Next week, Feb. 21, is the third annual TetraSki Race in northern Arizona, where athletes with disabilities compete for a spot at the international championship in Utah.
The TetraSki is also the name of an electronic ski that makes this race possible for many.
This race is hosted in partnership by the Arizona Snowbowl and High Country Adaptive Sports. Ten racers, mostly from Arizona, are competing. High Country Adaptive is a non-profit that offers people with physical and intellectual disabilities instruction in outdoor activities.
Half of this year’s racers will be using a provided TetraSki — imagine a high-tech chair on skis — in order to compete.
Truman Shoaff is with High Country Adaptive.
“So there’s a computer in there attached to a joy stick or a 'sip and puff,' and a student can independently turn that ski on their own with just that joy stick or just their breath depending on their level of physical limitations," Shoaff said.
Shoaff also says this race is a part of a long-term goal to get TetraSki racing into the Paralympics.
"There’s like four sports in the Paralympics that high level spinal cord injury or complex disability, individuals with complex disabilities can participate in," Shoaff said.
He says the Utah program putting on the championship next month hopes for enough participation to make this a Paralympic sport by 2034.
