Many people who are blind or have low vision continue to enjoy the sport of skiing:

• Instead of downhill skiing, try cross-country skiing. Cross-country is challenging, but generally occurs on smaller slopes and hills than does downhill skiing.
• Use a "safety skier guide." The guide is responsible for describing the surroundings, choosing the line of descent, and providing verbal instructions to the skiier who is blind or has low vision.

There are two primary ways to orient and guide skiers who are blind or have low vision:

• The guide remains behind the skier, orienting the skier with verbal descriptions and instructions. This system requires wide slopes with few obstacles.
• The guide precedes the skier and provides orientation through verbal instructions as the skier follows the outline of the guide's body and movements. This system requires fewer precise instructions, since the skier primarily follows the voice and movements of the guide.

In both cases, it is important that the distance between the skier and the guide be kept to a minimum. It is also important that the skier and his or her guide wear vests that identify them as a blind skier and guide, respectively. This prevents other skiers from atempting to ski between them.

Other hints for skiers who are blind or have low vision include:

• For both cross-country and downhill skiing, enroll in a "learn to ski" clinic for beginners or for persons returning to the sport with a vision impairment.
• Use properly fitted ski equipment and clothing. Many ski resorts or clinics offer equipment for rent.
• Ask your eye doctor about lenses or goggles that can help reduce glare when skiing. Lenses can be tinted a number of colors to decrease various spectrums of light that can cause glare.
• For more information about tinted goggles, absorptive lenses, and other types of low vision devices and training, see What Is A Low Vision Examination?, Low Vision Optical Devices, and Vision Rehabilitation Services.

Resources for Adapted Skiing

• American Blind Skiing Foundation: Educational skiing programs for blind or visually impaired people
• Foresight Ski Guides, Inc.: Cross-country skiing for blind, visually impaired, and mobility-impaired people and their guides
• Ski for Light, Inc.: Recreation opportunities for visually impaired and blind skiers
• See Sports & Exercise, Sports Groups, and Recreation, Sports, & Leisure Products for tips, answers to frequently-asked questions, and resources for sports and leisure equipment and activities.