This year, however, SFL made a commitment to bring the magic to children. Since our ski site was in the heart of Anchorage, we had the unique opportunity to reach out to visually impaired children in the community to introduce them to the sport of cross-country skiing. Alan Weinstein, a teacher of the visually impaired in Anchorage, was instrumental in helping to coordinate this effort. We invited the children, along with parents and teachers, to join us for a day of skiing. What an adventure and what a surprise when this child learned that we ski in tracks.
Tracks are a rarity in most parts of non-metropolitan Alaska.
We wanted to provide the blind child with a blind role model, while at the same time, maintain a sighted guide for each blind skier. The foursomes ventured forth around the meadow, and before long, several of the kids were flying down the tracks. Some of the children had previous experience on downhill skis, and certainly all were familiar with snow. However, track skiing was a novelty to many and they took to it in the limber and adventurous way kids do. They must have worked hard, as they joined us hungrily for lunch and gobbled down hearty sandwiches and platefuls of cookies.