A ski adapted
Slipping in the snow at high speed is the greatest joy for many snowboarders. And that’s why skiing, snowboarding and sledding are also very successful in winter. Among today’s Ktek we will meet with the team of the Basque Federation of Adapted Skiing on the slopes of Baqueira.
Alain Irazu, one of the members of the team, lost his leg in an accident a few years ago. Until then he was not a skier, but in the new situation, skiing has become his favorite sport. He will explain how they adapt the sliding material to their needs. The cameraman and his comrade Nagore Rementeria, who, if they manage to catch him, can't keep chasing him.
NAGORE REMENTERIA; Elhuyar Foundation: Well, hello, Alain. How's it going, okay?
ALAIN IRAZU; skier: All right, let's go.
NAGORE REMENTERIA; Elhuyar Foundation: Since when do you ski?
ALAIN IRAZU; skier: I've been skiing for 15 years. But I've had it abandoned lately: we had family and... children! Children and work take time away!
NAGORE REMENTERIA; Elhuyar Foundation: Did you miss a leg when you started?
ALAIN IRAZU; skier: When I started, I had a leg.
NAGORE REMENTERIA; Elhuyar Foundation: In your situation, the ski equipment will of course have to be adapted. What is your modality?
ALAIN IRAZU; skier: It's an alpine ski. I do it with just one ski and these sticks, they're stables. They're like skates that help me turn around. They help me in the form of support by turning to one side or the other.
NAGORE REMENTERIA; Elhuyar Foundation: After all, they're crutches, aren't they?
ALAIN IRAZU; skier: They're crutches with a skate on the end.
NAGORE REMENTERIA; Elhuyar Foundation: Is the technique of skiing different?
ALAIN IRAZU; skier: No, the technique is the same. Everyone has to deal with the problem.
NAGORE REMENTERIA; Elhuyar Foundation: It will be more difficult, right?
ALAIN IRAZU; skier: Oh, yeah, yeah. This year, it’s costing me a lot. It has to be in form.
NAGORE REMENTERIA; Elhuyar Foundation: In other cases, those who don’t have enough strength on their thighs ski sitting. They need a special device, right?
ALAIN IRAZU; skier: Oh, yeah, yeah. It's a Carro with a ski below it, right in the middle, and an Amortiguador above it. And they're going down. They ski with stables.
NAGORE REMENTERIA; Elhuyar Foundation: In the case of these, yes, since they are sitting and have their center of gravity much lower, the technique will be different, won’t it?
ALAIN IRAZU; skier: The technique is the same. Also, as they go further down, they go better.
NAGORE REMENTERIA; Elhuyar Foundation: It's more stable, then. They might be less afraid of falling, right?
ALAIN IRAZU; skier: I don’t know, I have to ask them that, I haven’t tried it.
NAGORE REMENTERIA; Elhuyar Foundation: They didn’t come today, but there are people in your group who are blind and also visually impaired and not completely blind. How do they manage to ski?
ALAIN IRAZU; skier: Those who are completely blind have a guide ahead of them, the guide has a loudspeaker on the back, through which he tells you whether to turn right or left. And they follow his voice. Those who are not completely blind wear a microphone and an earphone; they also ski with a guide. And the skiing technique is exactly the same.
NAGORE REMENTERIA; Elhuyar Foundation: All right, all right. You have the whole day ahead of you to train: first the warm-ups, and then the hard ones. Have a good time!
ALAIN IRAZU; skier: Yes, thank you very much!
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