By Steve Hubrecht
[email protected]

The local Recreation Adapted (RAD) Society’s Eskaip adaptive cross country ski sledge — the only one in the world available for the public to rent — had its first user during the Christmas holidays.

In its Dec. 16 issue, the Pioneer reported how the Eskaip — a $6,000 piece high-end recreation equipment — had been brought to the valley by the local nonprofit RAD Society as part of society founder Tanelle Bolt’s ongoing initiatives to help improve the gap in recreation services for people with mobility challenges, who live in or are visiting the valley. 

Edmonton construction engineer and regular Columbia Valley visitor Nicole Palladino took the Eskaip out for a spin, going cross country skiing with her partner Drew Nikirk and his sister on Boxing Day, and enjoyed it so much she used it again two days later, and then again the following day.

“It was awesome. I am so grateful for the work Tanelle does,” Palladino told the Pioneer. “I’ve never tried an adaptive cross country ski before. It was difficult in terms of I had to learn a lot, but once I was able to get going, and ski with Drew and his sister, that was amazing.”

Palladino has been visiting the valley, where Nikirk grew up, for the past five years and had always enjoyed taking advantage of all the outdoor recreation the area offers. But two years ago she became paralyzed from the chest down following a mountain biking accident in Costa Rica, and the way she recreates had to change. She’s quick to credit the RAD Society for making the outdoors in the Columbia Valley accessible for her and other with mobility challenges.

“The RAD Society does so much, I can’t believe how much access I have to the outdoors when I visit the valley, even though I am paralyzed. It’s pretty incredible,” she said. 

Palladino has become good friends with Bolt over the past two years, and as soon as she saw the RAD Society’s Facebook post about the arrival of the Eskaip here in the valley, she knew she had to try it the very next time she was here.

The Eskaip is double mounted, with both skis fixed to the rig, and  the Revolutions Mountain Gear store in downtown Invermere is the “hub point” from which people can rent the sledge.

Find out more at  www.radsociety.ca.