Snow for all

Fifty adaptive athletes are on their way to Queenstown this weekend, for the annual Snow Sports NZ Adaptive Festival.

Established more than a decade ago, the three-day festival, being held at The Remarkables, aims to break barriers, such as cost, which can get in the way of people getting involved in snowsports.

Thanks to support from Snow Sports NZ, The Remarks, Christchurch’s Commodore Hotel, Central Lakes Trust, the Halberg Foundation, Touchdown Car Rentals, Cardo, Snow Centre, Isagenix and the Disabled Snow Sports Foundation, all gear and lessons are provided free of charge to participants — many of them first-timers.

Snow Sports NZ sport development manager Sami Corne says the event, which starts on Saturday, provides a chance to show people how they can enjoy the snow, even if they’d never considered it an option.

"It’s important to create a safe environment for everyone," Corne says.

"We want adaptive skiers and snowboarders to be able to go out and enjoy the mountains with their friends and family who may not have a disability — it’s about bringing people together."

Along with the participants, coming from all over New Zealand and Australia, there’ll be 60 volunteers coming in from across the country to help out.