Portneuf Valley Adaptive Sports Trains to Bring Snow Sports to All
POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) – For lots of people in the area, skiing and snowboarding are their favorite sports. For others, thanks to new technology and a group of dedicated volunteers, they're an opportunity to forget about their disability and try something that wasn't possible before.
Portneuf Valley Adaptive Sports (PVAS) is a new program dedicated to enhancing the quality of life and empowering individuals with disabilities. They provide year-round outdoor adaptive recreational activities like biking, horseback riding, paddling, and snow sports.
Director of the Ski School, David Kriner, was approached by Barrie Hunt of Barrie's Ski and Sports when a previous program which provided these opportunities closed its doors. They knew they had to do something. Kriner is a long-time ski instructor and advocate for adaptive sports, which made him the perfect person to help start PVAS in Pocatello.
The program is run entirely by volunteers, who were trained this week to use the specialized ski equipment. All kinds of equipment is utilized by the ski instructors depending on the students' disability. The equipment was donated by Barrie's and Idaho State University to help get the program underway as it celebrates its first ski season at Pebble Creek Ski Area.
"We all have a passion for skiing," said Kriner. "And there is nothing better than sharing that passion with someone."
For the volunteer instructors, it's about more than teaching someone to ski.
"It's about what I get back from the participants that come up here, a lot of them have never done anything like this before, it was never going to happen in their life," said Frank Holden, a volunteer. "Just to see the excitement on their face and for their parents to see their kids do this, it's amazing."
The volunteers of PVAS are committed to giving everyone an opportunity to ski this season. As Kriner said, "People with disabilities are just people, and we don't treat them different than we would treat anybody else."
Kriner explained the importance of this program through stories of children he has helped to discover their passion on the ski hill.
"We had a boy come to us at eight years old who was hit by a bus as a pedestrian and paralyzed," said Kriner. "We call it 'forearm skiing' so he has forearm crutches with skis on the bottom and skis on his feet. He kept training and eventually went to the Olympics. He medaled broze and silver."
The PVAS knows that miracles can happen after injury. They've helped individuals who have gone on to hike to the Mount Everest Base camp in their wheelchairs, go to college, summitted the tallest mountains in the US and even win Olympic medals.
The ski instructors will evaluate each student for their abilities before choosing the correct equipment and beginning the lessons.
"This is beyond my wildest dreams," Kriner said. "We're officially up and going and it's amazing the people that have come forward to help."
Everyone is encouraged to donate to the program if possible so it can continue providing unforgettable experiences for members of the community. Kriner and his team hope to purchase more equipment and continue their mission for years to come.
PVAS is also aided by Pebble Creek Ski Patrol, who accommodates the equipment on the ski lifts and makes room for the lessons on the mountain.
The ski lessons at Pebble Creek are available for anyone with a disability, whether it's cognitive or physical. If you'd like to volunteer for the program or sign up for a lesson, you can visit pvadaptivesports.org.
