February 6, 2025
Six-year-old Miles Tiedemann experienced the “best day ever” thanks to Snow Valley Ski Hill, volunteers from Canadian Adaptive Snowsports (CADS), and the six-week Wheelie Fun Sports program for pediatric patients accessing the Specialized Rehabilitation Outpatient Program at the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital. Photo by Sharman Hnatiuk.
CADS Edmonton helps individuals with physical, sensory, and/or cognitive disabilities experience adaptive snowsports in a fun and inclusive environment. Photo by Sharman Hnatiuk.
Story & photos by Sharman Hnatiuk
EDMONTON — As six-year-old Miles Tiedemann took his first ride down the slopes at Snow Valley Ski Hill seated in a sit ski, his mother Barbara and rehabilitation therapy staff at the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital watching from the bottom of the hill could hear him exclaim: “Best! Day! Ever!”
Miles joined a six-week Wheelie Fun Sports outpatient group program designed to give pediatric patients in the Specialized Rehabilitation Outpatient Program (SROP) at the Glenrose the opportunity to try out a variety of adapted sports accessible to wheelchair users. As well as sit skiing, other sports included wheelchair tennis and basketball, sledge hockey and boccia.
“Miles has always struggled with balance, so I never thought skiing was in his future,” says Tiedemann. “I didn’t even know adaptive skiing was an option, so this group has opened up a new world of opportunities for him.” Miles has cerebral palsy, which impacts his balance and body movements.
Last November, he started using a wheelchair as part of his rehab from selective dorsal rhizotomy, a surgery that involved cutting the nerve fibers in his lower spinal cord that were causing muscle tightness in his legs.
For the afternoon on the hill, Snow Valley donated the lift tickets, and Canadian Adaptive Snowsports (CADS) provided the sit ski equipment and volunteers. CADS Edmonton offers programs in both downhill skiing and snowboarding thanks to an army of local community volunteers. The organization is committed to eliminating the barriers that prevent most children with disabilities from experience the joy and freedom of snow sports.
“He misses out on the social aspects of being on a team with his friends, or trying out all the activities at school,” says Tiedemann. “Today he got to try equipment adapted to his body and supported by volunteers who can adapt to his abilities. It allows him to do something normal for what feels like the first time.
“He often misses out on the social aspects of being on a team with his friends, or the pride of saying he’s tried a new sport. Today he got to try equipment adapted to his body and was supported by volunteers who can adapt to meet his unique abilities. It allows him to do something normal for what feels like the first time.”
This is the second year for the Glenrose pediatric SROP wheelie fun sports camp, designed to help remove some of the barriers that exist for families who wish to try adapted sports.
“Thanks to support from community programs and volunteers, we get to help introduce kids ages 8-14 to a variety of adaptive sports at no cost to their families, says Shannell Corrodas-Kasper, recreation therapist, Glenrose pediatric SROP.
“It’s a great opportunity for our patients to transfer the functional skills they learn in a clinical setting at the Glenrose and apply them to activities in the community. Participants get to explore new sports they may have never heard of — and we get to connect our community partners to children and youth to access their programs who they may not have previously had access to.
“It’s a win-win for building adaptability community awareness.”
