Adaptive Snow Sports is about adapting equipment and lessons and providing accessible support systems to allow people with a wide range of disabilities to take to the snow and experience the freedom of snow sports. If you would like to try skiing or snowboarding follow this link for information on getting started.
Snow Sports NZ is the national advocate for adaptive snow sports, supporting programmes at New Zealand's alpine resorts and the further development of adaptive snow sports in New Zealand. We help to remove participation barriers and encourage people with functional impairments to get involved in snow sports. Support includes assisting on-mountain adaptive programmes, promotion, adaptive training for instructors and volunteers, and hosting fun and competitive events.
On the journey in the sport, pathways have been created to help competitive athletes reach their highest potential. Support is given to developing athletes on these pathways. The pathways for adaptive instructors, coaches, classifiers and International Paralympic Committee (IPC) event management, through to high performance, are also supported. Follow this link for further information on the competitive pathway.
The video below has been developed by Snow Sports NZ as a reference tool for anyone new to adaptive snow sports. It illustrates the different categories within adaptive snowsports including visually impaired skiing, standing skiing, sit-skiing and para-snowboard cross.
Adaptive Snow Sports Disciplines from Snow Sports NZ on Vimeo.