TetraSki Coming to Ellicottville
TetraSki Coming to Ellicottville
HoliMont’s Adaptive Program the First in NYS to Offer TetraSkiing
Above Photos Courtesy of HoliMont
Ellicottville is home to HoliMont, the largest private ski resort in the United States. With 8 lifts and 55 trails, HoliMont has a capacity of 13,000 skiers per hour. With an average of 180” of snowfall annually, generations have been enjoying the amenities at HoliMont for over 60 years. HoliMont offers ski classes for all levels, ages and abilities taught by Olympic athletes at their world-class ski school. Skiers advance at their pace under the watchful supervision and encouragement of their team of highly skilled instructors. Additionally, HoliMont offers skiing opportunities for individuals with all levels of disabilities through the Phoenix Adaptive program.
According to their website, “The HoliMont Snowsports School Adaptive ski/snowboard program focuses on the instruction and guidance for adults and children with disabilities. Staffed by dedicated volunteers and PSIA trained instructors, this program provides a safe, compassionate skiing and riding environment for our adaptive students’ needs. Each student is matched up with a PSIA instructor who has been trained to teach specific adaptive disciplines along with a volunteer.”
The exciting news is that a select number of instructors from Phoenix Adaptive team traveled to Breckenridge, Colorado last month for an intense training course to learn the ins and outs of using a TetraSki, which offers greater independence for skiers in the adaptive program. Dave Berghash, Director of the Phoenix Program at HoliMont, informs us that only 45 people in the world are officially certified to teach using the TetraSki, and three of them are from HoliMont! Additionally, HoliMont is the first in New York State to offer this program with only 27 offered worldwide. It’s a BIG deal!
The program is relatively new, with the TetraSki being the world's only independent alpine ski for people with complex disabilities. Here, I introduce you to Dr. Jeffrey Rosenbluth, Medical Director of the Spinal Cord Injury Acute Rehabilitation program at the University of Utah Health. Rosenbluth and his team had been coordinating with the University’s best minds in engineering, research, business and medical to design innovative technology and provide essential programs to improve the quality of life for people with complex injury or illness.
One of the team’s core projects was the TetraSki, the world's only independent alpine ski for people with complex disabilities. Tetradapt.us tells us how it works: “A skier with limited strength and dexterity due to complex physical injury or illness can smoothly operate the TetraSki safely with a high degree of performance and independence. This is possible because of electric actuators on the TetraSki that provide independent turning and speed variability through the skier’s use of a joystick or sip and puff breath control, the same as a wheelchair. The TetraSki does not operate like a motor to push the ski forward or increase speed. The skier’s skills and choices alone determine how fast the ski goes.” Of course, the skier is tethered to a professional behind them using an overriding joystick so that the rider can never be out of control (somewhat like a student driver setup in a car).
Thanks to the generosity of the Men’s Club at HoliMont and the entire Club as a whole, several members of the Phoenix Adaptive Team were able to travel to Colorado, stay for four days of training, and return, ready for HoliMont’s anxiously awaited TetraSki to arrive. HoliMont FLITE Team coach, Corey Hacker, who uses adaptive devices, is excited to give the TetraSki a test run on the slopes.
Ownership of the TetraSki only happens after the completion of a $34,000, five-year lease, which again, was generously covered by the Men’s Club and HoliMont. Since many adaptive ski programs struggle to keep their financial heads above water, western New York - and especially Ellicottville - are very fortunate to have this vibrant club and its members paving the way for the Phoenix Adaptive Team to have this unique piece of equipment available for its members and for the community. The TetraSki rental will be available to all HoliMont members, non-members and, on Sunday afternoons, free to anyone in the community with a disability. Just call to reserve a spot. (Writer’s note: Many thanks to Rachele Dove who graciously provided information and access to her contacts for this article.)