Backcountry skiing for the blind and visually impaired
“Ski by braille” is an expression sometimes used to describe attempting to ski in a complete whiteout, but for the blind and visually impaired, skiing by feel is the only way down the mountain. Skiing for the blind visually impaired is an impressive feat in itself, but Tyson Rettie is ready to push the sport to another level by taking it into the backcountry.
Image courtesy of mountainculturegroup.com The Braille Mountain Initiative is a non-profit organization that aims to inspire blind and visually impaired people to get involved with backcountry mountain sports and offers opportunities to do so. The founder, Tyson Rettie, was formerly a Ski Guide and Avalanche Professional before losing his sight to a rare hereditary condition.
The organization is the first to offer a backcountry skiing program for the blind and their current project is to take four skiers to a remote backcountry skiing lodge for the spring of 2021. You can find out more about the project and the organization on their website, where you can also donate to help make these dreams come true. Ryan Stuart also did a short piece for Mountain Culture Group which can be found here.