off my previous times! I have attached a video that shows this transformation between the first and second half of the race.

At the end of my four runs, all successful, it was time for the awards. Here I learnt that due to the risks I had taken on the last two runs, I had secured myself third place. I was very proud to have finally finished a race and to be with my friends as I did so. Hopefully with time and more races like this I can learn to not stress about racing and ski at my best every time.

Milton Keynes Training

Recently I have been attending training sessions at the Snozone in Milton Keynes, this is a bit of a trek from where we live but it has been worth the travel as these sessions are disability specific (my training in Manchester is with able-bodied athletes) which I find very useful. These sessions happen around once a month, and are put on for people on the development pathway for the British Parasnowsport Team. It is great for me to ski with other people with disabilities, especially those who ski in a monoski, as it gives me the chance to watch what other people do and implement it into my own skiing technique.

My training in much more difficult courses (designed to challenge able-bodied skiers) at the Chill Factor^e in Manchester has meant that I find courses set for skiers with disabilities much easier. This allows me to focus on increasing speed rather that just keeping my balance and not crashing out of the course.

Here is a video from the latest training session.

This Saturday I will be travelling to Milton Keynes once again for a whole day of skiing this time, in the morning there will be the usual race training, before an afternoon of racing in Disability Snowsport UK’s Access for All Race.