Parkinson's and Skiing in Le Grand Bornand France

ben-gb-collins-andrew-parkinsons-le-grand-bornand-esf Andrew and I first skied together as a young couple in Le Mont-Dore in 1971. And once we had our two children, we skied as a family. We skied in the Trois Vallées – Méribel, Val Thorens, Les Menuires. We skied in Val d’Isère and Courchevel. We skied in Colorado too – Arapahoe, Breckenridge, Keystone, Vail.

That year he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s, and he decided skiing was no longer for him. Nine years later he now takes levodopa and other medication on a regular daily schedule. He experiences tremors mainly down his left leg, and his left hand is weakened to the point where he has very little grip. But he has never stopped talking about skiing, and how much he loves it.

Last autumn I came across the charity Ski 2 Freedom (http://ski2freedom.com/en). They encourage Parkinson’s sufferers to stay active and go skiing. They can suggest good resorts, hotels and packages, as well as useful contacts in the Ecole de Ski Française (ESF). So we did it! We booked a week at Chinaillon in the Grand Bornand area of the Haute Savoie. We also booked two hours a day with an ESF ski instructor.... read more

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