Nichols poses for a picture with two grandfathers of adaptive skiing. (USSA/Robert Lischer)

MT. HOOD, OR (July 29) – While training at Mt. Hood in July the U.S. Adaptive Alpine Ski Team enjoyed a special experience that reached far beyond the high quality training environment. Team members were introduced to three of the grandfathers of adaptive skiing in Lee Perry, Pat McPhail and Bob Cavanaugh.

"These men helped pave the way for our sport," said Head Adaptive Alpine Coach Ray Watkins. "It was great for our athletes to spend some time with them as well as show these gentlemen how our sport has evolved."

Perry spearheaded adaptive skiing in Oregon and the nation. An avid skier and certified ski instructor, his interest in adaptive skiing was piqued in 1958 after having viewed short films of amputees skiing in post World War II Austria. Working through the Portland Jaycees in the early 1960s, he and fellow ski instructors Hal Schroeder and Pat McPhail developed the first 'amputee ski school' at Ski Bowl East in Government Camp. 

With very little to go on, these individuals developed not only the prototypical 'outrigger crutches' necessary to ski with only one leg, but also developed what is thought to be the first progression designed to teach amputees how to ski. Many of their participants were new to the sport, having never tried skiing while able-bodied. 

At first amputees were not exactly coming out of the woodworks to join these men. In fact, Perry would go knocking on doors of families with amputees encouraging them to go against the social norm and allow their family members to maintain an active lifestyle.

According to Perry, "the real purpose of all this is to bring a measure of pride to people who need it. We were trying to prove here that an amputee need not back away from life and that there is a lot of fun to life as long as you are up and moving.” 

The healing nature of the process was not lost on instructors and participants and their numbers steadily rose. Having only started skiing in 1963 with Perry and McPhail after losing his leg in a logging accident, this was to be the first ski race of any kind for Portland resident Bob Cavanaugh. He went on to compete for many years to follow eventually becoming the race chairman for what had developed into the National Amputee Ski Race sponsored by the Flying Outriggers Ski Club. 

“Who would have thought the sport would develop into this,” Cavanaugh repeatedly commented while eyeing the sit-ski rigs of current U.S. Adaptive Alpine Ski Team members Alana Nichols (Farmington, NM) and Tyler Walker (Franconia, NH). “It’s quite amazing what these guys can do with these things.”

“It was awesome to get a historical perspective on the sport,” Nichols said. “We are all so grateful to these men for paving the way,”

The U.S. Adaptive Alpine Ski Team will wrapped up its summer training program at Mt. Hood in late July.