Ski Club for less abled folk at Pembrey

PEMBREY Ski is launching an adaptive skiing club for less able folk.

It will be open to complete novices and those who may have lost touch with the sport for whatever reason.

Remarkably, skiing has been found to have amazing restorative abilities for those challenged with brain injury from traumatic accidents or stroke victims and others who might have lost limbs or have special needs of any kind.

Ski centre co-ordinator Eirian Morris said over 25 years the centre had delivered some amazing results for special school children at Heol Goffa and others who have used skiing to return to mobility following stroke or traumatic accident injury.

He said: “We just thought it was about time all those people involved would like to have a club scenario where though get together every week have fun and not be judged on their ability or performance on the slopes.

“We have had some remarkable successes with one Swansea couple meeting up and becoming the best of friends through the restorative and recuperative powers of skiing at Pembrey.

“Their story has been one of the motivations to launch the adaptive ski club on Thursday, November 21, between 7 and 9pm under floodlights. And to reinforce the fun element, we want as many as want to come along to throw off their inhibitions and don fancy dress for the occasion.”

Young people are quite well catered for but post 18 there is nothing available for skiing enthusiasts despite there being a strong influence medically though referral systems to get brain damaged individuals skiing.

Bethan Drinkall, who is a partner in the Swansea, based Equinox Physiotherapy Partnership, a specialist neurological physiotherapist team, said: “Amazingly some of my clients have adapted to skis on slopes better than to their own legs on terra firma when skiing has been introduced as an active treatment of their conditions.

“Pembrey Ski has helped enormously and in the next year I am taking some clients to Austria for the full snow experience.

“Our adaptive ski club at Pembrey will blaze a pioneering trail for those less able individuals giving them socialising opportunities as well as improving and accessing their recuperative opportunities.”

Pontyates raised Bethan has been a skier all her life. She said non skiing people tended to scoff when they knew she was taking physically challenged individuals to the slopes. “But they are emotionally choked when they see what abilities are achieved with sit on ski equipment and the boundaries that individuals trapped by their infirmity are able to breach.”