Last year my husband mentioned that he’d like to take our daughters on a ski trip. Since the girls have grown up in Florida, they had limited exposure to snow and winter sports. I thought that sounded like a great idea, and said I’d come along to play in the snow, or perhaps go snowmobiling, but wasn’t interested in skiing. I knew of amputees who skied with one leg and enjoyed it, but the idea didn’t appeal to me. I’m more mobile and balanced with my prosthesis on, and that’s the way I’ve always played sports. But my girls really wanted me to ski with them, so like all moms, I felt a little guilty about that and began to reconsider and do some research. To my surprise, I found quite a few amputees who, thanks to advances in technology, are now skiing with their prosthetic limbs on!

We made reservations for January of this year at a ski resort in Lake Tahoe, California. I was fortunate enough to locate a disabled ski school less than 30 minutes from there, and they helped me get started. I found that a well fitting socket and the correct positioning of my foot and shin/pylon inside the ski boot were crucial to my success. The only adjustment I made to my microprocessor knee was to increase stance resistance so that I was able to bend the knee (although much more slowly), but it still allowed me stand up quickly when getting off the lift or repositioning when making turns. I started out using outrigger poles with little skis on them to help with balance and turns, but by the next lesson I was using regular ski poles and skiing with my family. It felt so good to be able to share the experience with them!

Below are a couple of links to a related article and video, as well as a photo of my girls and I taken after one of our runs down the mountain. I smile when I think of my happiness at that moment, and the great sense of accomplishment I felt. It’s always good to focus on what we can do, rather than what we can’t. Whether you decide to take up skiing or any other sport, where there’s a will there’s a way! You never know unless you try.

Iraq War Amputees Ski Towards Recovery
click here to read the full story

Amputee Skis using C-Leg Microprocessor Knee
click here to read the full story

My girls and I