Para alpine skier toy races into stores

Para ski racer Barbie doll. Photo: Kevin Bramble (Facebook)

PARK CITY, Utah. — The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) along with Park City resident and 12-time Summer and Winter Paralympic medal-winner Chris Waddell posted their approval on social media yesterday for this new toy from Mattell’s You Can Do Anything range of dolls.

The Barbie sits in a monoski with outriggers and comes complete with her own gold-colored medal.

The National Ability Center (NAC) of Park City has been and remains today, instrumental in the development of athletes, of equipment, and of perceptions of athletes with disabilities including but not limited to recreational para-alpine skiing and elite ski racing.

Six-time Paralympic Summer and Winter medalist Alana Nichols has spent many days training and competing in Park City. She posted on Facebook, “Imagine if, when I was 17 and I broke my back and became paralyzed, I was already exposed to all kinds of adaptive sports and it was common knowledge that people with disabilities are active and enjoy things like skiing. What if every little girl knew what was possible for people with disabilities or for people that had life-changing injuries or young girls and boys that were born without the ability to walk but want to ski.”

The NAC is holding its annual equipment sale on Saturday, October 23 from 9:00 am to noon at the Ranch at 1000 Ability Way. Skis, snowboards, boots, poles, and warm clothing will be available with all proceeds going to the NAC sports programs.

The high-performance athletes benefit from donations of any current FIS alpine-legal giant slalom, super-G and slalom skis, and 18 – 30+ DIN bindings. Contact the NAC for a pre-arranged drop-off time.Paraplegic athletes utilize the elite skis under their monoskis while training, competing and recreating at Deer Valley and Park City Mountain.

View paralympic memorabilia from 2006 and 2010 Paralympic medalist Stephanie Victor in Deer Valley’s Snow Park Lodge.

Kevin Bramble advised the toymakers of details, proportions, and style of the monoski as he is a premier monoski manufacturer and another para-alpine ski racer who spent a lot of training and competition hours in Park City on his road to a Paralympic medal.

As a point of personal privilege, I had the distinct honor of being the P.A. announcer for both Victor and Bramble’s gold medal events at the Torino 2006 Paralympics.