Comments on: How blind people ski http://boingboing.net/2010/03/17/how-blind-people-ski.html Brain candy for Happy Mutants Fri, 24 May 2013 01:13:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 By: ambiguous http://boingboing.net/2010/03/17/how-blind-people-ski.html#comment-738053 ambiguous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-738053 There's some stuff on the visually impaired biathlon here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pve4F6HPjDQ Made my day when I heard about this event. There’s some stuff on the visually impaired biathlon here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pve4F6HPjDQ

Made my day when I heard about this event.

]]> By: pencilbox http://boingboing.net/2010/03/17/how-blind-people-ski.html#comment-738058 pencilbox Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-738058 In the states, the national sports center for the disabled is in Winter Park, CO. Lots and lots of adaptive skiers there- one of the reasons it's so fun to ride there. http://snip.li/aa6da In the states, the national sports center for the disabled is in Winter Park, CO. Lots and lots of adaptive skiers there- one of the reasons it’s so fun to ride there. http://snip.li/aa6da

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2010/03/17/how-blind-people-ski.html#comment-738128 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-738128 Ambiguous: There are blind mountain bikers too. http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/sensory-superpowers/200907/mountain-biking-the-blind Ambiguous:
There are blind mountain bikers too.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/sensory-superpowers/200907/mountain-biking-the-blind

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2010/03/17/how-blind-people-ski.html#comment-737896 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-737896 As Polly-Anna as this may sound, and as a very amateur skier, I have to say that's f-ing amazing. I had no idea that there was even a category for blind skiers. Makes my personal triumphs seem lame in comparison. As Polly-Anna as this may sound, and as a very amateur skier, I have to say that’s f-ing amazing. I had no idea that there was even a category for blind skiers. Makes my personal triumphs seem lame in comparison.

]]> By: Sheepshank http://boingboing.net/2010/03/17/how-blind-people-ski.html#comment-738195 Sheepshank Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-738195 Wouldn't it be easier to substitute their labrador for a husky and just get pulled down the slope. Wouldn’t it be easier to substitute their labrador for a husky and just get pulled down the slope.

]]> By: beecaper http://boingboing.net/2010/03/17/how-blind-people-ski.html#comment-737950 beecaper Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-737950 I read a great book about a blind man who skied. The major issue in the book was his thought process in deciding whether to go through with a surgery to help him see again. One of the best books I've read. 'Crashing Through' by Robert Kurson http://www.robertkurson.com/crashingthrough/home.html I read a great book about a blind man who skied. The major issue in the book was his thought process in deciding whether to go through with a surgery to help him see again. One of the best books I’ve read. ‘Crashing Through’ by Robert Kurson

http://www.robertkurson.com/crashingthrough/home.html

]]> By: Brainspore http://boingboing.net/2010/03/17/how-blind-people-ski.html#comment-737967 Brainspore Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-737967 <em>I once was lost, but now am found... was blind but now I ski.</em> I once was lost, but now am found… was blind but now I ski.

]]> By: Jerril http://boingboing.net/2010/03/17/how-blind-people-ski.html#comment-738250 Jerril Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-738250 I can't tell if you're joking. Under the assumption that you're serious, no. 1) You can't 'substitute' a seeing-eye dog. The dog has to be trained for a year, and the dog and owner have to be trained together after being paired up and work as a team. 2) A regular skiier goes at 60km an hour downhill or more. He'd be dragging the dog, not the other way around. 3) You can't use a lead to direct someone for downhill skiing anyways. When the leader makes a turn, and the follower is 10' behind, the follower CAN'T TURN YET - turning too soon (or too late) is potentially catastrophic. You can use a teather with a small child learning to ski, but in that case, the child goes first, and the adult acts as a 180-lb dead weight to slow the child down to controllable speeds. It's completely different. I can’t tell if you’re joking. Under the assumption that you’re serious, no.

1) You can’t ‘substitute’ a seeing-eye dog. The dog has to be trained for a year, and the dog and owner have to be trained together after being paired up and work as a team.

2) A regular skiier goes at 60km an hour downhill or more. He’d be dragging the dog, not the other way around.

3) You can’t use a lead to direct someone for downhill skiing anyways. When the leader makes a turn, and the follower is 10′ behind, the follower CAN’T TURN YET – turning too soon (or too late) is potentially catastrophic. You can use a teather with a small child learning to ski, but in that case, the child goes first, and the adult acts as a 180-lb dead weight to slow the child down to controllable speeds. It’s completely different.

]]> By: valdis http://boingboing.net/2010/03/17/how-blind-people-ski.html#comment-738267 valdis Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-738267 I was going to make a comment about the wisdom of a visually impaired biathlon, till I realized that they're probably more accurate shots than your average redneck full of 'shine, and we let *them* have firearms. ;) (And I know of what I speak - the moonshine capitol of the US is 2 counties over from here...) I was going to make a comment about the wisdom of a visually impaired biathlon, till I realized that they’re probably more accurate shots than your average redneck full of ‘shine, and we let *them* have firearms. ;)

(And I know of what I speak – the moonshine capitol of the US is 2 counties over from here…)

]]> By: madflojo http://boingboing.net/2010/03/17/how-blind-people-ski.html#comment-738298 madflojo Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-738298 Heh.. Odd timing as a I made this video on How to guide a blind hiker last weekend From my phone and not super great quality, and not planned... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aM7SgoFBD_I In all seriousness though, we were part of a group who set a world record for the most blind hikers to reach the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro in June 2009. Good quality video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZvBe9Z00LU Heh.. Odd timing as a I made this video on How to guide a blind hiker last weekend

From my phone and not super great quality, and not planned…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aM7SgoFBD_I

In all seriousness though, we were part of a group who set a world record for the most blind hikers to reach the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro in June 2009.

Good quality video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZvBe9Z00LU

]]> By: ambiguous http://boingboing.net/2010/03/17/how-blind-people-ski.html#comment-738047 ambiguous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-738047 I live in Whistler so I see blind skiers, one legged skiers, and sit-skiers all the time. Great stuff, I love it. The adaptive sports program (WASP) is quite popular up here. The really cool thing to me is the visually impaired biathlon: there's a guide for the skiing part and some sort of sound-based set up for the shooting part. A bunch of guys hauled a sit-skier up Spanky's Ladder earlier this year. Spanky's is a steep climb that leads to some crazy double and triple black terrain. I was pretty impressed that a sit-skier was doing that terrain. In the summer I see one legged mountain bikers around town and paraplegic quad-cyclers in the downhill bike park. I don't know about visually impaired mountain bikers though, I haven't seen any. I live in Whistler so I see blind skiers, one legged skiers, and sit-skiers all the time. Great stuff, I love it. The adaptive sports program (WASP) is quite popular up here. The really cool thing to me is the visually impaired biathlon: there’s a guide for the skiing part and some sort of sound-based set up for the shooting part.

A bunch of guys hauled a sit-skier up Spanky’s Ladder earlier this year. Spanky’s is a steep climb that leads to some crazy double and triple black terrain. I was pretty impressed that a sit-skier was doing that terrain.

In the summer I see one legged mountain bikers around town and paraplegic quad-cyclers in the downhill bike park. I don’t know about visually impaired mountain bikers though, I haven’t seen any.

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