Skiing with a Learning Difficulty or Learning Disability

A ski holiday for two young men with learning disabilities in Le Grand Bornand April 2013

Review by Stuart- support work in health and social care: "Overall the trip was a great success and I would highly recommend using Ski 2 Freedom. All aspects of the trip ran smoothly and were hassle free, I would like to thank Catherine Cosby of Ski 2 Freedom as well as the whole Skiweekender team as myself, my colleague, James and Ben all had an excellent trip thanks to them."

Ski Weekender made life very easy for us whilst we were abroad. They had a clear time table of the activities for the week and this structure along with the friendly and helpful nature of all the staff at Ski Weekender really made a huge difference for the young men we were supporting, as well as ourselves.

The slopes where we did our skiing were about a ten minute drive away from the apartment. Our ski instructor from ESF Le Grand Bornand www.esf-grand-bo.com was called Philippe, he has experience teaching individuals with disabilities. He was very patient and friendly which made the skiing enjoyable for everyone."

Michelle Brown from Cavendish Care in Surrey contacted Ski 2 Freedom via Disability Holidays Guide to enquire about a possible ski resort with ski instruction for two of their residents for April 2013.

Having discussed the situation and the specific needs and requirements of the two young men, we were able to identify a quiet ski resort within easy distance of Geneva airport – knowing that Paul Turnbull of Ski Weekender (Karibuni) had already welcomed guests with similar learning disabilities as those experienced by the two from Cavendish Care, we felt confident that he would be able to arrange a perfect short-break for both James and Ben. In addition ESF Le Grand Bornand have an excellent reputation for adaptive and disabled skiing.

Le Grand Bornand  lends itself brilliantly to this type of ski holiday along with the neighboring St Jean de Sixt (which is where Ski Weekender is based and has an excellent hotel with a separate 4 bedroom apartment). The resort is small but offers great skiing for all levels. As a first-time location it proved to be a winner! The weather was not exactly spring sunshine but did appear for a short time during the boys stay. They were accompanied by two support workers; one of whom had skied only a few times in an indoor snow-dome back in the UK and the other was a dedicated snow-boarder who quickly had to learn to ski!

Cavendish Care’s Michelle Brown: “I would like to thank you very much for helping to arrange a lovely holiday for Ben and James. The accommodation, staff and location were really excellent. Could you please let me know the best way to donate as I found your help extremely beneficial and will be recommending Ski to Freedom to other tenants.”