Page 18 - Community Living Magazine 32 - 4

an active life
Mountain

lions

Stephanie Crawshaw likes risk
and adventure. Her father
Andy tells Jo Adshead about
a skiing trip to Austria

n February, Stephanie Crawshaw set off
for Niederau, a small, picturesque
IAustrian resort, to try out a real ski
experience like thousands of other people. Taking to the slopes: Stephanie with friends
Accompanied by her father Andy and and Andy, kneeling next to her
two of her support staff, she was part of a
group of nine people with a variety of Chill Factore, her team have supported
additional needs. her to use the indoor snow slope.
Disabled skiing and snowboarding, now Andy recalls: “Her face told me
known as adaptive snowsports, have everything. She has no fear and she loved
become more common in recent years. carving down the slopes in the sit ski [a
Skiing was the obvious choice for this wheelchair-type device that tilts and slides
action-loving pair to enable some much with a ski instructor holding the chair]. I am
needed father/daughter time out. able to ski alongside her so this is something
Stephanie is definitely her father’s we can do together, which is just amazing.”
daughter. Andrew Crawshaw has taken Andy used GoFundMe to raise funds for
part in sport for most of his life, the trip and, within a month, had hit the
competing at national levels in cycling and £1,600 target from around 30 people. The
road race cyling in his 20s. total cost with Disability Snow UK was
It has always been evident that, around £4,000. “Their attention to detail
although she uses a wheelchair, was excellent and they made certain
communicates without using words and everyone had a great time,” he says. DSUK
has very complex healthcare needs, has paid instructors, and each person has a
Stephanie enjoys the outdoors with her volunteer helper who pays a lower amount. Andy says: “Clearly, she enjoyed
dad and is something of a thrill seeker, The trip was always going to be a everything about being out and about,
enjoying the feel of the outdoors and the challenge – pushing a wheelchair around a enjoying new experiences. She loves
stimulation of faster action spots. snowy village is hard. The skiing session being with people. The Linkability support
Stephanie has for some years enjoyed was moved from morning to afternoon so staff, Katy and Christina, made the trip so
skiing at the Manchester’s Chill Factore Stephanie would be fully alert and enjoy it. much easier for me and Steph to have a
centre not far from her home in Euxton in The airports provided easy access for good time. They both did a fantastic job of
Lancashire, where she is supported by a the group, who first met up at Gatwick. looking after Steph day and night.”
team from Linkability, a Lancashire support DSUK used its own bus for the transfers At the ski lift, a rope is attached to the
organisation. Welcomed by the staff from and to take the skiers to the gondola. sit-ski from both the button and the T lifts,
so works like it would for an able-bodied
person. The sit-ski is lifted on and off the
bigger gondola. People of all abilities can
enjoy just about all the mountain.
“We did some apres-ski including a
horse-drawn carriage ride in the snow and
some social time with the group in the
evenings, although Steph does like an early
night just like her dad now,” says Andy.
“As a dad, I simply had an amazing time
with my daughter doing something very
much together, enjoying both the
mountains and fresh air and spending time
with a group of like-minded people.” n

Jo Adshead is chief executive of Linkability:
www.linkability.org.uk

18 Vol 32 No 4 | Summer 2019 Community Living www.cl-initiatives.co.uk