Skiing with Cerebral Palsy in Chamonix

By Ed Noel

I recently volunteered to follow along with a sit skiing lesson with Audrey Stolzenberg of ESF Chamonix.  Audrey had been teaching a young French boy called Louie, who has Cerebral Palsy, for a week. This was Louie's third year of skiing. He started learning to ski in a Kart-ski, then this year Audrey wanted to progress his skiing by starting him in a Uni -ski. Learning to ski in a Uni-ski will allow him to be able to ski independently.  When I spoke to his father about it he said:  “it is dream that Louie and I will be able to ski together one day without any assistance.” It was great to see the progress Louie was making in his first few hours of skiing in a Uni-ski. Audrey was giving him a lot of support as the conditions on the day were quite hard. Louie doesn't have a lot of strength in his arms and the outriggers were a little too long and were causing him a bit of discomfort. Audrey assured him that it will get easier as he grows and gets stronger. I'm looking forward to seeing Louie's progress on the slopes next year! Ed

Skiing with Disabilities in the Chamonix Valley

Chamonix and the nearby ski resorts of Les Houches and Argentiere are used by many disabled skiers, including those who have had the amazing experience of skiing the famous Vallée Blanche!  View a video here. Much of this is achieved with the dedicated help and experience of French handiski instructors who work in and around these resorts.  Ski 2 Freedom has had a number of clients who have had life changing experiences from these remarkable and empathetic instructors.

Useful Contacts

ESF Chamonix
ESF Argentiere 
ESF Les Houches
Loisirs Assis EvasionTessier – ski ski equipmen
Disabled skiing Vallée Blanche -Tandemski
Sit skiing on the Valllee Blanche