News

Winter park prepares for adaptive skiers

By Scott Wagar

03/06/2012

The Bottineau Winter Park had a number of its staff members trained in recent weeks as level one professional ski instructors, so they can start training to become adaptive instructors as Annie’s House goes through its construction phrase.

“We are now expanding it to more local skiers,” Brad Knudson said. “This is important with the upcoming construction of Annie’s House because this fall we will be teaching our new instructors in an adaptive course, which will grant our staff in instructing skiing to people with cognitive and physical disabilities.

“That is what Annie’s House is structured towards,” Knudson added. “It is to diversify our park into an adaptive ski program so that people with handicaps can enjoy skiing.”

Annie’s House is going to be the new ski lodge at the Bottineau Winter Park, which will replace the present ski lodge and will be designed to accommodate individuals with disabilities.

The winter park will be focusing on such physical disabilities as blindness, cerebral palsy and spinal cord injuries, along with such cognitive disabilities as autism, downs syndrome and individuals who are mentally handicapped.

Annie’s House will also be designed to assist soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan who have disabilities (such as amputations, blindness, traumatic brain injuries, etc.) from combat zones with adaptive ski equipment and programs so they can learn to ski.

Annie’s House is being constructed in honor of Ann Nicole Nelson of Stanley, N.D. who lost her life on 9-11 at the World Trade Center in New York City.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Sherry McCabe, a level three ski instructor from Wisconsin with the Central Certified Professional Ski Instructors of America, came to the winter park three weeks ago and instructed eight individuals in level one professional ski instruction clinicals. This past Thursday and Friday, she came back and certified the nine skiers as level one ski instructors.

The new level one skiing instructors include: Swain Benson, Beau Deschamp, Lucie Deschamp, Justin Knudson, Azariah Efimenko, Anne Moum, Mike Banert, Shane Van Ert and Ryan Henry.

Up to Thursday, only Brad Knudson and Gary Nelson of Stanley (the father of Ann Nicole Nelson and a seasonal resident of Lake Metigoshe) were certified as level one professional ski instructors at the park. Brad Knudson has been an instructor for 20 years, while Nelson has 50 years of experience.  

With eight new instructors at the Bottineau Winter Park, and construction to start in just a few months, the local winter park is going to be able to grant skiing instruction to a spectrum of people who just want to hit the slopes and have a fun time skiing.