Equipment

Depending on a person’s limitation, the equipment that is used by the people you ski with every day may or may not be suitable for your participants who have a disability. Inflatables, recreational skis, regular towropes and approved ski vests will be all that some people need to get up on the water. Others will require equipment that is commercially available, but unfortunately probably not available at your local water ski shop. Below is a brief overview of some of the specialized equipment that is designed for people with different levels of ability.

Ski vests: Any buoyancy jacket must have a standards rating, fit properly and be in good condition. As mentioned, using a regular personal floatation device may be appropriate if your participant requires something that will turn them upright in the case of a fall.

Ski handles: Individuals who use a sit ski and single leg amputees will benefit from using a ‘deep V’ handle. This design allows for the ski to be centred as the person is being pulled out of the water, rather than off to one side of the rope. This will permit your skier to keep his weight centred and make starting much easier. It is possible to make your own deep V handle by using a wide ski handle and creating a V that is approximately 100 to 120 cm deep and attaching it securely to the handle and to the tow rope.

Double or triple handles are also useful to allow one or two experienced skiers to be alongside to assist someone who may require it.

Training boom: A boom will provide extra stability for skiers. For obvious reasons, this is beneficial for any new skier, and for the same reasons it is helpful for someone with a disability. It allows easy communication between skiers and those in the boat, meaning that instructions can be given. Sit skiers may have difficulty using a ski boom as they will have to reach up to grasp it and they may not have the trunk stability to steady themselves if they are not leaning forward on their knees.

Delgar Sling: This device makes holding on to a handle more feasible for a single arm amputee or someone who cannot use one hand. This handle incorporates a sling that goes around the shoulder of the affected arm and loops around the other shoulder. The other end of the sling is attached with a quick release to the towrope handle. With this design, as the skier holds the rope with one hand, the boat is also pulling at the opposite shoulder. This helps compensate for the uneven pull of the rope and more evenly distributes the force of the pull. For the quick release, the towrope end of the sling is attached to a narrow piece of metal tubing that telescopes inside of the extended end of a regular ski handle. This design allows for the sling to be quickly detached from the tow handle as soon as the skier lets go of it. Similar to a Delgar sling, an adapted windsurfing harness, which enables the skier to release at any time, can be used to assist skiers who have difficulty holding onto the towrope. This will allow the force of the pull to be distributed to the harness, rather than require a solid grip or strength through the arms and shoulders. When using a harness, a quick release (as described above) on the handle must be used. Be sure that any rope or toggle that is attached to the harness does not hit the person in the face when the handle is released.

Quick Release: This allows for the rope to be quickly separated from the boat by someone who is in the boat. It must be used if your participant is on a sit ski that has the rope attached to the ski, an inflatable device, a ski-trainer, or if he is unable to release the rope independently. Without the ability to release the rope from the boat, your participant will be dragged if a fall occurs. These devices are commercially available. If using a quick release mechanism, it is recommended that some type of float be attached to the boat end of the rope so that it is easy to locate.

Water skis: For many people, regular skis will be quite appropriate. Single leg amputees or any beginner will have more success with wider skis. Jump skis are an ideal alternative to regular combination skis. A deep fin will also enhance someone’s control. Single leg amputees will benefit from a binding that is mounted further back on the ski. Measuring from the rear of the ski, it is best to mount the binding at about one third the length of the ski.

Ski-bra: This device attaches two skis together and provides additional stability to skiers who do not have the leg strength to prevent lateral movement of the skis. It can be made of either rope or a solid wooden dowel or something similar. Rope provides less stability, as skis will still be able to come together. The rope should be securely mounted to each ski with some type of fastener. If using a piece of dowel, it should span across both skis when they are sitting about 10 to 15 cm apart and extend a few centimeters beyond the outside edge of each ski. It must also be securely attached to both skis. This can be done with either nuts and bolts or with strong pieces of inner tube that are looped around the dowel on the inside of the ski, twisted in a figure eight over the top of the ski and then stretched to loop around the dowel on the outside of the ski.

Ski bras can be attached to the front of the skis or to both the front and the back. Using one on both the front and one on the back will provide additional stability. When in place, they should allow the skis to sit shoulder width apart.

Ski-trainer: This is a device that attaches the skis and the handle together with rope. A towrope that goes to the boat is attached to the front rope that runs between the two skis. A handle rope is also attached to the support between the two skis. Commercially available, this device incorporates wide tails, flat bottoms, and the described training harness to make learning easier. When using a ski trainer, a quick release must be used.

Sit Skis: These are oversized skis with an aluminum-seating frame that lets users enjoy water skiing from a sitting position. The seating frame (also known as the ‘cage’) is designed so that a skier can hold the towrope and be pulled forward without being pulled out of the sitting position.

The cage is mounted on the ski so that the wider cross piece of the frame (which also sits higher than the other cross piece) is at the front of the ski. Once in the ski, the skier’s knees will be bent so that the knees brace him when pulled forward. A sling made of durable material provides support under the buttocks. The sling should be adjusted so that the buttocks are about one inch above the ski. There is also a binding that is mounted toward the front of the ski and is large enough for both feet to fit side by side.

The skis come in different designs, varying in width and having differently shaped bottoms. These differ in their ability to plane out of the water, amount of stability they provide and the maneuverability that they offer. The beginner model has a bracket that accepts a knot that is tied in the ski rope approximately three feet below the handle. This allows the rope to be temporarily attached directly to the ski so that the skier does not have to hold on to it. Once he gets up, he can lift the ski handle out of the bracket, or continue to ski with it in its attached position. When using the bracket, a quick release must be used. A deep V handle should not be used if the skier is using the starting block.

Outriggers can also be attached to the ski. This may be useful for someone who is unable to balance a sit ski.

Inflatables: Some individuals who have mobility difficulties or who, for other reasons are unable to use conventional skis or a sit ski, may be able to enjoy skimming across the water on an inflatable ‘ski biscuit’. Double and oversized ski biscuits are also commercially available, allowing participants to be accompanied by another person to provide the required support or encouragement. Double biscuits are attached with a stainless steel shackle that is strung through a canvas loop that is attached to each biscuit. This piece of equipment has a harness attached to each tube that connects to the tow rope. Dual ski rope handle: For those with visual impairments, if a training boom is not available, the use of dual ski rope handle with a sighted partner is the best alternative. Each handle has approximately 2 meters of rope that is attached to the main tow rope that comes from the boat.

Edge triple bar: Developed by Tony Edge from Britain, this device allows a support person to be on each side of your skier. The handle separates into three separate handles, each with its own rope that extends all the way to the boat. When getting up, the handles will be connected and each support person will grasp the handle on the inside of the participant’s hand by reaching under his forearm. This allows for them to lift the skier into the skiing position. Once out of the water, the support people will one at a time slide their section of the bar away from the middle section while holding on to both sections. Once ready they will one at a time let go of the middle section and the skier will be on his own.

The outside sections of the handle have one open end into which the middle section of the handle slides. The towropes for each of the outside handles should be approximately 10 centimeters longer than the rope for the middle section. This will make it easier for the support people to separate their handles from the middle section while the handles are under load.