The American Blind Skiing Foundation is giving skiers who are blind or have low vision an opportunity to hit the slopes with the help of guides, report ABC7Chicago.
“The ultimate goal of the American Blind Skiing Foundation is to really just make it available for people who are visually impaired to be able to experience the outdoors and have fun skiing,” said Richard Thomsen, a skier with vision disability and member of the foundation’s board.
The Foundation was founded in 1971 and is a non-profit organization, based in the Chicago area. The purpose of foundation is to provide an educational skiing program that is open to people who are blind or have low vision in the hope of providing both physical and psychological therapeutic value.
Guides adjust their style based on the needs of each person. For totally blind skiers, guides will ski behind them simply stating commands: left, right, slow, or crash (meaning drop instantly to avoid crashing).
This week the American Blind Skiing Foundation is headed out for their annual western ski trip to a major resort near Lake Tahoe.
For more information, visit their website.
